A tourist attraction near Carlisle has been nominated for a prestigious national award.

Gretna Green Ltd, the award-winning wedding, hospitality, retail and experience destination just across the border in Scotland, has been made a finalist for the award for its ‘Famous Blacksmiths Gretna Green Experience’ attraction.

The award in question is the Best UK and Ireland Tourism Project category in the British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards.

It is the UK’s first attraction dedicated to love and marriage and was launched in April this year.

The awards recognise excellence in tourism projects covering new arts, culture and travel ventures worldwide.

They are voted for by members of the British Guild of Travel Writers and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London next month.

As part of the new attraction, guests are taken on a magical journey of true love, starting with virtual chats with some of the original anvil priests and ending with a 360-degree immersive show celebrating what love means to us all.

Guests can browse original love letters from the 1700s and learn from the anvil priests themselves about how Gretna Green’s location on the border of Scotland made it the home of runaway romance.

Visitors can even experience a sneak peak of a wedding in action and have the chance to add their own love story to the wedding wall.

Isabel Rhodes, chief executive at Gretna Green Ltd, said: “Having launched the attraction earlier this year, to reach the final is an accolade and true testament to the hard work of our teams in delivering a first-class tourism experience.

“The creation of The Famous Blacksmiths Gretna Green Experience has been an important evolution for our destination at the gateway to Scotland and will help to spark the many more love stories that are still to come.”

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