Judging the region’s best tourism and events experiences will be put into the hands of the community and visitors when public voting opens today for the 2023 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards.
With a record 68 nominations, and additional award categories, Townsville Enterprise is thrilled to see the event go from strength-to-strength with an aim to recognise the people, places, organisations, and events that have gone above and beyond to offer superior tourism experiences across North Queensland.
Townsville Enterprise Director – Visitor Economy & Marketing, Lisa Woolfe said this year’s awards have broken a number of records which goes to show the continued growth of such an integral industry.
“We're so pleased to see so many businesses take up the opportunity to put a spotlight not only on their business, but at the industry as a whole to showcase the diversity and depth of experiences emerging in our region,” Ms Woolfe said.
“This year we have seen a record number of nominations, and this is also across even more categories as we continue to grow and evolve the awards to reflect such a dynamic industry."
“The People's Choice Awards give the community – both local and visitors who have experienced the region first-hand, the chance to recognise their favourite businesses. We include these votes in conjunction with the Best of Queensland Experiences scores, to complete the judging process.
“The added benefit of the People’s Choice Award public voting is to build local awareness of the breadth of our industry and continuing to encourage and inspire the community to support local.”
In 2023, additional categories have been added to the People's Choice honour roll, but also new Individual and Business Awards, including Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group, Excellence in Accessible Tourism and Excellence in Sustainability.
New partner of the Awards, Vetta Creative Co-Director Sarah Hill, said they were excited to partner with the industry's pinnacle event, having worked in collaboration with Townsville Enterprise to launch the new destination brand earlier this year.
“This year has been such an incredible opportunity to immerse in the tourism sector, and we truly feel the positivity in the region,” Ms Hill said.
"The Awards are a great opportunity to bring the industry together and celebrate such an impressive year; a year we're proud to have made a contribution toward.”
Each ‘People’s Choice’ voter has a chance to win a $500 voucher to spend on a range of accommodation, attractions, and tour experiences on offer in the region bookable through townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au.
People’s Choice Award categories include:
- Best Major Event sponsored by Sealink
- Best Destination Event sponsored by Goldtower
- Accommodation all sponsored by Vetta Creative
- Hotel
- Motel
- Caravan and Holiday Park
- Dining
- Restaurant sponsored by Tan Lines Distilling
- Café and Casual Dining sponsored by Southern Cross Austereo
- Bars, Breweries and Distilleries sponsored by Queensland Country Bank Stadium
- Tours, Attractions and Experiences sponsored by Travello
- Transport and Hire Services sponsored by TAFE Queensland
- Business and Conferencing Venue presented by Townsville Enterprise Convention Bureau
- New Tourism Business or Experience presented by Townsville Enterprise
Additional categories (not for public vote) include:
Individual Awards:
- Young Achiever Award
- Richard Power Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual
- Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group
Excellence Awards, sponsored by Townsville Airport
- Excellence in Sustainability
- Excellence in Accessible Tourism
Public voting will close Tuesday 10 October with the prize drawn the following day. Cast your vote at townsvilleenterprise.com.au. The Awards night will be held on Friday 10 November at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, with limited tickets still available.
