Tourism award dedicated to late CBD manager

"JASON had a vision for Eat the Street... we are honoured to accept the award on his behalf.”

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A MAJOR tourism award for Lismore's Eat the Street has been dedicated to the event's creator, the late Jason Mumford.

The annual celebration of street food and Lismore's signature event Eat the Street has won gold at the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards held at Coffs Harbour last night.

Lismore City Council Tourism and Events Manager Mitch Lowe dedicated the award to the event's creator, city centre manager Jason Mumford, who sadly passed away recently.

"Jason's death has been very hard on the staff and we dedicate this award to his memory,” Mr Lowe said.

"Jason had a vision for Eat the Street and helped create what is now one of our most popular events for the city, enjoyed by more than 15,000 people each year. We are honoured to accept the award on his behalf.

"This has been a very sad week for Lismore, but Jason will live on in our memories through the legacy of this wonderful event. He will be sorely missed.”

Leading regional tourism businesses, events, and visitor experiences stretching from the Great Lakes region to the Tweed have been recognised at the awards night.

Winners in 13 categories were announced at the ceremony from finalists including local councils, tourism businesses, events, restaurants, wineries and accommodation providers. More than 200 industry representatives were in attendance to see who would take home the coveted awards and witness the induction of nine businesses into the Hall of Fame.

Other Northern Rivers winners

Ecotourism Gold: Byron Bay Eco Cruises & Kayaks

Tourism Education and Training Gold: TEACH at TAFE NSW Wollongbar, Wollongbar

Hall of Fame inductees:

Byron Bay Bluesfest, Byron Bay (Major Festivals and Events)

Arakwal Dolphin Dreaming, Byron Bay (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism)

Lismore and Nimbin Visitor Information Centres, Lismore (Visitor Information Services) for winning regional tourism awards in three consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016).

TEACH at Wollongbar TAFE, Wollongbar (Tourism Education & Training)

Regional Tourism Awards Chair, Jane Barnes, congratulated all winners and finalists on their contribution to regional tourism.

"Finalists in this year's program were of a high calibre with a number of first-time entrants on the list. We are thrilled to recognise the best of the North Coast tourism industry tonight and wish our winners the best of luck as they progress to compete against operators from the entire state,” said Ms. Barnes.

Jacquie Burnside, Acting General Manager of Destination North Coast, praised the awards gala as an opportunity for industry to gain recognition for their efforts, as well as providing the impetus for stakeholders to come together, network and learn from each other. "We are proud of the strong industry support for the awards program across our destination network with a fantastic turn-out in Coffs Harbour tonight. All winners and finalists are to be congratulated for their efforts to enhance the North Coast region's profile as a leading regional destination.”

The NSW State Tourism Awards will be announced in Sydney this November.