Cairns named Wotif Aussie Town of the Year for 2021

Cairns has just been voted the best destination in Australia - an accolade which is expected to power the city’s recovery from coronavirus. VIDEO: What you love about Cairns.

CAIRNS’ wide-open spaces, low population and “excellent nature-based experiences” have led to the city securing the grand title of Top Aussie Town of the Year, boosting the city’s recovery from the coronavirus after a tumultuous 2020 for its most prominent industry.

The win, as judged and announced by travel website Wotif on Wednesday, comes as the award returns to Queensland after four years, when Mackay took top spot.

The massive nod of approval was based on Cairns’ accommodation quality, affordability and traveller satisfaction. The awards to the top 10 towns also recognise destinations that met the changing needs of travellers in the past 12 months.

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Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said the industry was excited to have Cairns leading the pack.

“We have been fortunate to have very few cases of COVID-19, allowing us to move about more freely,” he said.

“Australians are desperate for a holiday and Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, with its wide-open spaces, low population and excellent nature-based experiences, is the ideal destination.”

Gavin Maloney, director of distribution and leisure at Shangri-La Group, said every travel business in the region had worked hard to keep the community strong during the pandemic.

“A trip to Cairns keeps locals in a job and that extends beyond travel businesses,” he said. “To farmers growing fruit on the Tablelands, boutiques selling bathers by the beach and cafes serving coffee to the boat crews getting ready to carry tourists to the Great Barrier Reef.”

Mayor Bob Manning said he was not surprised about the news.

“This award is a good shot in the arm for an industry that’s really hurting at the moment,” he said.

“I think the whole sector can be proud at the speed in which they’ve adapted to what is the biggest challenge we have ever faced.”

Cr Manning said we could all start to feel the first rays of optimism now the vaccine program had started. “What we need now is for border closures to become a thing of the past, and with that new confidence we may just see the dawn of a new domestic tourism era in the region,” he said.

Now in its fourth year, the annual tourism awards recognise some of the country’s best destinations.

The seaside town of Palm Cove north of Cairns. Picture: Tourism Tropical North Queensland

ACCOLADE WELCOMED

Tourism operators, workers, residents and visitors have all sung praise about Cairns following its title as the 2021 top town across the country.

Palm Cove resident Tyla Skantzos, who moved from Melbourne about two years ago, said that besides the natural beauty of the tropics, accessibility to “everything is so close and easy”.

“It’s just a stunning place and really nice community,” Ms Skantzos said.

Anna Apricio, who has been in Cairns for only six months and works at Palm Cove’s Reef House, said she intended to live here for another three years after finding that “I really like the place” during her international travels.

The 27-year-old, originally from Spain, said “it’s the weather and all the things you can do around Cairns. From the rainforest and the reef to the amazing beaches”.

“In Cairns itself, you find that you can do everything you need.”

Reef House’s general manager Wayne Harris said “there’s a terrific appeal being near the world-heritage sites”.

What do you love most about Cairns? Have your say in the comments below.

Originally published as Cairns named Wotif Aussie Town of the Year for 2021