Samantha Richardson awarded MBE in New Year’s Honours List

Samantha Richardson, Director of the National Coastal Tourism Academy based in Bournemouth, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2022 for services to England’s coastal tourism and supporting coastal tourism destinations through the pandemic.

Ms Richardson has been an advocate for promoting the importance of tourism in coastal destinations around England for the past eight years since the NCTA’s launch in 2013, working with government, coastal stakeholders, national organisations, academia and the private sector to draw attention to the opportunities and challenges facing coastal resorts.

“I am extremely honoured and humbled to have been given this award and incredibly surprised. It certainly never occurred to me that my work might be recognised in this way, so I’d like to say thank you,” Ms Richardson said.

“I work with a small team to support coastal destinations and raise awareness of coastal issues at a national level. We have one of the most stunning and diverse coastlines in the world, and it is a privilege to do a job I love working with passionate and dedicated colleagues across our coast.”

“It has been a challenging 18+months for coastal destinations, and whilst there are still ongoing challenges to face as we enter 2022, our coast and its communities have enormous potential and I look forward to continuing to be an ambassador for coastal issues.”

In addition to directing the work of the NCTA, Ms Richardson leads the England’s Coast project which promotes coastal destinations to British and international visitors and encourages visitors to explore coastal destinations year-round.

Prior to joining the NCTA, Ms Richardson worked with P&O Cruises at Carnival UK in Southampton, Salisbury Cathedral and overseas for the British Tourist Authority. She holds a postgraduate degree in Tourism Management and undergraduate in Tourism Services from Sheffield Hallam and Bournemouth Universities respectively.

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For further detail on the work of the National Coastal Tourism Academy see https://coastaltourismacademy.co.uk/about/who-we-are