Voting has commenced for Queensland’s Top Tourism Town
Posted on April 13th, 2021
Glory is up for grabs and Capricorn Enterprise is calling on the local community to vote now for their favourite town in the inaugural Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) Top Tourism Town Awards.
Three towns (Yeppoon, Mount Morgan and Rockhampton) within the Central Queensland footprint, together with our Southern Great Barrier Reef neighbours, 1770/Agnes Water and Bundaberg, have made it through the initial judging period to be vying for the title which will recognise our wonderfully diverse and outstanding backyard.
The state’s peak body for tourism, QTIC announced the Awards back in January inviting Accredited Visitor Information Centres to submit nominations with a view of being crowned Queensland’s Top Tourism Town during May.
Entries across our Capricorn region include:
- YEPPOON nominated by Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre (owned and operated by Capricorn Enterprise)
- MOUNT MORGAN nominated by Mount Morgan Visitor Information Centre (managed by Mount Morgan Promotion and Development)
- ROCKHAMPTON nominated by Spire Visitor Information Centre (owned and operated by Rockhampton Regional Council).
This has provided an opportunity for our regional towns and cities to shine and showcase their particular part of Queensland which has our local Visitor Information Centres going head-to-head in friendly rivalry to take out the top gong.
An enticing summary, itinerary, image gallery and promotional video were requirements of the nomination process, which was then formally judged by QTIC representatives Wayne Clift (Director of The Tourism Group), Sofie Formica (TV Personality and Founder of Travel Well Media) and Michelle Weston (CEO of Caravan Parks Association of QLD).
Entries were narrowed down to 15 finalists in the Top Tourism Town category and 22 finalists in the Small Tourism Town category.
But with judges votes only making up 30% of the selection process and the remaining 70% of judging formulated from consumer voting, it is now over to the public to have their say.
From coastal villages to heritage and history, Capricorn Enterprise CEO, Mary Carroll believes it is fantastic for our regional towns to share what is special and unique about our destination and is calling on local pride to help bring home the win.
“The competition is steep with towns such as Noosa, Bowen, Montville and Eumundi vying for the Top and Small Tourism Town Awards,” Mary said.
“As locals, we already know that our backyard is exciting, diverse and breathtakingly beautiful, and this is the perfect opportunity to promote our region as a must-see destination that ticks all the boxes for being a top tourism spot.”
“With two finalist categories including Top Tourism Town (more than 5000 residents) of which Yeppoon and Rockhampton are striving, and Small Tourism Town (less than 5000 residents) which Mount Morgan and 1770/Agnes Water are contending, Central Queensland has a strong opportunity to put our spectacular and welcoming towns in the spotlight,” Mary said.
“There are 13 official tourism regions which shape Queensland, from the Far North to the South East, however these Awards provide an opportunity to highlight the smaller towns within, enticing more visitors to explore some of our hidden gems,” Mary said.
The Queensland Top Tourism Town winner will not only receive state accolades, but also be given the opportunity to represent Queensland at the National Awards and be named Australia’s Top Tourism Town.
Voting has commenced and will be open until Monday 26th April.
“The voting process is simple and only takes two minutes, and even better, everyone who places a vote goes into the draw to win a $2000 Apollo Motorhome Travel Package,” Mary said.
“Being awarded Top Tourism Town would definitely give our community and business operators a huge boost, following what has been a challenging 12 months for the entire industry,” Mary said.
“We hold high hopes that one of our towns can take out the win and urge the local community to get online and vote today,” Mary said.
VOTE TODAY – https://www.qtic.com.au/top-tourism-award/top-town-voting/
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