The Central Coast has hit the mark yet again in the competitive tourism realm with local operators Ibis Styles The Entrance, Australian Reptile Park, Mooney Mooney Oyster Farm Tours and Central Coast Council all being named finalists in the 2021 NSW Tourism Awards.
Now in their 31st year, the awards celebrate business excellence, acknowledge business innovation and reward exceptional customer service.
General Manager of Ibis Styles The Entrance, Aaron Ficyk, said he was thrilled the hotel was one of the Central Coast contingent to be recognised for a job well done.
“It’s so nice to celebrate it, for the Central Coast as well, because it’s been such a hard time over the past year or so, and it is such a special acknowledgement for our staff, too,” he said.
Ficyk said that over the past two years the 52-room hotel had been renovated and refreshed following Accor’s purchase from the Diggers club in June 2019 and then Ibis Styles taking on a franchise arrangement.
“We’re now rated four-and-a-half stars, so we’re competing with the likes of big brands Novotel and Mercure, but apparently the judges in the awards were very happy with the feedback about our customer service which is one of our strong points,” he said.
“Our small team does an outstanding job and we are all so proud to be nominated for this award, as well as our contribution to the Central Coast visitor economy.”
The awards are managed by the NSW Tourism Industry Council in partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW.
Council Executive Manager, Greg Binskin, said it was impressive to see the number of operators and regions who made the most of lockdowns and restricted travel to build new visitor experiences and worked together to attract domestic visitors to their regions.
The NSW Tourism Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner on February 3 next year and category winners will go on to the Australian Tourism Awards to be announced in March 2022.
The Central Coast has also made its mark recently by capturing international attention by being the only NSW location, and one of only five in Australia, to earn a spot in the 2021 Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories competition.
It’s a competition led by Green Destinations which collects Good Practice Stories from all around the world to inspire travellers and tourism professionals and then to shine the spotlight on the top 100 locations which are making promising progress towards a more sustainable tourism industry.
This in turn follows the Central Coast’s journey to becoming a certified eco-tourism destination, with the region being the largest cohort of nature-based businesses already certified or in the process of eco certification.
Sue Murray