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Around 40 venues and businesses are set to vie for regional recognition at the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2026.

The shortlist has been unveiled, featuring nominees both big and small across 14 different categories.

Among the finalists are the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands in Cosford, the Hyatt Regency hotel in Birmingham and Stourbridge Glass Museum.

An award ceremony is due to be held next spring while the finalists in two further award categories will be announced in December - tourism event or festival of the year and a new prize recognising outstanding constitution by an individual.

Now in their sixth year, the West Midlands Tourism Awards celebrate the region's best businesses including accommodation providers, cultural and event venues and restaurants.

They are organised and funded by the West Midlands Growth Company.

Andrew Lovett, chairman of the West Midlands tourism and hospitality advisory board, said: "The West Midlands Tourism Awards is one of my favourite dates in the diary.

"An opportunity each year to celebrate and honour the best people and businesses, which make visiting our great region so memorable.

"Awards provide a big boost to businesses in a competitive market where economic headwinds can be substantial.

"As chief executive of the Black Country Living Museum, I have seen at first hand the positive impact of winning a regional and national tourism award, bringing a new wave of attention for the museum and our fabulous staff among visitors and media."

Regional winners will automatically be entered into the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence which champions the best in England's tourism industry each summer.

The shortlist for the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2026 is:

Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award

- Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, Cosford

- The Box @ FarGo Village, Coventry

- West Midlands Police Museum, Birmingham

Business Events Venue of the Year

- Hyatt Regency Birmingham

- Malmaison Birmingham

- Warwick Conferences, Coventry

Café/Coffee Shop of the Year

- Crumbles Coffee House and Deli, Wolverhampton

- Ten Steps Coffee Lounge, Brierley Hill

- The Two Mugs, Shirley

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year

- Acton Scott Escapes, Church Stretton

- Riverside Cabins, Shrewsbury

- The Barns at Blackwater Meadow, Ellesmere

Regenerative Tourism Award

- Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, Birmingham

- Riverside Cabins, Shrewsbury

- Stourbridge Glass Museum, Stourbridge

Experience of the Year

- A World of Whisky by Grain & Glass, Birmingham

- Cotswolds in a Day Tour by Go Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton in Marsh

- RSC Tours by Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon

- The Shakespeare Express by Vintage Trains, Birmingham

Restaurant of the Year

- Fazenda Birmingham

- Libertine Burger, Stratford-upon-Avon

- Trentina, Birmingham

- Zindiya, Birmingham

Large Hotel of the Year

- Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, Birmingham

- Hotel du Vin, Birmingham

- The Grand Hotel, Birmingham

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

- Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

- British Motor Museum, Gaydon

- Compton Verney, Warwick

- Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, Cosford

New Tourism Business of the Year

- Indie Mart @ FarGo Village, Coventry

- Pesto at The White Swan, Wythall

- Putt Putt Social, Coventry

- The Taste of Shrewsbury Experience by Walking Food Tours º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Pub of the Year

- The Bull's Head, Earlswood

- The Howard Arms, Ilmington

Self Catering Accommodation of the Year

- Ironbridge View Townhouse

- Westhope Country Retreats, Craven Arms

Small Serviced Accommodation of the Year

- Burnside Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon

- Goldstone Hall Hotel & Gardens, Market Drayton

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

- Shakespeare Distillery, Stratford-upon-Avon

- St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry

- The Lord Leycester, Warwick