A FORMER Royal Marine Commando who has revolutionised tourism in North Wales has been honoured for his “immense contribution” to the industry.

Sean Taylor, founder of Zip World, was given the special contribution to tourism award at the prestigious Go North Wales Tourism Awards.

The headline sponsor for the glittering event at Venue Cymru in Llandudno was the leading food distribution company Harlech Foodservice (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), and it was hosted by journalist Sian Lloyd, who hails from Wrexham.

After two decades as a hard-bitten commando and a period working in private security, Sean returned to his native North Wales in 2007 for his first foray into tourism with the high-wire Tree Tops Adventure attraction in a forest near Betws-y-Coed.

He launched the fastest zip wire in the world six years later, with customers soaring high above the Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda.

Not content to rest on his laurels, in 2014 Sean unveiled underground trampolining at Bounce Below in the Llechwedd Slate Caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

The latest ventures include Underground Golf at Llechwedd and the SkyFlyer airship in Rhyl that will carry thrill seekers 400ft in the air when it takes off next year.

With Sean at the helm as president, the company is now spread across seven sites in Wales and the north of England, having branched out into the Lake District and Manchester.

Sean, from Trefriw, said: “We’re not going to stop.

“We’ve had a great year but we’re not going to stop and we’ve got some exciting new plans for our existing sites and for our new sites like the SkyFlyer airship in Rhyl.

“This is a great area to operate in and I’m privileged to work with some wonderful people.

“We’re proud to be a North Wales company and very close to our roots, very much embedded in our community.

“North Wales is such a compact area, it’s varied, accessible and exciting and last but not least it’s amazingly friendly.

“When you’ve got all this right, it’s a great place to visit.”

Closer to home, the company has bought a hotel in Capel Curig as it looks to expand into the short breaks market.

Sean says the company, with its headquarters in Llanrwst, will always be a Welsh company at heart.

Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism who headed the judging panel, said: “It is hard to overstate the immense contribution Sean has made to the tourism and hospitality industry in North Wales.

“We had a vision of transforming the region into the adventure capital of Europe and he has played a huge role in making that dream become a reality.

“Sean has a huge drive and ambition, coupled with the imagination to create innovative and exciting high octane attractions that have made the world sit up and take notice, putting Wales firmly on the tourism map.

“As a result, Zip World has created hundreds of jobs and pumps hundreds of millions of pounds into the economy of North Wales.”

Another big winner on the night was the Plas Dinas Country House Hotel in Bontnewydd, near Caernarfon, which is making the most of its royal connections.

It was crowned hotel of the year for the second year running, while its acclaimed Gunroom Restaurant won the coveted food and drink award.

The leasehold for Plas Dinas Country House was bought by Daniel and Annie Perks in 2019 after they fell in love with the former royal retreat.

Back in the 1960s, it provided a bolthole for Lord Snowdon, formerly Anthony Armstrong-Jones, and Princess Margaret, hidden away from the glare of London life.

It was also where Lord Snowdon used as a base to mastermind Prince Charles’s investiture at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

A delighted Daniel Perks said: “It’s an amazing double, a dream come true, and it’s down to a lot of hard work and a great team.

“Annie and I dreamed of having our own hotel and restaurant and we started from the bottom and worked our way up, putting as much in as we could and putting together an amazing team.

“Plas Dinas is really a place where our dreams have come true.”

Meanwhile, Frankie Hobro, of Anglesey Sea Zoo and Marine Resource Centre, Brynsiencyn, took the Go Responsible and Sustainable Green Award.

It was a case of double joy for Frankie, who earlier in the week won the Entrepreneur for Good category, at the Great Britain Entrepreneur Awards.

She said: “I’m not concerned about profits as much as long-term sustainability – I’m investing in that and it’s paying off.

“15 years ago, the business environment was very different and these days people like to feel that they’re visiting a sustainable operation.

“It’s always lovely to win something but every little thing we do to make the business more sustainable is very important because everyone can do something and we’re trying to encourage and inspire people to do that.”

Winners at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards:

• Best Newcomer Award sponsored by Aber Falls Distillery – Tan y Bryn Glamping and Touring, Llandudno Junction

• Go Skills Award sponsored by North Wales Regional Skills Partnership – Ambassador.Wales, Denbighshire County Council

• Go Young Person in Tourism and Hospitality Award sponsored by Grwp Llandrillo Menai - Tilly Reynolds, Bodnant Welsh Food, Conwy Valley

• Go Tourism Supplier of the Year sponsored by Orenda-Luxe Exclusive Holiday Homes - UK Leisure Living, St Asaph and Mochdre

• Go Best Event of the Year sponsored by Penderyn Distillery Llandudno – Rhyl Air Show

• Go Food and Drink of the Year Award sponsored by Menter Mon - The Gunroom Restaurant at Plas Dinas Country House, Bontnewydd

• Go Activity of the Year sponsored by Design 2 Print – Anglesey Boat Trips, Beaumaris

• Go Caravan, Camping or Glamping of the Year sponsored by Tan y Bryn Caravan and Camping Ltd – Brook Cottage Shepherd Huts, Y Ffôr, Pwllheli

• Go Self Catering of the Year sponsored by Pario Leisure Group – Rivercatcher, Corwen

• Go Holiday Park of the Year sponsored by Thornley Leisure Parks – Commonwood Leisure, Wrexham

• Go Pet Friendly Award sponsored by Pero Foods Ltd - Y Stablau, Betws-y-Coed

• Go Best B&B/Inn of the Year sponsored by Colliers Hotels – Golden Fleece Inn, Tremadog

• Go Hotel of the Year sponsored by Castell Howell Foods Ltd – Plas Dinas Country House Hotel, Bontnewydd

• Go Responsible and Sustainable Green Award sponsored by Adventure Parc Snowdonia - Anglesey Sea Zoo and Marine Resource Centre, Brynsiencyn

• Go Attraction of the Year sponsored by Development Bank of Wales – Manorafon Farm Park, Abergele

• Go North Wales Special Contribution to Tourism Award sponsored by Tir Prince Leisure Group – Sean Taylor, founder and president, ZipWorld