NSW Tourism Awards

CONGRATULATIONS to all our 2024 NSW Top Tourism Town Awards finalists! These incredible destinations are all in the running to bring home GOLD for their region. 🥇 But they need your help — PUBLIC VOTING CLOSES TODAY, MONDAY 13 MAY AT 5PM. Click here to vote and show them some love: https://lnkd.in/g_Sh7tfN TINY TOURISM TOWN Towns with a population under 1,500 residents. ➡BROKE ➡EUGOWRA ➡HUSKISSON ➡WOLLOMBI SMALL TOURISM TOWN Towns with a population of 1,500 to 5,000 residents. ➡BERRY ➡BULAHDELAH ➡GLOUCESTER ➡MERIMBULA ➡OBERON ➡ULMARRA TOP TOURISM TOWN Towns with a population over 5,000 residents. ➡BALLINA ➡BATHURST ➡GRAFTON ➡KIAMA ➡NEWCASTLE ➡MURWILLUMBAH ➡ORANGE ➡SHELLHARBOUR ➡ULLADULLA TAKE 2 MINUTES TO CLICK HERE AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE TOWN NOW: https://lnkd.in/g_Sh7tfN Destination NSW NSW Government Business NSW NSW Tourism Awards #visitnsw #feelnsw #lovelocal #NSWTourismIndustryCouncil *Powered by Business NSW, the NSW Tourism Industry Council helps businesses operating in the Visitor Economy maximise their potential to ensure New South Wales remains the number one tourism destination in Australia. 

GO TEAM NSW! The very best of luck to all our NSW Tourism Awards winners, who'll now represent our State at the prestigious Qantas Australian Tourism Awards held in Darwin tonight, Friday 15 March 2024. Click the link below to see the full list of Finalists, and find some hidden treasures, adventures and must-visit locations for your next escape. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN OUR AMAZING INDUSTRY AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS. https://lnkd.in/g9Wmsayn

Calling all hidden gems, hyped hotspots or local treasures in NSW. NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 NSW TOP TOURISM TOWN AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN. Powered by Business NSW, the NSW Top Tourism Town Awards are a platform for communities, Business Chambers, Visitor Centres, and Local Governments to showcase how their town actively promotes tourism development, enhances visitation, and contributes to the overall visitor economy in our State. These awards shine a spotlight on our wonderful regions in 3 categories: -Top Tourism Town Award: population over 5,000 people -Small Tourism Town Award: population between 1,500 and 5,000 people -Tiny Tourism Town Award: population below 1,500 people. NOMINATIONS CLOSE FRIDAY 1 MARCH, with final submissions due Wednesday 3 April. Winners in each category will go on to represent our beautiful State on the national stage at the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards in September 2024. Every town in NSW has something wonderful to offer - click the link below tfor more information on how to enter the Awards this year and tell us all about it. https://lnkd.in/g_Sh7tfN

Are you ready to do it all over again? We’ve got plenty more exciting things to come in 2024 and we’d love to see you up on stage! First up, we’ll be launching the 2024 NSW Top Tourism Town Awards — nominations open Wednesday 7 February. They’ll be followed by the 2024 NSW Tourism Awards with nominations set to open from Wednesday 8 May. Pop these dates in your calendar and start compiling all of your achievements for the year so you’ve got them ready for awards season. We’re going to take a break from socials for now and we’ll be back in the new year 👋

Good luck to our winners who are still celebrating but also looking forward to the 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in the Northern Territory on Friday 15 March 2024! Winners in categories 1 to 26 are automatically national finalists and will compete against the best of the best from across the country. That means the following destinations, tourism businesses and events will represent NSW on the national stage – congratulations and good luck to them all! 1. Major Tourist Attractions: Australian Reptile Park, Somersby 2. Tourist Attractions: Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary 3. Major Festivals and Events: Tamworth Country Music Festival 4. Festivals and Events: Tumbafest, Tumbarumba 5. Ecotourism: Sydney By Kayak, Lavender Bay 6. Cultural Tourism: Local Sauce Tours, Sydney 7. Excellence in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience: Giingan Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience, Gumbaynggirr Country, Coffs Harbour 8. Tourism Retail, Hire and Services: Sydney Harbour Kayaks 9. Visitor Information Services: Bathurst Visitor Information Centre (Bathurst Regional Council) 10. Business Event Venues: Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific 11. Major Tour & Transport Operators: Moonshadow - TQC Cruises 12. Tour & Transport Operators: Vision Walks - Eco Tours, Byron Bay 13. Adventure Tourism: Balloon Aloft Australia 14. Tourism Marketing & Campaigns: The Tweed Tourism Company 15. Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services: Potager - A Kitchen Garden, Carool 16. Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries: Husk Farm Distillery, Tumbulgum 17. Caravan & Holiday Parks: Tiona Holiday Park, Forster 19. Unique Accommodation: Diamond Waters Treehouse Retreat, The Camden Haven 20. Self Contained Accommodation: Peppertree Collection, Mudgee 22. 4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation: The Oriana, Orange Retro Hotel & Resort 23. 5 Star Luxury Accommodation: Kalinya Estate, Bargo 24. New Tourism Business: Contained In Nimbin Accommodation 25. Excellence in Food Tourism: Love Lord Howe, Lord Howe Island 26. Excellence in Accessible Tourism: Cocky Guides, Sydney

