Qld’s $23 billion tourism industry hails its top performers

THERE were a total of 189 Queensland Tourism Award nominations across 32 award categories from throughout the state. From that exceptional list 30 Gold, 28 Silver, 22 Bronze, two individual awards for outstanding achievement and one Commendation were awarded and applauded.

Queensland’s $23 billion tourism industry paid tribute to its dedicated individuals and successful businesses at a ceremony for the 30^th annual Queensland Tourism Awards  at Brisbane’s Royal International Convention Centre on November 28, presented by Queensland Airports Limited partnering Tourism and Events Queensland.

The 30^th anniversary celebrations, hosted by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), provided an opportunity to reflect on Queensland’s colourful tourism past and pay tribute to the dedicated pioneers who have shaped and transformed the industry.

Individual Queensland Tourism Awards were presented to Peter Gash from Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, who won the Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual; Bradley Illich from NewBook eManagement Technology, who won the Young Achievers Award; and Rebecca Holmes from Mackay Tourism who was commended for the Young Achievers Award.

Hall of Fame inductees were Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel for Luxury Accommodation and Gold Coast’s Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat  in the category of Health and Wellbeing Tourism, having both won gold awards in their selected category for three consecutive years. 

Dreamworld won gold again in the Major Tourism Attractions category, with Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach silver and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway near Cairns taking bronze.

In the general Tourist Attractions categories, Capricorn Caves near Rockhampton took gold, Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours near Cairns silver and The Workshops Rail Museum at Ipswich bronze.

The prestigious Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism was taken out by the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort on the Fraser Coast, while True Blue Sailing on the Whitsundays won silver and bronze went to Sea World Whale Watch on the Gold Coast.

Indigenous Tourism saw two companies acclaimed this year, both from Tropical North Queensland, with the Mossman Gorge Centre taking gold and UMI Arts silver.

In Business Tourism there were also only two awardees this year, with Cairns Convention Centre winning gold and Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre silver.

Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism took out gold in the Richard Power Destination Marketing Award, with Southern Queensland Country Tourism silver and bronze going to Townsville Enterprise Limited.

There was some real innovation evident in the New Tourism Development category. Gold went to the Childers Eco-Lodge near Bundaberg and silver went to the Nightfall Wilderness Camp operating on the Gold Coast. Tropical North Queensland’s Sailaway Reef & Island Tours aboard the Sailaway V won bronze.

There was only one award given for excellence in Sustainable Tourism and it was won by boutique Reef scuba tour operator Passions of Paradise, based out of Cairns.

Local Governments singled out for acclaim were gold medallist Cairns Regional Council, with Moreton Bay Regional Council taking silver and Sunshine Coast Council bronze.

Belmondos Organic Market on the Sunshine Coast was singled out for gold acclaim in the Excellence in Food Tourism category, while Bushtucker Experiences by Indigiscapes at the Redland Indigiscapes Centre near Capalaba impressed the judges for silver and Maleny Cheese Café in the Sunshine Coast hinterland took bronze.

“The Queensland Tourism Awards give businesses and individuals an opportunity to take pride in their contributions to the industry, raise the standard of quality tourism experiences throughout the state and strive for ongoing improvements to achieve our tourism goals,” said QTIC chief executive Daniel Gschwind. He commended all winners and entrants in the 2014 Queensland Tourism Awards for their commitment to growing and improving Queensland’s tourism and travel experiences.

“Since 1985, the Queensland Tourism Awards have served to highlight tourism’s powerful role in driving Queensland’s economic and community development,” Mr Gschwind said. “Tourism has been through its fair share of challenges, yet the industry’s commitment and passion has helped it remain resilient and strong – this is what has made Queensland tourism what it is today.

“Today, the industry employs more than 235,000 Queenslanders and is the second largest export earner for this state.  Much of the credit for this success goes to the innovative businesses that have been recognised through the awards.

Sponsor Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) managing director Dennis Chant said celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Queensland Tourism Awards was a momentous occasion.

“During the past 30 years, the Queensland Tourism Awards have successfully recognised the excellence in tourism products throughout the state and celebrated our industry’s impressive growth over the past 30 years,” Mr Chant said.

