Three Central Coast businesses have taken gold in their categories at the prestigious NSW Tourism Awards for 2023.
Held on November 8 at the White Bay Cruise Terminal Sydney, the awards ceremony saw more than 500 industry representatives gathered to celebrate outstanding tourism businesses, with the Australian Reptile Park, Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific and Central Coast Council among the category winners.
The awards are managed by the NSW Tourism Industry Council powered by Business NSW, the state’s peak business organisation, and supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
“The NSW Tourism Awards celebrate those tourism experiences that inspire visitors to #feelnewsouthwales and recognise those businesses (which) exemplify outstanding tourism experiences,” Business NSW Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy, Paula Martin said.
“These businesses provide leadership in innovation, marketing and in the delivery of quality products and services.
“They also advance and promote the NSW and Australian tourism industry through consistent customer service and quality experiences.
“The Central Coast smashed it out of the park with the Reptile Park wining gold as a Major Tourist Attraction, Crown Plaza Terrigal wining gold in Best Business Venue and Central Coast Council winning gold for Local Government Tourism.
“The region’s success in these highly competitive awards shows that the Central Coast can offer domestic and international visitors superior experiences and we should be very proud of our tourism industry.
“A highlight of this year’s awards program was the high number of first-time entrants (60), many of whom are new businesses to the sector.
“This level of representation from emerging businesses tells us that innovation is alive and well in tourism and we are proud of the resilience of the sector.”
Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said it was an exciting time for visitors in NSW, with domestic and international visitor expenditure in NSW surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
“We know our visitors don’t just want a selfie in front of the Sydney Opera House, they want to be immersed in the culture of the place and to experience what’s happening in and around iconic buildings, secret neighbourhoods, and in our beautiful natural environment,” he said.
“Cultural activity is so much of why we love our towns and cities and it’s a big part of what attracts visitors and what keeps them coming back.
“Congratulations to all the winners and the whole hard-working sector.”
Winners in the designated national award categories will represent NSW at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Darwin next March.