WHY WE CARE ABOUT OUR MEMBERS WINNING TOURISM AWARDS (An ode to our certified operators)
In fact, the hours and effort involved in applying for State or Territory tourism award, whilst noteworthy, are in our opinion really just a reflection of the time and energy – not to mention passion – that all of our operators put into their business on a daily basis.
You may not know this, but the tourism operators we work with here at Ecotourism Australia really are exceptional at what they do. Many of them have thrown their heart and soul into their businesses, managing them in such a way that they respect and protect the beautiful natural assets they depend on, and benefit the communities in which they operate.
Just last month, we celebrated our first handful of Ecotourism Australia Hall of Fame entrants – fourteen tourism operators who have held and maintained ECO Certification for 20 years or more. The fact that these businesses are still in operation – and successful – when not many survive beyond a few short years is testament to the strong business management skills and ability to consistently meet and exceed the expectations of their guests.
Ecotourism Australia certification is not just about businesses being more ‘green’ or sustainable. Of course, by seeing a certification logo you can rest assured that the business who is displaying it has addressed an extensive range of criteria related to their environmental and sociocultural practices, and gets audited on their performance regularly. But it also means that they’ve got business plans and practices in place which help them to strategise and plan for the future, leading the way for them to be successful for years to come.
With this, we’d like to highlight all of our members who have won awards at the recent State and Territory tourism awards ceremonies across the country. But we’d also like to applaud all the others – the runners up, those that thought of applying but didn’t, and those who simply didn’t have the time, energy or interest in getting involved in 2018.
On behalf of all of us here at Ecotourism Australia – we really are proud of you, and we love being on the journey with you to turn this country into the world’s best ecotourism destination.
2018 State and Territory tourism award winners
- Aboriginal Cultural Tours SA (Winner, Qantas Award for Excellence in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism, SA)
- Adelaide Zoo (Winner, Major Tourist Attractions, SA)
- Adventure bay Charters (Silver, Ecotourism, SA)
- Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden (Bronze, Ecotourism, SA)
- Auswalk (Winner, Adventure Tourism, VIC)
- Bendleby Ranges (Silver, Tourist Attractions, SA; Silver, Adventure Tourism, SA)
- Bunyip Tours (Silver, Major Tour and Transport Operators, VIC)
- Busselton Jetty (Winner, Major Tourist Attractions, WA)
- Byron Bay Eco Cruises & Kayaks (Bronze, Ecotourism, NSW)
- Calypso Star Charters (Winner of Adventure Tourism; RAA People’s Choice Tourism Award, SA)
- Cape to Cape Explorer Tours (Winner, Ecotourism, WA)
- Capricorn Caves (Winner, Tourist Attractions, QLD)
- Cicada Lodge (Winner, Luxury Accommodation, NT)
- Cobbold Village (Winner, Hosted Accommodation, QLD)
- Cumberland Charter Yachts (Silver, Unique Accommodation, QLD)
- Eldee Station (Winner, Hosted Accommodation, NSW)
- Freycinet Lodge (Silver, Deluxe Accommodation, TAS)
- Fun Over Fifty (Winner, The Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism; Silver, Cultural Tourism, QLD)
- Go Sea Kayak Byron Bay (Winner, Ecotourism, NSW)
- Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari (Winner, Tour and Transport Operators, SA)
- Kellys Beach Resort (Bronze, Standard Accommodation, QLD)
- Kimberley Quest (Winner, Tour & Transport Operators; Bronze, Adventure Tourism, WA)
- Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (Bronze, The Steve Irwin award for Ecotourism, QLD)
- Let’s Go Surfing (Gold & Hall of Fame entrant, Adventure Tourism, NSW)
- Live Ningaloo (Silver, Ecotourism; Silver, Adventure Tourism, WA)
- Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park (Winner, Ecotourism; Winner Tourist Attractions, VIC)
- Moonraker Dolphin Swims (Silver, Tour & Transport Operators; Silver, Ecotourism, VIC)
- Moonshadow -TQC Cruises (Winner, Major Tour and Transport Operators, NSW)
- Mossman Gorge Centre (Winner, Qantas Award for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism, QLD)
- Murray River Walk (Winner, Ecotourism, SA)
- Nitmiluk Tours (Winner, Qantas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Award)
- Nitmiluk Tours and Cicada Lodge - Cicada Restaurant (Winner, Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services, NT)
- Noonaweena (Bronze, Hosted Accommodation, NSW)
- Ocean Rafting (Bronze, Adventure Tourism, QLD)
- Parks Victoria (Winner, Outstanding Contribution by Volunteers; Winner Specialised Tourism Services, VIC)
- Paronella Park (Bronze, Tourist Attractions; Gold, Cultural Tourism, QLD; Winner, RACQ People’s Choice Awards; Winner, The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, QLD)
- Pearl Luggers - Willie Creek Pearls (Silver, Tour & Transport Operators, WA)
- Peninsula Hot Springs (Silver, Cultural Tourism, VIC)
- Pennicott Wilderness Journeys (Winner, Major Tour and Transport Operators, TAS)
- Red Cat Adventures (Winner, Adventure Tourism, QLD)
- Roaring 40s Kayaking (Winner, Adventure Tourism, TAS)
- Rottnest Island (Bronze, Ecotourism, WA)
- Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (Silver, Major Tourist Attractions, QLD)
- Tallship Adventures (Silver, The Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism, QLD)
- Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife (Winner, Ecotourism (Three Capes Track), TAS)
- Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service Aboriginal Discovery Ranger Program (Winner, Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Tourism, TAS)
- The Frames Luxury Accommodation (Winner, Self-Contained Accommodation, SA)
- Tjapukai Cultural Park (Silver, Qantas Award for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism, QLD)
- Trek Larapinta – Trek Tours Australia (Winner of Ecotourism, NT)
- Tribal Warrior (Silver, Qantas Award for Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism, NSW)
- Uluru Camel Tour (Winner, Adventure Tourism, NT)
- Venture North Australia (Chairman’s Choice for Tourism Excellence, NT)
- Whitsundays Escape (Winner, Unique Accommodation, QLD)
- Whitsundays Jetski Tours (Silver, Adventure Tourism, QLD)
- Wolgan Valley Eco Tours (Country & Outback) (Silver, Ecotourism, NSW)