Queensland Tourism Awards to celebrate Mackay Whitsunday operators

Tourism operators will ‘squirm’ and ‘forensically examine’ their offerings for a chance to win big at the industry’s night of nights

Visitors to the Sarina Sugar Shed. Picture: Supplied

Mackay Whitsunday tourism operators are gearing up for state awards of a different vibe in 2021 as the industry celebrates resilience through COVID-19.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the return of the Queensland Tourism Awards was a “significant milestone” for the industry which had worked hard to rebuild.

“Tourism remains a driving force for regional economies and communities across Queensland, accounting for one in nine Queensland jobs and nearly one in six jobs in Far North Queensland,” Mr Gschwind said.

He said 2020 was “undeniably” a tough year but the industry took it in its stride with the number of Queenslanders holidaying in their own state soaring by 12 per cent in December 2020 compared to the period the year prior.

Big4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort. Picture: Contributed

Big4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort owner Greg McKinnon said the awards let them celebrate overcoming challenges, reflect on plans, budget and performance and showcase their achievements.

“Of course, we also want to enter the awards to increase our reputation as a high standard operator,” Mr McKinnon said.

“And we enjoy the process of collating the submission and then celebrating with industry friends.”

Tourism Whitsundays CEO Natassia Wheeler said the tourism industry injected $790m into the Whitsundays economy with the awards raising publicity for the region’s “exceptional land, water and air experiences”.

“We strongly encourage operators to enter and go through the awards process,” Ms Wheeler said.

“It gives operators the opportunity to evaluate their businesses in a new and exciting perspective and reinforce their value and contribution of the Whitsunday’s tourism industry.”

Mackay Tourism chief executive officer Tas Webber, Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson and Mackay Airport general manager Garry Porter cut the ribbon at the new Mackay Visitor Information Kiosk at Bluewater Lagoon on Tuesday August 25.

This was echoed by Mackay Tourism CEO Tas Webber who said the awards also showcased the “spirit of resilience and recovery” among tourism operators.

“Our region was experiencing 13 consecutive quarters of growth in tourism prior to COVID-19, but the pandemic created some challenging times for us and for the industry as a whole,” Mr Webber said.

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Sarina Sugar Shed’s Ian Mason said having multiple wins in the Food Tourism category at previous awards had led to continuous improvement and forensic examination of the business.

Visitors to the Sarina Sugar Shed. Picture: Supplied

“The submission questions cause you to squirm at times as you realise that you can do better in certain aspects of the business, but this is the best thing about the Queensland Tourism Awards – you look deeply at your business, learn what you can do better, and identify gaps in your operations,” Mr Mason said.

Award nominations are open until Friday May 21 with winners announced at a black-tie gala ceremony on Friday, November 12.

For the full list of award categories and to enter, visit the QITC website.

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