Tourism honours galore

YESTERDAY’S Queen’s Birthday honours list included six prominent Australian tourism and travel identities, who were cited for their contributions to the industry over the years.

The Governor-General’s list included an OAM (Medal in the General Division of the Order of Australia) for Coral Expeditions founder Tony Briggs, cited for “service to the cruising tourism industry” - more details in today’s issue of Cruise Weekly.

Qantas Chairman Leigh Clifford was named an AC (Companion in the General Division) for “eminent service to business in the aviation, arts and education sectors, to the community through charitable support and scholarships, and for philanthropic contributions”.

Also honoured in the aviation space was Queensland Airports’ Paul Donovan, who is also Chairman of Destination Gold Coast and a Director of Tourism & Events Qld, named an AM (Member in the General Division) for “significant service to the tourism sector in Queensland”.

An AM also went to former long-time SeaLink Travel Group CEO Jeff Ellison, for “significant service to the tourism industry and to the community”, while celebrity chef Matt Moran was also given an AM for his “significant service to the tourism and hospitality industries and to charitable organisations”.

Kerry Watson, former Chair of Gold Coast-based Events Management Queensland and the Australian Tourism Export Council, received an AM for significant service to to the tourism industry and to the major events sector, and Tasmania’s Desmond Brown was named OAM for his service to tourism after a career devoted to promoting visitation to the state.