The Whitsundays is renowned for punching well above its weight when it comes to winning awards at both a state and national level.
Over the years several operators have reached for the stars, travelling to state and national awards and returning with far-reaching recognition that has opened doors for them within the broader industry.
Many local operators have won at the national level over the years and, last year, nine Whitsunday-based businesses received an award at the prestigious Queensland Tourism Awards.
These state awards included three gold, three silver and three bronze awards.
At the time, Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Queensland Tourism Awards celebrated a remarkable year.
“It has been terrific to see Queensland domestic tourism bounce back so strongly with a nation leading $19.6 billion in overnight visitor spending,” Mr Hinchliffe said.
Meanwhile, this year both Airlie Beach and Bowen were nominated for Top Small Tourism Town and the Top Tourism Town Awards by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC).
Airlie Beach was successful in its bid and became the Top Small Tourism Town in Queensland for 2023.
Bowen were in a highly competitive category and unfortunately did not win on this occasion.
Some of our exceptional local businesses have also claimed industry awards recently.
Queens Beach Tourist Village in Bowen won gold at the Grey Nomads Awards last year, backing up two consecutive previous gold awards in the same category.
If they win gold again at the 2023 Grey Nomads Awards, they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
With such high-quality tourism operators in the region, this evening’s Whitsunday Tourism Awards is likely to be a very competitive arena.
Local tourism operators celebrating when Airlie Beach won Best Small Tourism Town in Queensland earlier this year. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
