The Original Noss Boat – DOUBLE FINALISTS – HITA 2026
Best Visitor Attraction
Scotland has a wealth of unique and fascinating visitor attractions, from castles and palaces to nuclear bunkers and a hollow mountain experience! This category celebrates the variety of opportunity provided to Scotland’s visitors, and the attractions which provide world class service with an authentic, memorable experience. Attractions should provide a warm welcome to all visitors and have sustainability at their heart.
Who should enter?
For visitor attractions that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and visitor satisfaction. This category is open to visitor attractions of all types and sizes.
Inclusion Award
This award celebrates a business or event that sets the standards for inclusion and demonstrates a strong commitment to serving the market and providing excellent customer service.
Some examples of inclusive practices would include:
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An ongoing commitment to training frontline staff or event volunteers in equality, diversity and inclusion awareness
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Providing facilities and services designed for different customer groups or a specific customer group e.g., autism or dementia friendly tours or accommodation which is accessible to wheelchair users, services for deaf or for the hard of hearing, braille signage etc.
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Social activity which offers opportunities for low-income families or young disadvantaged adults to participate in Scottish tourism and events.
Who should enter?
This award is for any tourism or event business that can serve as an example to industry, by emphasising their inclusion ethos, who demonstrates a commitment to serving the market and providing excellent customer service.
Double Finalists
🌟🏆 Double Finalists at the Highlands and Islands Thistle Awards 2026 and for the 4th year running.
We are absolutely delighted to share that Seabirds-and-Seals – The Noss Boat has been named a finalist in not one, but two categories at this year’s Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards.
🏆 Best Visitor Attraction
🏆 Inclusion Award
To be recognised in two categories is an incredible honour and a wonderful reflection of the dedication, passion and commitment of our entire team.
We were also double finalists in 2024 for ‘Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience’ and ‘Inclusive Tourism’. Plus in 2025 we were double finalists for ‘Best Visitor Attraction’ and ‘Innovation’ – fantastic achievements ❤️.
As the business celebrates 34 years of continuous trading, this recognition is especially meaningful. Since 1992, Seabirds-and-Seals has remained committed to delivering authentic, memorable wildlife experiences while continually investing in accessibility, sustainability, customer experience and the warm Shetland welcome that has become synonymous with our tours.
We are incredibly proud to be operating Shetland’s original and longest established Noss Boat tour business, continuing to build on a legacy spanning more than three decades with our own original business branding, authentic content and a genuine passion for showcasing Shetland’s spectacular wildlife responsibly.
Since taking over the business, we have been incredibly proud to see it consistently ranked No.1 on TripAdvisor, with almost 1,000 five-star reviews received during our ownership alone. To have earned the trust and support of so many guests from around the world is something we never take for granted and an achievement we are immensely proud of.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years – our absolutely fabulous passengers, local community, tourism partners and dedicated crew. Your encouragement, reviews and recommendations have helped make achievements like these possible.
Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists. We look forward to celebrating with everyone in October and wish every finalist the very best of luck. 🤞💙
Daily Wildlife Noss Boat Tours
+44 (O) 7595540224
