FLOWERS BLOOM IN HALL OF FAME
Top honours for iconic events
TOOWOOMBA is coming up roses.
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was last night inducted into the Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Fame after winning the Major Festival and Events gong for the third year running.
It’s the latest honour for the iconic event which, along with The Chronicle Garden Competition, also won a major environmental award.
The recognition against some of the state’s best tourism operators and events puts Toowoomba and the Southern Queensland region at the top of the tourism destination list.
TOOWOOMBA has proven its the best place to be in Queensland when spring blooms.
The city’s iconic event, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, last night etched its place in the Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Fame after winning the Major Festival and Events category for 2017.
It’s the third year in a row the premier event has won the title in the competitive category restricted to festivals which draw in more than 50,000 visitors.
The win qualifies the annual festival for its place in the tourism Hall of Fame.
“The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers... (attracts) a phenomenal 198,000 people its success is a great testament to the 2000-plus volunteers who work on the event each year,” Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said.
“Each year visitors travel from all over Australia to be part of the carnival which is now in its 68th year and is continuing to grow featuring spectacular gardens, local produce and live music.”
Visitors also deliver a huge economic injection to the region, up to $30 million.
The top honour was one of three accolades awarded to Southern Queensland Country tourism operators last night.
Killarney View Cabins and Caravan Park won the bronze award in the Caravan and Holiday Parks category.
The USQ Japanese Gardens took the bronze award in the specialised tourism services category.
Mr Gschwind said more than 160 nominations had been received from across the state for the awards, now in its 33rd year.
“This year’s entrants across 28 business, event and individual categories reflect the diverse and dynamic range of tourism operators helping Queensland’s tourism industry flourish,” he said.
“Queensland’s tourism industry continues to do much of the heavy lifting for the state’s economic, this year growing by more than 5.5 per cent and employing more than 225,000 people.
“International visitor numbers for Queensland have seen record (growth) in the 12 months to June 2017, growing 5.6 per cent.”
State Tourism Minister Kate Jones commended the region’s award winners and entrants.
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers will now go on to contest the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Perth in February next year.