It’s official: The Tweed’s tourism marketing is Australia’s best

The Tweed Tourism Company takes out GOLD at national awards

An image from The Tweed Tourism Company’s A Slow Road to Tyalgum drive campaign, developed following the Covid-19 and 2022 flood. The campaign was part of a collective body of work that earned the company the coveted GOLD award for best Tourism & Marketing campaign at the prestigious Australian Tourism Awards held in Darwin on 15 March 2024.

The Tweed region is celebrating a GOLD win, a Silver award and finalist recognition at the Australian Tourism Awards, held in Darwin on Friday 15 March:

• GOLD: The Tweed Tourism Company – Tourism Marketing & Campaigns
• SILVER: Potager – A Kitchen Garden – Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services 
• FINALIST: Husk Farm Distillery – Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries.
  
  The Tweed Tourism Company has taken out the highly coveted GOLD for tourism marketing and campaigns at the prestigious Australian Tourism Awards held in Darwin on Friday 15 March.

Presented by Tourism Australia, the GOLD winning Tweed campaign was awarded as Australia’s best tourism marketing for 2023 amongst an impressive national field and ahead of Rockhampton, Queensland (Silver) and Mandurah, Western Australia (Bronze).

The Australian Tourism Awards are the tourism industry’s peak national awards and this year saw over 180 leading tourism operators vying for top honours across 26 categories, with more than 1,000 people in attendance from across Australia.

The winning Tweed campaign was a collective body of work aligned with a Covid recovery strategy that included promotion of the new Northern Rivers Rail Trail, a Slow Road to Tyalgum drive campaign, hosting of the Australian Society of Travel Writer’s Convention and Australia’s first Wellness Tourism Summit.

The recovery strategy aligned with Tourism Australia’s THRIVE 2030, which aims to achieve pre-COVID levels of domestic visitation by the end of 2024, and incorporated a cooperative campaign in partnership with Destination NSW under its Feel New brand.

Also celebrating on the night were Potager – A Kitchen Garden, taking out SILVER for Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services and Husk Farm Distillery, a FINALIST in the Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries category.

At a state level, the Tweed was the most awarded region outside of Sydney, with the capital city’s 4 finalists taking a Gold and Silver, along with 2 category finalists.

Sally Scott, General Manager of The Tweed Tourism Company, said being recognised on the national stage was an incredibly proud moment and a shining reflection of the region’s collective efforts.

“This exciting GOLD win at the national level is a true celebration of the hard work, innovation and tenacity of the Tweed’s amazing tourism operators and the strength of our great partnership with Tweed Shire Council,” Ms Scott said.

“For our Tweed marketing campaigns to be recognised as the best in Australia amongst so many stellar destinations and products is a humbling acknowledgement and one that affirms the Tweed’s place as one of the country’s leading tourism regions.

“We are incredibly proud of the brilliant Tweed tourism businesses that were also recognised at this year’s Australian Tourism Awards with Potager awarded Silver and Husk Farm Distillery a Finalist, each in their respective categories.

“The exceptional results for the Tweed are a shared accolade for all of our remarkable tourism businesses who navigated through the many challenges of Covid, evolved their product and who continue to work hard every day to deliver incredible visitor experiences.”

Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said the outstanding results at the Australian Tourism Awards were testament to the Tweed’s proactive tourism industry, its compelling visitor experiences and impactful consumer marketing campaigns.

“The extended state border closures during COVID-19, along with severe flooding in 2022, were very difficult times for our region, but these challenges galvanised our tourism partners, The Tweed Tourism Company and local operators to develop a strategic response that supported the community through recovery,” Cr Cherry said.

“We are so proud of these outstanding results and, in particular, I congratulate The Tweed Tourism Company for bringing home GOLD in the highly competitive Tourism Marketing & Campaigns category.

“The fantastic success of our local businesses at these national awards, also including Potager and Husk Farm Distillery, is such great recognition of all the hard work, creativity and resilience of the Tweed’s tourism industry and a moment of immense pride for the Tweed business community.”

Managed by the Australian Tourism Industry Council, the Australian Tourism Awards are an annual celebration for all tourism businesses across the country to gather together and recognise outstanding achievements in customer service, innovation and resilience.

For more information on the awards visit: 

Full list of winners:

Tourism Marketing & Campaigns
GOLD – The Tweed Tourism Company NSW
SILVER – Rockhampton Regional Council – Explore Rockhampton QLD
BRONZE – BIG Reasons to visit Mandurah – Visit Mandurah WA

Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services
GOLD – Grain of the Silos TAS
SILVER – Potager NSW
BRONZE – CORE Cider House WA

Visitor Information Services
GOLD – Canberra and Region Visitors Centre CBR
SILVER – Mandurah Visitor Centre WA
BRONZE – Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre SA

Festivals and Events
GOLD – National Capital Authority – Lights on the Lake CBR
SILVER – 2023 Ord Valley Muster WA
BRONZE – Tumbafest Inc NSW

Cultural Tourism
GOLD – Royal Australian Mint CBR
SILVER – Fun Over 50 Holidays – Immersive Tours and Adventures QLD
BRONZE – Geelong Gallery VIC

Unique Accommodation
GOLD – Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm WA
SILVER – Jamala Wildlife Lodge CBR
BRONZE – Woodhouse Adventure Park SA

Tourism Retail, Hire and Services
GOLD – Origins Market WA
SILVER – The Museum Shop at the National Museum of Australia CBR
BRONZE – Go Adventure Nagambie VIC

