The Canberra Region’s best of the tourism industry were last night represented on the national stage at the 2021 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, held on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast at the Novotel Sunshine Coast Convention Centre. There were three award winners from the Canberra Region.
“We are so proud as we had 11 entrants representing the Canberra Region at the national level, it’s a tough gig amongst the absolute best of the best that the Australian tourism industry has to offer,” said Dr Naomi Date, Chief Executive Officer of the Canberra Region Tourism Industry Council.
“Out of those 11, we had three tourism operators receive a place, with two Silver Winners, and one Bronze Winner awarded.
“It is a huge honour for an award of any placing, particularly when there are so many wonderful tourism products in the Australian marketplace,” Dr Dale continued.
Silver was awarded to the National Arboretum Canberra in the Tourist Attractions category, and to National Gallery of Australia in the Major Festivals and Events Category. The Royal Australian Mint scored a Bronze in the Cultural Tourism category.
“These past two years have been incredibly challenging for our industry with many businesses doing it tough. In our region there are so many amazing people doing incredible things, adapting and innovating, and still delivering premium experiences for visitors to Canberra,” Dr Dale continued.
The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards saw Bundaberg Rum Distillery Visitor Experience inducted into the Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame for taking out the top honours in the Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries category for the past three years. Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria, took home gold for Major Tourist Attraction; as did Saffire Freycinet, Tasmania, in 5 Star Luxury Accommodation; and Fremantle Prison, Western Australia, for Cultural Tourism. Other winners included Ingenia Holidays South West Rocks, NSW, for Caravan and Holiday Parks; Beach Huts; Middleton, South Australia, for 3-3.5 Star Accommodation; Darwin Convention Centre, Northern Territory, for Business Event venues; and Red Cat Adventures, Queensland, for Adventure Tourism.
Qantas Group Chief Customer Office Stephanie Tully said: “As the national carrier, we’re delighted to be celebrating and championing the best of the industry after a particularly tough two years for Australian tourism.
“We’ve seen travel demand rebound strongly this year and we’re really excited to help travellers from home and abroad rediscover this amazing country and support Australian tourism operators to get back to doing what they do best.”
The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards celebrates innovation and exceptional standards in tourism; and is made possible through the generosity of sponsors, in particular Qantas, Tourism Australia, the Queensland Government, Novotel Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Council, Visit Sunshine Coast and the Sunshine Coast Airport.
Qantas Australian Tourism Awards 2021 – Canberra Region Results
| CATEGORY | BUSINESS NAME | RESULT |
| 2. Tourist Attractions | National Arboretum Canberra | SILVER |
| 3. Major Festivals and Events | National Gallery of Australia | SILVER |
| 6. Cultural Tourism | Royal Australian Mint | BRONZE |