“QAL has enjoyed an eight year association with the event as the presenting partner and each year we continue to be inspired by the dedication and excellence of the many tourism operators throughout the state.

“We congratulate tonight’s winners and entrants on their outstanding contributions, and acknowledge all those involved, both past and present, in making the Queensland Tourism Awards such an outstanding event over the last three decades.”

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey said the Queensland Tourism Awards were a benchmark for industry excellence.

“On behalf of the Queensland Government I would like to commend all of the award winners as well as the Queensland Tourism Industry Council for their dedication to the future prosperity of the industry,” Ms Stuckey said. “Operators who strive to find something extra, and give tourists an experience they will never forget, should be congratulated.

“The Newman Government recognises tourism as one of the four pillars of the economy and we have moved quickly to restore confidence and boost visitation across the state.”

The Queensland Tourism Awards are judged by a panel of industry experts who volunteer their time to assess written submissions and travel throughout Queensland to experience the amenities and services of nominated businesses. Gold winners from business categories in the 2014 Queensland Tourism Awards will gain automatic entry into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in April 2015 in Adelaide.

Queensland was well represented at the 2013 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, winning a total of 11 national industry accolades including four gold awards.

www.queenslandtourismawards.com.au

 

2014 QUEENSLAND TOURISM AWARDS - WINNERS LIST
Category and Award Level		Name	Region
1 Major Tourist Attractions
Gold		Dreamworld	Gold Coast
Silver		Qantas Founders Museum	Outback
Bronze		Skyrail Rainforest Cableway	Tropical North Queensland
2 Tourist Attractions
Gold		Capricorn Caves	Capricorn
Silver		Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours	Tropical North Queensland
Bronze		The Workshops Rail Museum	Brisbane
3 Major Festivals and Events
Gold		Woodford Folk Festival	Brisbane
Silver		Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Cai Guo-Qiang: Falling Back to Earth	Brisbane
Bronze		Cooly Rocks On	Gold Coast
4 Festivals and Events
Gold		Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers	Southern Queensland Country
Silver		Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo	Outback
Bronze		Cairns Amateurs	Tropical North Queensland
5 The Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism
Gold		Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort	Fraser Coast
Silver		True Blue Sailing	Whitsundays
Bronze		Sea World Whale Watch	Gold Coast
6 Heritage and Cultural Tourism
Gold		The Workshops Rail Museum	Brisbane
Silver		Fun Over Fifty	Brisbane
Bronze		Museum of Brisbane	Brisbane
7 Indigenous Tourism
Gold		Mossman Gorge Centre	Tropical North Queensland
Silver		UMI Arts	Tropical North Queensland
8 Specialised Tourism Services
Gold		Kuranda Scenic Railway	Tropical North Queensland
Silver		Gateway Media Group	Tropical North Queensland
Bronze		Airlie Day Spa	Whitsundays
9 Visitor Information and Services
Gold		Ipswich Visitor Information Centre	Brisbane
Silver		Glasshouse Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre	Sunshine Coast
Bronze		Mackay Visitor Information Centre	Mackay
10 Business Tourism
Gold		Cairns Convention Centre	Tropical North Queensland
Silver		Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre	Brisbane
11 Major Tour and/or Transport Operators
Gold		Cruise Whitsundays	Whitsundays
Silver		Quicksilver Group	Tropical North Queensland
Bronze		Queensland Rail Travel - Spirit of Queensland	Brisbane
12 Tour and/or Transport Operators
Gold		Fun Over Fifty	Brisbane
Silver		Adels Grove Camping Park	Outback
Bronze		Billy Tea Safaris	Tropical North Queensland
13 Adventure Tourism
Gold		Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours	Tropical North Queensland
Silver		Mike Ball Dive Expeditions	Tropical North Queensland
Bronze		Whitsunday Jetski Tours	Whitsundays
14 The Richard Power Award for Destination Marketing
Gold	Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism  2013/2014 ‘Bundaberg Turtle Campaign’		Bundaberg
Silver	Southern Queensland Country Tourism 2014 Autumn Campaign		Southern Queensland Country
Bronze	Townsville Enterprise Limited ‘Tourism is Everyone's Business’		Townsville
15 Tourism Education and Training
Gold	TAFE Queensland Brisbane		Brisbane
Silver	Tourism Noosa - Welcome to Noosa		Sunshine Coast
Bronze	Whitsunday Maritime Training Centre		Whitsundays
16 Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services
Gold	Noosa Boathouse		Sunshine Coast
Silver	Qantas Founders Museum - McGinness' Restaurant		Outback
Bronze	Ochre Restaurant & Catering		Tropical North Queensland
17 Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries
Gold	XXXX Brewery		Brisbane
18 Tourist and Caravan Parks
Gold	Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort		Tropical North Queensland
Silver	BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort		Whitsundays
Bronze	Straddie Camping		Brisbane
19 Backpacker Accommodation
Gold	Cairns Central YHA		Tropical North Queensland
Silver	Magnums Backpackers		Whitsundays
20 Hosted Accommodation
Gold	Bli Bli House		Sunshine Coast
Silver	Mt. Quincan Crater Retreat		Tropical North Queensland
Bronze	Pethers Rainforest Retreat		Gold Coast
21 Unique Accommodation
Gold	Cruise Whitsundays - Reefsleep		Whitsundays
Silver	Adels Grove Camping Park		Outback
Bronze	Whitsunday Escape		Whitsundays
22 Standard Accommodation
Gold	Maroochy River Resort & Bungalows		Sunshine Coast
Silver	Emeraldene Inn & Eco-Lodge		Fraser Coast
23 Deluxe Accommodation
Gold	RACV Noosa Resort		Sunshine Coast
Silver	Daydream Island Resort and Spa		Whitsundays
Bronze	Rumba Beach Resort		Sunshine Coast
24 Luxury Accommodation
Gold and Hall of Fame Entrant	Emporium Hotel		Brisbane
Silver	Pullman Reef Hotel Casino		Tropical North Queensland
25 New Tourism Development
Gold	Childers Eco-Lodge		Bundaberg
Silver	nightfall wilderness camp		Gold Coast
Bronze	Sailaway Reef & Island Tours - Sailaway V		Tropical North
26 Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
Gold	Passions of Paradise		Tropical North Queensland

