A surf school in Broadstairs and a tour of one of Thanet’s picturesque villages were among the big winners at a prestigious event to celebrate best tourist attractions in the South East.

This year’s Tourism ExSEllence Awards, held at the illustrious Wentworth Club in Surrey, highly commended the St Peter’s Village Tour in the 'Best Tourism Experience’ category.

Brian Sleightholm, who founded the free guided walks, said: “The main thing that amazed us was the size of the area that these awards take in.

“We were up against attractions from as far away as Portsmouth, so to have even made the final was a fantastic achievement.”

Joss Bay Surf School also made a splash at the awards as it was highly commended for sports tourism.

Dave Melmoth, owner and head surf instructor, said: “We’re ecstatic! I’m amazed that we’ve come away with an award.

“It’s only in the last three years or so that we’ve really started pushing the surf school and we’re now doing lots of work with young people and people with disabilities.

“We’re an environmentally friendly attraction that promotes health and fitness, so I guess we ticked all the right boxes!”

Nearly a dozen other Kent attractions received accolades from the judges.

The tourist trade is worth an estimated £140 million annually to the Thanet economy and £2.3 billion to the county.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive of Visit Kent, said: “The county has once again shown the strength of its tourism industry. To have so many businesses recognised at these awards is a real achievement.”