The Canberra Region tourism industry gathered last night, Friday 29 November, to celebrate the success of tourism businesses and operators in the Canberra region at the industry’s night of nights, the 2019 Canberra Region Tourism Awards Gala Dinner.
Presented by the National Capital Attractions Association and proudly supported by VisitCanberra, the Canberra Region Tourism Awards is the most prestigious event on the Canberra Region’s tourism calendar. It provides the opportunity to publicly recognise and showcase excellence in tourism from the Region.
Among the major winners were the National Gallery of Australia which won the award for Major Tourist Attraction, National Aboretum Canberra which won Tourist Attractions, and the National Museum of Australia which won Major Festivals and Events for their exhibition Rome: City and Empire.
“Our region is simply brimming with businesses and attractions that excel in their field in not only bringing visitors to Canberra, but giving them a premium visitor experience when they arrive” said Dr. Naomi Dale, President of the National Capital Attractions Association.
“Canberra’s tourism services have proven themselves to be outstanding yet again. This year awards have been presented to the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre for Visitor Information Services, the National Convention Centre Canberra for Business Event Venues, and the National Capital Authority for Tourism Visitor Education,” Dr. Dale continued.
For the first time ever, last night’s Gala Awards Dinner was held at the Australian War Memorial in Anzac Hall. The 1940s black tie event was attended by around 300 guests from the tourism industry who enjoyed a night of awards, networking and letting their hair down to celebrate their achievements.
Dr. Dale also acknowledged the contributions of Canberra’s surrounding region revealing that Destination Southern Highlands’ Pie Time campaign once again won the Destination Marketing category – making it three years in a row they have collected an award in this category.
“Our accommodation sector is also going from strength to strength here in Canberra with winners announced across four separate accommodation categories. Jamala Wildlife Lodge for Unique Accommodation, Leumeah Lodge for Standard Accommodation, Little National Hotel for Deluxe Accommodation, and the Luxury Accommodation category was won by Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
“Huge congratulations go to all of our entrants and winners who have excelled in their field. National category winners will now compete for recognition at the 2019 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards which will be held here in Canberra on 6th March 2020,” Dr. Dale concluded.
See below for the full list of category winners. Commendations also available on request. For more information on the awards go to www.canberratourismawards.com.au
Canberra Region Tourism Awards 2019
Full List of Winners:
| CATEGORY | WINNER |
| Major Tourist Attractions | National Gallery of Australia |
| Tourist Attractions | National Aboretum Canberra |
| Major Festivals and Events | National Museum of Australia- Rome: City and Empire |
| Festivals and Events | Canberra Balloon Spectacular (Events ACT) |
| Cultural Tourism | Royal Australian Mint |
| Specialised Tourism Services | GetAboutAble |
| Visitor Information Services | Canberra and Region Visitors Centre |
| Business Event Venues | National Convention Centre Canberra |
| Adventure Tourism | Dynamic Motivation/Stromlo Shuttle Bus |
| Destination Marketing | Destination Southern Highlands- ‘Pie Time’ |
| Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries | Shaw Wines |
| Unique Accommodation | Jamala Wildlife Lodge |
| Standard Accommodation | Leumeah Lodge |
| Deluxe Accommodation | Little National Hotel |
| Luxury Accommodation | Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel |
| New Tourism Business | Book Canberra Excursions |
| Outstanding Contribution by an Individual | Brendan Nelson |
| Tourism Visitor Education | National Capital Authority |
| Markus Gibson-Huck Young Achiever Award | Michael Liu – Dionysus Movement |
