The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards (QATA) is the tourism industry’s most prestigious national event. On Friday March 6th 2020, over 800 people from the Australian tourism industry will come together in Canberra for a gala evening to celebrate the best of the best in Tourism.
Sixteen Canberra Region finalists, who have gone through a rigorous awards process with judges assessing their submission locally, will discover on the night the results of the judging which determines national placings from local winners in each state and territory.
The awards offer entrants a program to benchmark, document their innovation, commitment to excellence and achievements over a 12-month period. The local program, owned and run by the National Capital Attractions Association with the supporting partner VisitCanberra, provides mentoring, entrants workshops and judges feedback to help build their capacity in order to strengthen their operations as a result of entering.
Canberra Region Chair of Judges, Phillip Jones says, “The Canberra Region is very well represented following a record number of entries in the local awards, leading to a record number of finalists to compete against their peers in the national awards. You have to be a very strong contender to make it through to the nationals.
“With entrants ranging from small family run operations to major attractions and hotels, all finalists can all take pride with their result. Whilst everyone would love to come away with a Gold, Silver or Bronze, to be in the mix at the national level is an achievement to be proud of, and this year’s entrants demonstrate the depth and diversity of the Canberra Regions fantastic tourism offerings.” Mr. Jones said.
“With recent bushfires and drought, the importance of the tourism industry to our economy has never been more vital and the awards play a part in drawing national attention to the many world class experiences on offer in the Canberra Region,” Mr. Jones concluded.
The Canberra Region finalists in the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards are:
| CATEGORY | BUSINESS NAME |
| 1. Major Tourist Attractions | National Gallery of Australia |
| 2. Tourist Attractions | National Arboretum Canberra |
| 3. Major Festivals and Events | National Museum of Australia |
| 4. Festivals and Events | Canberra Balloon Spectacular (Events ACT) |
| 6. Cultural Tourism | Royal Australian Mint |
| 8. Specialised Tourism Services | GetAboutAble |
| 9. Visitor Information Services | Canberra and Region Visitors Centre |
| 10. Business Event Venues | National Convention Centre Canberra |
| 13. Adventure Tourism | Dynamic Motivation/Stromlo Shuttle Bus |
| 14. Destination Marketing | Destination Southern Highlands ‘Pie Time’ |
| 16. Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries | Shaw Wines |
| 19. Unique Accommodation | Jamala Wildlife Lodge |
| 21. Standard Accommodation | Leumeah Lodge |
| 22. Deluxe Accommodation | Little National Hotel |
| 23. Luxury Accommodation | Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel |
| 24. New Tourism Business | Book Canberra Excursions |
