Victorian tourism operators recognised at VTIC’s 2023 Awards

Three of Victoria’s leading tourism operators have been inducted into the Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame.

Geelong Gallery, Bendigo Visitor Centre and Searoad Ferries claimed Hall of Fame status - presented at last Thursday night’s awards ceremony - after winning gold in the same category for three consecutive years.

The Awards, hosted annually by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), honours business excellence and performance within the industry.

Advising that the Awards showcase some of the most innovative experiences in Victorian tourism, VTIC Chief Executive, Felicia Mariani stated that at the event “900 tourism and events operators came together at the 2023 Victorian Tourism Awards to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of their teams and the industry as a whole.

“VTIC is proud to deliver this important event in Victoria that recognises the innovation, passion, and professionalism that our operators exhibit every day in creating magical moments for their visitors.

“We want to congratulate our Gold, Silver and Bronze category winners, along with all of this year’s finalists, who are the exemplars of excellence in our industry across the state.”

There were 104 finalists this year across 29 business categories, including the introduction of Excellence in Accessible Tourism as a national category.

Its winner, Accessible Accommodation, will be the first to compete for this award at the Australian Tourism Awards, held in Darwin on the 15th March 2024.

Each of the gold award winners will compete at the national awards ceremony

Major award winners on the night included:

Hall of Fame inductees
• Bendigo Visitor Centre - Visitor Information Services
• Geelong Gallery - Cultural Tourism
• Searoad Ferries - Major Tour & Transport Operators

Gold winners
• Zoos Victoria with two awards for Melbourne Zoo - Major Tourist Attractions, and Healesville Sanctuary - Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences
• City of Melbourne, Only in the City - Tourism Marketing & Campaigns
• Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) - Business Event Venues
• Tesselaar KaBloom - Major Festivals and Events

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Welcoming its award, MCEC Chief Executive, Natalie O’Brien stated “MCEC’s ambition is to be the best, to lead and to bring real value to our customers and community.

“This award recognises our work and confirms our reputation as a leader in Australia’s event sector.”

In 2022/23, MCEC hosted 694 events that brought more than 787,000 visitors to the venue. In total, MCEC welcomed more than 2.6 million visitors and generated $805 million in economic impact for Victoria.

Click here to view all category winners and finalists at VTIC’s 2023 Awards.

Image: The MCEC team at the Victorian Tourism Awards.