Airlie Beach Wins Top Small Tourism Town 2023

Airlie Beach has been awarded the Top Small Tourism Town for 2023, by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC).

The annual awards recognise stand-out Queensland holiday destinations with great commitment to visitor excellence.

Bowen was also a finalist for the highly competitive category of Top Tourism Town, going up against Bundaberg, Rockhampton, and Redcliffe.

Unfortunately, it did not win on this occasion.

Airlie Beach was up against the likes of Ingham in far north Queensland and took home the top gong for the second year in a row.

Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hamilton said taking out the award again proves that Airlie Beach has remained a favourite for Aussies travelling to the State.

“The Whitsundays is the most tourism-reliant region in Queensland with one in three jobs directly related to tourism,” he said.

“Winning this award again is a feather in The Whitsundays’ cap and hugely encouraging to the tourism industry.”

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor, Julie Hall, said the award was excellent news for Airlie Beach and the broader Whitsundays region.

“Tourism is one of the three key pillars for our regional economy and the win is just reward for the resilience and passion of our tourist operators and the leadership shown by Tourism Whitsundays (TW).

“Council are proud to be the major funding supporter for TW and look forward to partnering with them to continue promoting our Whitsunday region as Australia’s top tourism destination.”

“This is not only a win for Airlie Beach as best Small Tourism Town 2023 but a win for Proserpine, Bowen, Collinsville, our islands and everywhere in between who all offer such a diverse range of visitor experiences,” she said.

‍

Laura Knipe from Tourism Whitsundays, Elizabeth Hackett, Mayor Julie Hall, Nathan Fleming from Ocean Rafting and Dea Huvonen from Tourism Whitsundays at the Queensland Top Tourism Town Awards in Brisbane. Photo supplied

‍