COAST SHINES AT TOURISM AWARDS

The SunshineCoast’s Australia Zoo and Tourism Noosa have collected awards at the Australian Tourism Awards.

Tourism Minister Margaret Keech, who attended the awards in Sydney, congratulated the winners for their outstanding work and contribution to Queensland’s tourism industry.

“This is deserved recognition of the level of innovation and quality in Queensland’s tourism industry,” Mrs Keech said.

“The Sunshine Coast continues to cement itself as a world-class international and domestic holiday destination through its ongoing work and proactive industry partnerships.

“More than 2.7 million domestic and international holidaymakers visited the SunshineCoast last financial year, contributing more than $1.5 billion to the local SunshineCoast economy.

“No Queensland holiday is complete without a visit to the SunshineCoast.”

Mrs Keech said Australia Zoo and Tourism Noosa had claimed victory over stiff national competition because of their demonstrated ability to excel at tourism marketing and innovation.

“Australia Zoo won the category of Tourism Retailing through its efforts to redefine ecotourism and the tourism attraction experience,” she said.

“The Zoo continues to grow its domestic and international profile, contributing heavily to the promotion of Queensland’s tourism industry.

“Tourism Noosa is the much deserved winner of the Destination Promotion category for its development of industry partnerships that are helping guide strategic marketing and tourism development in the Noosa region.

“Queensland continues to set the benchmark for Australia holiday experiences thanks to the hard work of tourism operators and organisations such as Australia Zoo and Tourism Noosa.”

Media Contacts: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007 or David Smith 3225 1005 / 0409 496 534