WA tourism operators bring home gold at national awards

• Western Australian tourism operators honoured at Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Fremantle
• Gourmet Camp Oven Experience and Swan Valley Visitor Centre among winners
• Awards support the tourism sector, local jobs, and local businesses by creating opportunities to learn and connect with leading tourism operators
• Opportunities secured by the Cook Government, through Tourism WA and Business Events Perth, in partnership with Rottnest Island Authority and City of Fremantle

Two Western Australian tourism operators have won gold at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards overnight, celebrating the best of the nation's tourism industry.

Western Australia won the right to host the prestigious national awards event following a successful bid submission by Tourism WA and Business Events Perth, in partnership with the City of Fremantle and the Rottnest Island Authority.

Hosted at Fremantle Prison, the awards brought together around 800 tourism leaders and industry representatives from across Australia.

The ceremony recognised excellence across accommodation, experiences, events and regional tourism, with winners selected from state and territory finalists.

Western Australian tourism businesses who took home gold included:

·         Gourmet Camp Oven Experience for both Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services and Excellence in Food Tourism; and

·         Swan Valley Visitor Centre for Visitor Information Services.

Broadwater Resort in Busselton, Mandalay Holiday Resort, Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours, Subi Blooms X Gather - City of Subiaco, WA Museum Boola Bardip and Willie Creek Pearls also took home silver awards in their respective categories, while HeliSpirit, Margaret River Discovery Co, Off The Beaten Track WA, Wadjemup / Rottnest Island "A Little Longer" Campaign, and Wooleen Station won bronze. Albany's Historic Whaling Station took home wins in both silver and bronze.

The awards night capped off a two-day event program that included the Talking Tourism Business Forum at Rottnest Island and Fremantle, which provided workshops, networking opportunities and keynote sessions on innovation, including insights from artificial intelligence-sector leader Simon Kriss.

Hosting the Australian Tourism Awards has provided a valuable opportunity for Western Australian operators to connect with national peers, share ideas and showcase the State's world-class tourism experiences, ultimately strengthening the tourism sector and supporting local jobs, while also placing Fremantle and Western Australia firmly in the spotlight as a destination for visitors and business events.

The prominence of Western Australian businesses at this year's Australian Tourism Awards highlights the State's thriving tourism sector and the outstanding contribution of WA's operators.

Western Australia's tourism sector hit a milestone 1.024 million international visitors in the latest 12-month visitor data, with WA the nation's top-performing State for international tourism recovery, recording Australia's biggest year-on-year percentage increase in overseas visitor numbers.

The full recovery of visitor numbers earlier than expected demonstrates the Cook Government's success in delivering on its economic diversification strategy, with the visitor economy growing to record-breaking levels, significantly benefiting local jobs and local businesses.

Find out more at australiantourismawards.com.au

Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Reece Whitby:

"Congratulations to all our West Australian finalists and winners at the Australian Tourism Awards.

"Every finalist was a gold award recipient in their category at a State level before stepping onto the national stage, which speaks to the incredible talent, dedication and innovation across our tourism sector.

"We're thrilled to see our local operators celebrated nationally, showcasing why Western Australia is such a special place for visitors and business events.

"Hosting this prestigious awards program in Fremantle has been a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on our State and the outstanding tourism experiences it offers, which continues to contribute to the Cook Government's economic diversification strategy to grow the tourism sector and support local jobs and businesses."