National tourism awards will be held in Darwin next month
Darwin Convention Centre will host the national tourism awards next month. Read why they’re significant.
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More than 700 delegates will attend next month’s Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Darwin.
Considered Australian tourism’s night-of-nights, the event will be held at Darwin Convention Centre on March 15.
The awards recognise tourism operators across 26 business categories, with finalists representing state and territory winners.
The Territory will be represented by winners from 22 categories from last year’s Brolga Awards, the NT’s official tourism awards excellence programs.
Tourism Top End general manager Samantha Bennett said it was significant the awards were being held in a regional capital city.
She said the awards were an opportunity for Territory and national tourist operators to network but also to share visitor experiences from an industry perspective.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we’ve got in the Territory,” Ms Bennett said.
“It’s not just a networking event but it’s about industry working as a whole together.
“At the end of the day Australia is the destination and it’s up to the states and territories to get the tourists to their destination.”
She said the industry was being tested by the slow bounce-back of international tourism and domestic travel options to nearby destinations like Bali, Fiji and New Zealand.
As well as hundreds of tourism delegates from across the country, the board of the Australian Tourism Industry Council will also attend the event, which was last held in Darwin in 2017.
The NT was a strong performer at last year’s event, with Territory businesses receiving two gold, two silver and four bronze awards.
Tourism Minister Joel Bowden said the Territory was an ideal location to host the awards.
“We are delighted to be hosting Australia’s premier tourism event in Darwin this year, allowing us to showcase our beautiful Top End to industry experts and professionals from around the country,” Mr Bowden said.
“The Northern Territory is a business events destination like no other, from our unique locations and experiences to our people and hospitality, all of which make us a competitive and desirable location to host business events.
“The Territory’s iconic experiences are only possible due to our dedicated tourism businesses and I look forward to seeing our Territory finalists shine on the national stage.
“The tourism industry is a key contributor to the local economy, creating work for our local tourism operators, retailers and the hospitality industry.”
Tickets for the Australian Tourism Awards are on sale until February 23. To find out more visit aapevents.eventsair.com/2023-australian-tourism-awards
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