The Whitsunday region has reached wide-spread acclaim once again with 10 local operators returning home with accolades from the 38th annual Queensland Tourism Awards which were held in Cairns last weekend.
A total of seven golds, two silver, five bronze and one highly commended award were won by local businesses and CEO of Tourism Whitsundays, Rick Hamilton said he is thrilled with the result.
“The awards our operators received on Friday night further highlights the outstanding contribution The Whitsundays makes to the tourism industry in Queensland,” Rick said.
“As a region, we are punching well above our weight and offering our visitors an exceptional experience when they are in our region.”
The 10 local businesses that won an award at the Queensland Tourism Awards were Cruise Whitsundays, Whitsunday Coast Airport, Shute Harbour Marine Terminal, Ocean Rafting, BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, Bowen Visitor Information Service, SeaLink Whitsundays, Magnums Airlie Beach, Pinnacles Airlie Beach, Mirage Whitsundays, InterContinential Hayman Island and Queens Beach Tourist Village.
The Marie Warson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual was also awarded posthumously to Whitsunday local Michael Hackett, a long-term tourism advocate for the region whose passion now lives on through the Skyway Whitsundays project.
These awards represent the culmination of another ground-breaking year for Whitsunday tourism, with record visitation rates already setting the region on a high.
As of June 2023, the region welcomed 765,000 domestic visitors which equated to an 11.7 per cent increase on average over a three-year period.
There was also a domestic spend of $1.3 billion which is a 29.3 per cent increase on average over the past three years.
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s Chief Executive Officer Brett Fraser said the region should be proud of its accomplishments and contributions to the Queensland tourism industry in the last 12 months.
“Following tonight's impressive wins, it is evident why the Whitsundays region has played such a monumental role in driving world-class visitor experiences in the tourism industry this year,” Mr Fraser said.
“A massive congratulations to all the category winners, and winners from the Whitsundays region. They’ve broken some records this year, which is an amazing achievement.
“The Whitsundays is an incredible destination in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and I’m sure the region is very excited to welcome many more visitors in the years to come.”
The Queensland Tourism Awards took place in Cairns and there were 31 award categories, with a total of 78 operators awarded including 31 Gold, 26 Silver and 20 Bronze.
Select category winners will gain automatic entry into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, which will be held in the Northern Territory on Friday 15 March 2024.
Next year the Queensland Tourism Awards will be held at The Star in Brisbane.
10 Whitsunday-based tourism operators celebrated big wins at the Queensland Tourism Awards last Friday. Photo supplied
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Rick Hamilton with Elizabeth Hackett, wife of Michael Hackett who posthumously won the Marie Warson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. Photo supplied
Mayor Julie Hall accepted awards for Whitsunday Coast Airport and Shute Harbour Marine Terminal. Photo supplied
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