Shamrock Hotel, Northam, wins prestigious tourism award

10/6/96

An innovative Northam business has won a prestigious tourism award, Tourism Minister Norman Moore said today.

Mr Moore said he was delighted that the Shamrock Hotel had won the Motoring Accommodation category in this year's Western Australian Tourism Awards.

He said much time and effort had been invested into restoring the Shamrock Hotel and then widening its customer base by offering a range of quality accommodation and conference facilities.

"The beauty and ambience of the hotel has succeeded in turning it into an attraction in its own right where people want to stay rather than just a stop-over point," Mr Moore said.

He said the Shamrock was well deserving of the honour.

Mr Moore congratulated the 67 finalists in the 29 categories for their achievements in promoting WA as a tourist destination.

"The finalists were of the highest calibre and were chosen from a field of almost 120 entrants," he said.

In all, entries were up nearly 50 per cent on last year.

"Awards like these, which recognise those who pursue and achieve excellence, also have a very important role in the industry's future as they are a measure of excellence which others can strive for," Mr Moore said.

"Tourism is a fiercely competitive business and you need to have the highest quality product to achieve the winning edge."

WINNERS CATEGORY 1 MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Scitech Discovery Centre

CATEGORY 2 SIGNIFICANT LOCAL ATTRACTIONS Burswood Park

CATEGORY 3 MAJOR FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS Festival of Perth

CATEGORY 4 SIGNIFICANT LOCAL FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS Dowerin GWN Field Days

CATEGORY 5 ENVIRONMENTAL TOURISM Yardie Creek Tours

CATEGORY 6 HERITAGE & CULTURAL TOURISM Cave, Canoe Bushtucker Tours

CATEGORY 7 ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER TOURISM Artist in Residence

CATEGORY 8 GENERAL TOURISM SERVICES Pinnacle Travel Centre

CATEGORY 9 MEETINGS INDUSTRY Perth Convention Bureau

CATEGORY 10 TOURISM RETAILING Fine Woodcraft Gallery

CATEGORY 11 TOUR & TRANSPORT OPERATORS - MAJOR Pinnacle Tours

CATEGORY 12 TOUR & TRANSPORT OPERATORS SIGNIFICANT Slingair Heliwork

CATEGORY 13 TOURISM ASSOCIATIONS Augusta-Margaret River Tourism Association

CATEGORY 14 TOURISM MARKETING & PROMOTION Kimberley Tourism Association

CATEGORY 15 MEDIA Channel 9, Perth Documentary Unit

CATEGORY 16 INDUSTRY TRAINING - PRIVATE SECTOR Burswood Resort Hotel

CATEGORY 17 INDUSTRY EDUCATION AFTA Travel College

CATEGORY 18 TOURISM RESTAURANTS Kailis Dine in Seafood Takeaway Fishmarket Cafe

CATEGORY 19 WINERIES Houghton Wines

CATEGORY 20 TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS Harbour Village Quest Apartments

CATEGORY 21 BUDGET ACCOMMODATION Exmouth Backpackers

CATEGORY 22 UNIQUE ACCOMMODATION Pemberton Farm Chalets

CATEGORY 23 CAMPING & CARAVAN PARKS Mandalay Holiday Resort and Tourist Park

CATEGORY 24 MOTORING ACCOMMODATION Shamrock Hotel

CATEGORY 25 SUPERIOR ACCOMMODATION Esplanade Hotel Fremantle

CATEGORY 26 DELUXE ACCOMMODATION Burswood Resort Hotel

CATEGORY 27 INBOUND TOURISM Mandarin Holidays

SIR DAVID BRAND AWARD FOR TOURISM Slingair Heliwork

SIR DAVID BRAND MEDAL Russell Mouritz

Media contact: Anabel Gomez 321 1444