Spirits of the Red Sand at Beenleigh Historical Village, has taken out the prestigious Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Award at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards held at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre.
More than 700 tourism operators and guests gathered last Friday night to recognise the achievements and resilience of Australia’s finest visitor experiences.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive and Chair of the Australian Tourism Awards Daniel Gschwind says the Awards offered a platform to showcase the world-class experiences and destinations that Australia has to offer.
“The Awards are testament to the commitment and determination of our nation’s top tourism businesses, who, despite the difficulties of the past two years, consistently provide visitors with exceptional experiences.”
“While all the winners and finalists should be congratulated for their achievements through these challenging times, we’re particularly proud of Queensland’s success at this year’s Awards.”
Competing with the nation’s best tourism products, Bundaberg Rum Distillery Visitor Experience was the big winner at the Awards night, walking away with top honours for a third time in Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries.
Having achieved a golden hat trick, the Distillery Experience was inducted into the Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame.
Overall, Queensland tourism celebrated a remarkable night by accepting 15 accolades at this year’s national Awards with 6 Gold, 5 Silver, and 4 Bronze being awarded to exceptional Sunshine State operators.
A total of 75 awards were presented across 25 categories, including Red Cat Adventures which took home Gold for Adventure Tourism, as did Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat in the Hosted Accommodation category, and Empire Apartment Hotel for 4-4.5 Star Accommodation.
Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says the Awards’ strong Queensland representation demonstrated commitment to recovery.
“In the last two years, resilient Queensland tourism operators have found opportunities to build back better.”
“They’ve strived for excellence in delivering outstanding, visitor-focused experiences and new, world-class tourism infrastructure.”
“The tremendous determination of tourism operators is reflected in the Awards’ 21 Queensland finalists.”
“The Palaszczuk Government is investing more than $1.1 billion in support for tourism operators.”
“We’ve helped operators update and create new visitor attractions to put Queensland in the best possible position to lead the rebuild of domestic and international tourism.”
“And right now, Queensland is seeing the green shoots of recovery”.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson says it was an exciting night for tourism operators, highlighting how important the national tourism industry was for the economy.”
“Hosting the Awards gives us the means to showcase our very own distinct Sunshine Coast tourism experiences to industry peers from across the nation, and notably, our welcoming spirit.”
“Montville’s Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat taking gold for Hosted Accommodation is wonderful acknowledgement of a tourism operator’s ambition to provide outstanding service and encouraging visitation to our beautiful Sunshine Coast.”
The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards celebrate innovation and exceptional standards in tourism; and is made possible through the generosity of sponsors, in particular Qantas, Tourism Australia, the Queensland Government, Novotel Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Council, Visit Sunshine Coast and the Sunshine Coast Airport.
QLD Gold Winners
| QLD | 13. Adventure Tourism | Red Cat Adventures (Whitsundays) |
| QLD | 16. Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries | Bundaberg Rum Distillery Visitor Experience (Hall of Fame) (Bundaberg) |
| QLD | 18. Hosted Accommodation | Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat (Sunshine Coast) |
| QLD | 22. 4-4.5 Star Accommodation | Empire Apartment Hotel (Capricorn) |
| QLD | 03. Major Festivals & Events | Beef Australia Limited (Capricorn) |
| QLD | 07. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism | Spirits of the Red Sand (Beenleigh) |
QLD Silver Winners
| QLD | 01. Major Tourist Attractions | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (Gold Coast) |
| QLD | 10. Business Event Venues | Empire Apartment Hotel (Capricorn) |
| QLD | 11. Major Tour & Transport Operators | Red Cat Adventures (Whitsundays) |
| QLD | 17. Caravan & Holiday Parks | Julia Creek Caravan Park (Outback) |
| QLD | 20. Self Contained Accommodation | Pinnacles Resort (Whitsundays) |
QLD Bronze Winners
| QLD | 23. 5 Star Accommodation | InterContinental Hayman Island Resort (Whitsundays) |
| QLD | 04. Festivals & Events | Isaac Regional Council – Economy and Prosperity Department (Mackay) |
| QLD | 08. Tourism Retail & Hire Services | Pelican Boat Hire (Sunshine Coast) |
| QLD | 09. Visitor Information Services | Longreach Visitor Information Centre (Outback) |