 

27 Local Government Award for Tourism
Gold	Cairns Regional Council	Tropical North Queensland
Silver	Moreton Bay Regional Council	Brisbane
Bronze	Sunshine Coast Council	Sunshine Coast
28 Excellence in Food Tourism
Gold	Belmondos Organic Market	Sunshine Coast
Silver	Bushtucker Experiences by Indigiscapes - Redlands IndigiScapes Centre	Brisbane
Bronze	Maleny Cheese Café	Sunshine Coast
29 Health and Well-being Tourism
Gold and Hall of Fame Entrant	Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat	Gold Coast
Silver	Airlie Day Spa	Whitsundays
30 Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group
Gold	Reef HQ Volunteers Association	Townsville
Silver	Mission Beach Visitor Information Centre Volunteers	Tropical North Queensland
Bronze	Moreton Bay Region Visitor Information Centre Network Volunteers	Brisbane
31 Young Achievers Award
Winner	Bradley Illich Director, NewBook eManagement Technology	Gold Coast
Commendation	Rebecca Holmes Visitor Information Centre Coordinator, Mackay Tourism	Mackay
32 The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual
Winner	Peter Gash Managing Director, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort	Fraser Coast
Hall of Fame Inductees (Three-time ‘Gold’ Queensland Tourism Award recipient for same category)
Luxury Accommodation	Emporium Hotel	Brisbane
Health and Wellbeing Tourism	Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat	Gold Coast

Awards tally by region Brackets: relevant Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO)	Number of 2014 Awards received by region
Brisbane (Brisbane Marketing)	17
Bundaberg (Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism)	2
Capricorn (Capricorn Enterprise)	1
Fraser Coast (Fraser Coast Opportunities)	3
Gold Coast (Gold Coast Tourism)	7
Mackay (Mackay Tourism)	1 Award & 1 Commendation
Outback Queensland (Outback Queensland Tourism Association)	5
Southern Queensland Country (Southern Queensland Country Tourism)	2
Sunshine Coast (Sunshine Coast Destination Limited)	10
Townsville (Townsville Enterprise Limited)	2
Tropical North Queensland (Tourism Tropical North Queensland)	21
Whitsundays (Tourism Whitsundays)	11

ends