Comrie Croft adds to accolades with win at industry ‘Oscars’

An award-winning ‘green’ destination in Perthshire has added to its accolades by being crowned the best in Scotland at Scottish tourism’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Comrie Croft, near Crieff, picked up a Scotland CAN DO Award for Innovation In Tourism at the Scottish Thistle Awards’ national final in Edinburgh – hosted by TV presenter and Deacon Blue drummer Dougie Vipond and presenter and former Miss Scotland Jennifer Reoch.

The awards recognise innovation, excellence and success in the hospitality and tourism industry – rewarding hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions, events and individuals who go that extra mile to provide customers with exceptional service.

Thistle judges commended the social enterprise for its “collaboration across the region” and in particular noted the investment in the green and sustainable aspects of the business and the DIY weddings.

Andrew Donaldson, Comrie Croft’s founder, said: “This means so much to me and our team because our whole enterprise is focused on doing things differently. Standardisation is fine for fast food chains, but we want to do something which is distinctive, locally flavoured and offers visitors something new and exciting. In our own way we hope to change the world, one small step at a time.”

A total of 14 awards were handed out on the night including Best Cultural Event or Festival, Most Hospitable Hotel, Best Restaurant Experience, Best Visitor Attraction and Tourism and Hospitality Hero.

This year the Scottish Thistle Awards received a recordbreaking 715 entries, a 16% increase on last year.