Give another round of applause to the recipient of this year’s Dean Gorddard Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, Lori Modde MAICD FICDA MBA 👏   Lori Modde is an outstanding champion of the tourism industry, dedicating her entire 25 plus year career to leading change, driving collaboration and advocating for progress of the tourism industry.   Growing up with publican parents Lori was destined to pursue a career that made people happy. Lori started her career in Tourism NSW where she found her niche in regional tourism development, promotion, and community engagement.   Lori has achieved many firsts for the industry including: • Development of the Touring by Car program where over 800,000 touring drive maps were sent to potential domestic visitors as part of a fulfilment program gained through the marketing campaign.   • Design of the Darling River Run – a tourism route that is still going and connects a thousand kilometres with 42 partners in the outback, a journey for tourists that still lives on today and enjoyed by thousands of visitors.   • Development of destination and events plans influencing numerous councils to collaborate and create unique experiences and tourism brands in the hills, Hawkesbury, riverlands, outback and south coast.   Today, she passionately advocates for tourism development, training and accreditation to advance the progress of great outdoor experiences as the CEO of Outdoor NSW and ACT.   Well known for her warm personality and giving nature, you would be hard pressed to not have come across Lori in either a professional or personal capacity.   In her spare time, Lori volunteers over 20 hours a month to mentoring, volunteering and chairing groups and individuals wishing to making a difference across the tourism and visitor economy and sees her role to “empower and build capacity in others to do extraordinary things”.   Let’s congratulate Lori for her contribution to the industry and well-deserved career — and she’s also a great person.

We worked with an incredible line-up of partners to bring the 2023 NSW Tourism Awards to life ✨   Thanks (again) to the following partners who helped make it all possible:   Official Partners NSW Government + Destination NSW   Major Partner Tourism Australia   Supporting Partners Caravan & Camping Industry Association NSW NSW Government Saving Our Species program Take 3 for the Sea Telstra   Media Partners Vacations & Travel Holidays with Kids Sydney Weekender   Event Partner Fourth Wall

Join us in thanking our 2023 NSW Tourism Awards judges 👏 They’ve dedicated plenty of time to the tough task of helping to pick the winners. A huge thank you to the expert panel: Natalie Bramble ✅ Author - 'Win the Grant' 💰 — Chair of Judges Lisa Campbell — Vice Chair of Judges Andrew Siu Cameron D'Arcy Candice Pether Carolyn Childs CMRS Chris Chung Christine Artis Clifford Lewis Courtney Butler Courtney Molloy Craig Sinclair Erin Kramer Fiona Ferguson Ian Mason Jackie Svedas Jacqui Walshe Jan Kerr Jennifer Ganske Julie Jones Justin Vaughan Karina Groth Katrina Denoux Lori Modde MAICD FICDA MBA Mark Wayper Martin Heng Meegan Jones Michelle Braiuka Nicola Chandler Nicole Redfern Rachel Kingswell Roberta Dixon-Valk Rose Jacobs Sara Ang (MComm Marketing NAATI) Sarah Kerrsmith Sarah Rhodes Sarah Ryan, ACEcD Tayla Harvey Tracy Sheen

Give another round of applause to our newest Hall of Fame inductee, Sydney Harbour Kayaks 👏   In case you missed it on the night of our gala, they’ve continually demonstrated tourism excellence and won the Tourism Retail, Hire and Services category in three consecutive years. An incredible effort!

Huge congratulations to Contained in Nimbin who not only took out the New Tourism Business category at our 2023 NSW Tourism Awards on Wednesday night, but made it a double header by taking the Outstanding Start-up category at the 2023 Business NSW Awards on Thursday. How incredible is that? Oh, and they’ll represent NSW at the prestigious 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Darwin on Friday 15 March 2024. A mammoth effort! This is one tourism product to watch 🙌