Queensland tourism awards recognise exceptional effort and innovation

The Queensland Tourism Awards returned on Friday 15th November held at Brisbane’s The Star Queen’s Wharf following another ground-breaking year for Queensland tourism operators.

There were 31 award categories ranging from attractions, events, tour and transport operators, accommodation, restaurants, accessible tourism, culture and marketing. Across the 31 categories, tourism operators were awarded 80 awards including 31 Gold, 25 Silver and 24 Bronze.

12 first time entrants were celebrated across the gold, silver and bronze categories including Brisbane’s very own Vertigo, Voco Brisbane City Centre and Sonia Jones Travel.

The Ocean Rafting team won gold for the Major Tour and Transport Operator Award and Bronze for the Adventure Tourism Award. Ocean Rafting's Whitsunday tours visit the Whitsunday Islands.

Brisbane local Elizabeth Hackett received The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. Hackett is executive chair of Australian Adventure Tourism Group, which has owned and operated tourism assets in Queensland for more than 20 years.

The Birdsville Big Red Bash took home gold in the ‘Festivals and Events’ category. Delivering the world’s most remote music festival it's a monumental effort that brings over 10,000 people together to the heart of the Simpson Desert. This achievement underscores their dedication to creating unforgettable experiences while generating over $20 million in economic benefits for Queensland.

The BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort team were beyond proud to take home GOLD for the third consecutive year, positioning them in the prestigious Hall of Fame for the ‘Caravan and Holiday Park' award. And for the second year in a row, BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort secured GOLD in the ‘Excellence in Accessible Tourism’ award category.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council Chair Elsa D’Alessio said she was proud of the award winners recognised in this year’s Queensland Tourism Awards and was thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the tourism industry’s best businesses, events and individuals.

D’Alessio shared “congratulations to this year’s worthy award winners! It’s certainly been a whirlwind of a year for the tourism industry, but I am proud of what our terrific tourism operators have achieved in the past twelve months.

“There’s no question that Queensland is one of the most beautiful and unique places to visit in the entire world. We have such a diverse offering in our own backyard – where else can you visit rainforests, deserts, tropical islands and lush hinterlands all in the same State?”

“It’s important for us to celebrate and amplify our tourism attractions – a strong tourism industry drives a prosperous state, helping to build vibrant communities, create employment, and showcase destinations, rich culture heritage, and unique natural assets.”

Queensland ended the 2023/2024 financial year with a record intrastate overnight visitor expenditure (OVE) of $15.4 billion, growing 2.5% of the year.

Total visitation was up 1.3% to 25.6 million visitors with spend per night also up slightly at 1.7% to $289.

Three of the Queensland’s regions also achieved records of OVE including Brisbane – $7.5 billion, up 8.5% year on year, Southern Great Barrier Reef – $1.5 Billion, up 5.3%, and Queensland Country – $1.6 billion, up 8.4%. Sunshine Coast also reached a record number of total visitors – 4.3 million, up 9.7%.

International OVE in Queensland reached a record $6.2 billion in 23/24 financial year, 1.2% above 2019 levels with an impressive 2.1 million international visitors exploring the Sunshine State.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said they were proud to sponsor the event for an eighteenth year adding “this is a key event on the tourism calendar and an important opportunity to recognise the exceptional effort and innovation across the industry which helps create unforgettable experiences for travellers domestically and across the globe.”

Environment and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell congratulated all 31 category winners for their outstanding contribution to the Queensland tourism industry.

Minister Powell shared “I want to pay tribute to every tourism operator who has gone above and beyond to deliver an unforgettable experience for visitors to Queensland.

“There are more than 64,000 tourism-related businesses across the state that employ 260,000 Queenslanders so to be recognised at this level is an outstanding achievement.

“The Queensland Tourism Awards are the culmination of a historic Tourism Week that has happened right at the starting point of our 20-year tourism plan to supercharge the visitor economy in the lead up to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

“We are entering an exciting period where we are focused on driving the development of more tourism experiences that support local jobs and showcase Queensland’s natural assets to the world.”

Select category winners will gain automatic entry into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, which will celebrate its 40th Anniversary and will be held in Adelaide, South Australia on Friday 21st March 2025.

The 40th Queensland Tourism Awards will also take place next year in Brisbane on Friday 14th November 2025 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Full list of winners below