The shortlist for the 2006 Scottish Thistle Awards has just been announced revealing that eight Edinburgh based businesses and initiatives have made the finals, receiving a total of ten nominations.

The Thistle Awards are recognised as one of the top accolades a tourism business can receive, and reward Scottish tourism businesses that consistently strive for quality and innovation. Over 260 entries were received for this year’s Awards and the judges have been extremely impressed with the high standard of entries.

The Edinburgh finalists are as follows:

• Business Tourism - Heritage Portfolio Ltd, Edinburgh
• Customer Care: Hotel - The Howard
• Customer Care: Visitor Attraction - The Royal Yacht Britannia
• Events and Festivals - Mary King's Close, Mary King's Ghost Fest
• Innovation - Edinburgh's Christmas Santa Weekend and The
  Balmoral Hotel
• Marketing Initiative - The Balmoral Hotel
• Off Peak success - Historic Scotland 'Magic Month'
• People Development - The Balmoral Hotel
• Sustainable Tourism - Apex Hotels
  

Congratulations to all those who made the shortlist and the very best of luck at the final awards ceremony on 27 October.

Further information is available via the website http://www.visitscotland.org/thistleawards