The Sunshine Coast has pulled off an enormous coup by landing one of Australia’s most prestigious events for the first time.
Our region was labelled the natural location for the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, which are set to provide a massive boost to the Coast’s profile.
The Sunshine Coast Convention Centre at Twin Waters will host the annual event, run by the Australian Tourism Industry Council, on March 18.
The awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and businesses across the tourism community.
Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Sunshine Coast was “a perfect fit for the event”.
“The Sunshine Coast is an excellent example of regions building on traditional strengths for economic recovery,” he said.
“The Sunshine Coast has cleverly focused its strategy on drive tourism and strong local events to encourage more visitors to stay longer.”
Mayor Mark Jamieson said the event was a boon to the area.
“Hosting these prestigious awards for the first time will be a great opportunity to showcase both our region and our ability to host a premium national quality industry events like this one,” he said.
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“It’s a great opportunity to show off the Sunshine Coast, which was recently crowned the most loved destination in the world, in all its glory – all of our amazing tourist attractions, the businesses, the beautiful local produce from across the region and the people within our community.
“And my best wishes to Montville’s Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat who will be competing for gold in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the tourism industry was critical to the state’s economic recovery.
“While the industry has been challenged like never before over the past couple of years, we are looking forward to a brighter and more exciting future for the tourism sector as we get through this pandemic,” she said.
The event will feature more than 25 categories, highlighted by Australia’s best Major Attraction, best Major Event or Festival, Cultural Tourism, Hosted Accommodation and Excellence in Food Tourism among others.
ATIC’s Chair of Awards, Daniel Gschwind, said the event was an opportunity to celebrate tourism’s strength.
“After a long and difficult two years, we will be celebrating our achievements as a whole and begin to move forward together to renewed opportunities and growth.”
See this website for event tickets and more information.
