Towns up for tourism awards
THEY’RE only small, but the several southwest Queensland towns nominated for prestigious awards pack a big punch when it comes to their major impact on the tourism industry.
Longreach, Quilpie, Thargomindah, St George and Winton have been named as finalists for Small Top Tourism Towns, while Stanthorpe and Warwick are finalists for Large Top Tourism Towns.
The series of awards are hosted by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and recognise the towns, big or small, that offer an amazing visitor experience.
QTIC chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the awards showcased the diverse destinations in Queensland.
The awards and recognition come at a time when the tourism industry has been hit by COVID-19 and travel restrictions.
“With the current focus on domestic tourism, now is the time to draw attention to our regional destinations and to put the spotlight on our tourism operators and communities who keep our regions thriving,” Mr Gschwind said.
“We are thrilled with the response from towns from across Queensland who have entered the awards with 37 fantastic nominations.
“We have towns from as far north as Mareeba, to the coast of Rainbow Beach and out west to Longreach which shows the amazingly diverse tourism landscape we have right here in our backyard.”
The winners will be decided by the public with voting open from April 11 to 26.
Individuals can cast their vote for their favourite tourism town and go into the running to win a $2000 Apollo Motorhome travel package.
The winner of the Top Tourism Town Award will receive a $25,000 Strategic Consulting and Capacity Building Package provided by EarthCheck. The winner of Top Small Tourism Town Award will receive a $7,500 Tourism Consultancy and Development Package provided by The Tourism Group.