Tasmania dominates Qantas Australian Tourism Awards

Tasmania has dominated the honour roll at the 30th Annual Qantas Australian Tourism Awards with eight Gold: awards, among which Robert Pennicott was named Australian Tourism Legend for outstanding services to tourism over the years, while his Pennicott Wilderness Journeys won the Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.

Bruny Island Cruises was notable success winning the tourism attraction and ecotourism awards while the Port Arthur Historic Site was named best major tourism attraction and best cultural and heritage attraction.

Announced last night (10th April) at a gala ceremony in the Adelaide Convention Centre, the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards of 2014 were attended by over 800 industry leaders and operators.

Special guests included Federal Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb; South Australian Tourism Minister Leon Bignell; the Lord Mayor of Adelaide Martin Haese; Premier of Tasmania Will Hodgman and Victorian Minister for Tourism John Eren.

Commenting on the Awards, John Hart, Chair of the National Tourism Alliance, which runs the awards on behalf of the industry, stated “we congratulate the outstanding tourism operators from around Australia who have won tonight (and) honour their achievement as the finest of Australia’s tourism industry”.

In good news for the Australian industry, the Minister Robb announced on the night that the current online visitor visa pilot is now offering three-year, multiple-entry visitor visas to approved applicants. This means that Chinese tourists can more easily make repeat visits to Australia. The industry welcomes this decision from the Federal Government as China is one of Australia’s fastest growing and most important markets for tourism.

The winners of the Australian Tourism Awards are: 

Major Tourist Attractions 
Gold: Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasmania
Silver: Taronga Zoo, NSW
Bronze: Dreamworld, Queensland

Tourist Attractions 
Gold: Bruny Island Cruises, Tasmania
Silver: Taronga Western Plains Zoo, NSW
Bronze: Capricorn Caves, Queensland

Major Festivals & Events 
Gold: Woodford Folk Festival 13/14, Queensland
Silver: The Falls Music & Arts Festival, Tasmania
Bronze: Melbourne Cup Carnival, Victoria

Festivals and Events 
Gold: Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Queensland
Silver: 2013 Maryborough RACV Energy Breakthrough, Victoria
Bronze: 2014 National Folk Festival, ACT

Ecotourism 
Gold: Bruny Island Cruises, Tasmania
Silver: Out of Sight Tours, Western Australia
Bronze: Life's An Adventure - Blue Mountains Products, NSW

Heritage & Cultural Tourism 
Gold: Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasmania
Silver: Venture North Australia, Northern Territory
Bronze: The Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland

Indigenous Tourism 
Gold: Ayers Rock Resort, Northern Territory
Silver: Tri State Safaris/Mutawintji Eco Tours, NSW
Bronze: Mossman Gorge Centre, Queensland

Specialised Tourism Services 
Gold: Canberra Airport 
Silver: Launceston Airport, Tasmania
Bronze: Leisure Options, Victoria

Visitor Information Services 
Gold: Frankston Visitor Information Centre VIC
Silver: Barossa Visitor Centre, South Australia
Bronze: Geographe Bay Tourism Association, Western Australia

Business Tourism 
Gold: The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, Tasmania
Silver: Uluru Meeting Place, Northern Territory
Bronze: Cairns Convention Centre, Queensland

Major Tour & Transport Operators 
Gold: Par Avion Wilderness Tours, TasmaniaAS
Silver: SeaLink Ferries, Tours & Holiday Packages, South Australia
Bronze: Cruise Whitsundays, Queensland

Tour & Transport Operators 
Gold: Top Drop Tours, Western Australia
Silver: Fun Over Fifty Pty Ltd, Queensland
Bronze: Life's An Adventure - Blue Mountains Products, NSW

Adventure Tourism 
Gold: Enchanted Adventure Garden & Tree Surfing, Victoria
Silver: Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours, Queensland
Bronze: Life's An Adventure - Blue Mountains Products, NSW

Destination Marketing 
Gold: 2013/14 Bundaberg Turtle Campaign QLD
Silver: Wine Food Farmgate, Victoria
Bronze: My Southern Highlands VFR Program, NSW

Tourism Education and Training 
Gold: Kingthing Marketing,Tasmania
Silver: Canberra Institute of Technology, ACT
Bronze: Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, NSW

Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services 
Gold: Byron Beach Cafe NSW
Silver: Stillwater at Crittenden, Victoria
Bronze: Noosa Boathouse, Queensland

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries 
Gold: Pindarie Cellar Door, South Australia
Silver: Margan Wines, NSW
Bronze: James Boag's Brewery, Tasmania

Tourist & Caravan Parks 
Gold: Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort QLD
Silver: BIG4 Beacon Resort, Victoria
Bronze: BIG4 Deniliquin Holiday Park, NSW

Backpacker Accommodation 
Gold: Railway Square YHA NSW
Silver: Space Hotel, Victoria
Bronze: Cairns Central YHA, Queensland

Hosted Accommodation 
Gold: Bli Bli House QLD
Silver: Mollymook Beach Waterfront, NSW
Bronze: Curringa Farm, Tasmania

Unique Accommodation 
Gold: Riviera Nautic, Victoria
Silver: Rawnsley Park Station Eco Villas, South Australia
Bronze: Taronga Western Plains Zoo, NSW

Standard Accommodation 
Gold: Ibis Styles Katherine, Northern Territory
Silver: Cottesloe Beach Hotel, Western Australia
Bronze: Maroochy River Resort & Bungalows, Queensland

Deluxe Accommodation 
Gold: Yondah Beach House SA
Silver: Avalon Coastal Retreat, Tasmania
Bronze: Macquarie Waters Boutique Apartment Hotel, NSW

Luxury Accommodation 
Gold: Drift House, Victoria
Silver: Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa, Western Australia
Bronze: Saffire Freycinet, Tasmania 

New Tourism Development 
Gold: Tasmanian Seafood Seduction TAS
Silver: The Frames, South Australia
Bronze: Segway Tours, Western Australia

Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism 
Gold: Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, Tasmania
Silver: The Falls Music & Arts Festival, Victoria
Bronze: The Observatory Port Macquarie, NSW

Local Government Award for Tourism 
Gold: City of Fremantle, Western Australia
Silver: The Barossa Council, South Australia
Bronze: Murrindindi Shire Council, Victoria

Food Tourism 
Gold: Margan Restaurant & Winery, NSW
Silver: Green Olive at Red Hill, Victoria
Bronze: Udder Delights Cheese Cellar, South Australia

Australian Tourism Legend
Robert Pennicott, Tasmania

For further awards information go to www.australiantourismawards.com.au

9th April 2015 - ADELAIDE PREPARES FOR CELEBRATION OF AUSTRALIAN TOURISM

10th February 2014 - INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE CELEBRATED AT AUSTRALIAN TOURISM AWARDS