Visit Essex has been named among the winners at the inaugural Digital Awards Champions event in London.

The official tourism organisation for Greater Essex, covering the Essex County Council area and the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock, triumphed in the Tourism and Hospitality category, beating off competition from around the East and South East of England.

The awards event, held at the British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank, featured the winners from a series of local Digital Awards schemes for users of web-based platforms which were held last year in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Milton Keynes.

There were 15 categories in all, also covering sectors such as education, sport and entertainment, with the winners being chosen by a public vote.

Robin Bailey from the Digital Awards team, who hosted the London event, said: “The Digital Awards Champions has showcased so many fantastic examples of the superb digital talent across the region.

“So many great success stories were brought together, along with brilliant winners chosen by the people; what an outstanding accolade it is to win a DAC!”

Lisa Bone, strategic tourism manager at Visit Essex, said: “Digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and, of course, the Visit Essex website (wwww.visitessex.com) play an absolutely vital role in helping our team to promote Essex to the wider public, both at home and abroad.

“In the past 12 months we have worked very hard to make sure that our digital offer is engaging, fun and a true resource for visitors and local residents alike. So it is very satisfying for our efforts to be acknowledged and Visit Essex to become one of the very first Digital Awards Champions.”

Visit Essex is a private-public sector partnership with a business-led board. Its members include visitor attractions, leisure/activity operators, accommodation providers and other tourism-related businesses (including the travel trade and the media) as well as local authorities across the county.

It works closely with partners to develop a sustainable tourism offering for the future, identify new markets and harness visitors at the county’s major gateways of Stansted, Harwich, Southend and Tilbury.