Victoria celebrates tourism excellence and resilience at latest industry awards

Victoria’s tourism and events industry has come together to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of individuals, businesses and the industry as a whole in navigating two years of incredible challenges and disruptions.

Presented at the end of last week, the Victorian Tourism Awards, hosted annually by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), honoured business excellence and performance within the industry. Presented in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, this year’s awards recognised the outstanding contribution made by operators across the state to deliver memorable experiences with the Awards.

Advising that the awards showcase some of the most compelling businesses in Victorian tourism,

VTIC Chief Executive, Felicia Mariani stated “VTIC is proud to deliver such an important event for our industry, that highlights the innovation and passion our operators exhibit every day in creating magical moments for their visitors.

“This year’s celebration feels especially meaningful. We not only look to reward operators for their business excellence, but we want to recognise and celebrate the innovation, resilience, and commitment they have exhibited to weather the storm of the past two years.

“We congratulate all our Gold, Silver and Bronze category winners, along with all this year’s finalists.”

119 submissions were made this year, all vying for an award across 32 various categories.

Major award winners include:
Gold
• Dandenong Ranges’ Tesselaar Tulip Festival - Major Festivals and Events
• Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens - Major Tourist Attraction

Hall of Fame inductees
• Melbourne’s Moonlit Sanctuary
• Great Ocean Road’s Heytesbury House

Mariani added “this has been the toughest of years and, despite all the adversity, these operators found the energy and stamina to prepare submissions and to enter this important recognition process.

“Operators in Victoria have encountered more obstacles in their businesses than any other state in the country, having to press pause and restart to accommodate six lockdowns and more than 260 days under restrictions during the pandemic.

“But in testament to the pure grit and determination of Victorians, our industry rose to the challenge and relished the opportunity to win Gold in Victoria, earning the right to compete with their counterparts on the national stage at the 2021 Australian Tourism Awards.

“We congratulate all our Gold winners and wish them every success in representing Victoria at the national awards on the Sunshine Coast in March.”

Click here to view all category winners on the Victorian Tourism Awards official website.

Image: Award winners at last week's celebration.