Caravan & Holiday Parks
GOLD – BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort QLD
SILVER – Alivio Tourist Park Canberra CBR
BRONZE – NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park VIC

Ecotourism
GOLD – Fun Over 50 Holidays – Immersive Tours and Adventures QLD
SILVER – Sydney by Kayak NSW
BRONZE – National Arboretum Canberra CBR

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience
GOLD – wukalina Walk TAS
SILVER – Cape York Peninsula Lodge QLD
BRONZE – Ngurrangga Tours WA

Self-Contained Accommodation
GOLD – The Woods Ocean Grove VIC
SILVER – Tree Chalets WA
BRONZE – The Granary | Richmond Hill TAS

Hosted Accommodation
GOLD – The Dragonfly Inn TAS
SILVER – Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat QLD
BRONZE – Kangaroo Ridge Retreat VIC

New Tourism Business
GOLD – On Board TAS
SILVER – Nexus Airlines WA
BRONZE – Port River Cruises SA

3 – 3.5 Star Accommodation
GOLD – Urban Camp Melbourne VIC
SILVER – ibis Adelaide SA
BRONZE – Magnums Accommodation Airlie Beach QLD

4 – 4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation
GOLD – Beach Huts Middleton SA
SILVER – Ship Inn Stanley TAS
BRONZE – Cape York Peninsula Lodge QLD

5 Star Luxury Accommodation
GOLD – The Reef House Boutique Hotel and Spa | Adults Tropical Escapes QLD
SILVER – Chocolate Gannets VIC
BRONZE – Pullman Bunker Bay Resort WA

Business Event Venues
GOLD – Darwin Convention Centre NT
SILVER – Peppers Silo Hotel TAS
BRONZE – Pullman Bunker Bay Resort WA

Tour & Transport Operators
GOLD – Air Adventure Golf TAS
SILVER – Swan River Seaplanes WA
BRONZE – NT Bird Specialists Birding & Photographic Safaris NT

Major Tour & Transport Operators
GOLD – Pennicott Wilderness Journeys TAS
SILVER – Ocean Rafting QLD
BRONZE – Searoad Ferries VIC

Adventure Tourism
GOLD – Ocean Rafting QLD
SILVER – Bendleby Ranges SA
BRONZE – Balloon Aloft Australia NSW

Excellence in Accessible Tourism
GOLD – Adelaide Fringe SA
SILVER – Accessible Accommodation VIC
BRONZE – Katherine Outback Experience NT

Excellence in Food Tourism
GOLD – Love Lord Howe NSW
SILVER – The Truffle Farm – Home of Australia’s first black Truffle TAS
BRONZE – Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market SA

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries
GOLD – Bangor Vineyard Shed TAS
SILVER – Seppeltsfield Wines SA
BRONZE – Billson’s Brewery VIC

Tourist Attractions
GOLD – Katherine Outback Experience NT
SILVER – Bundaberg Rum Distillery Visitor Experience QLD
BRONZE – d’Arenberg SA

Major Tourist Attractions
GOLD – Australian Reptile Park NSW
SILVER – Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary QLD
BRONZE – Zoos Victoria – Melbourne Zoo VIC

Major Festivals and Events
GOLD – Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers QLD
SILVER – Tesselaar KaBloom VIC
BRONZE – Darwin Festival NT

The Tweed rules! Award winners at the prestigious 2024 Australian Tourism Awards held in Darwin on Friday 15 March are from left: Greer Zunker (TTC), Steve Cox (Destination NSW), Sally Scott (TTC), Pete Burr (Potager) and Harriet Messenger (Husk Distillers).

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Tweed Shire Council wishes to acknowledge the Ngandowal and Minyungbal speaking people of the Bundjalung Country, in particular the Goodjinburra, Tul-gi-gin and Moorung – Moobah clans, as being the traditional owners and custodians of the land and waters within the Tweed Shire boundaries. Council also acknowledges and respects the Tweed Aboriginal community’s right to speak for its Country and to care for its traditional Country in accordance with its lore, customs and traditions.

The Tweed wins three gold at NSW Tourism Awards

Potager, Husk Farm Distillery and Tweed Tourism Co take home top prizes 

The Tweed shone with three gold wins at the NSW Tourism Awards last night. Gold winners (left to right) Alex Sanabre, Nicole Gallagher and Mandaley Perkins – Husk Farm Distillery; Greer Zunker and Sally Scott – The Tweed Tourism Company; Peter Burr – Potager and Harriet Messenger – The Tweed Tourism Compan

The Tweed’s tourism excellence was on show last night with three GOLD award wins at the state’s most coveted industry awards event, the NSW Tourism Awards, held in Sydney earlier this month.

Taking out the top honours were Potager – A Kitchen Garden, winning for a second year running in the Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services category; Husk Farm Distillery in Tourism Wineries, Distilleries, and Breweries category; and The Tweed Tourism Company awarded Gold for Tourism Marketing & Campaigns.

Also recognised at the gala awards event was Tweed Eco Cruises, taking out Silver in the Tour & Transport Operators category and Berger Houseboat Holidays, a Finalist in the Unique Accommodation category.

Sally Scott, General Manager of The Tweed Tourism Company, said that the sweep of outstanding wins on the night were a celebration of the hard work, innovation and tenacity of the region’s tourism businesses.

“We are incredibly proud of all the Tweed tourism businesses that were recognised at this year’s NSW Tourism Awards and, along with Potager and Husk Farm Distillery, were thrilled to be recognised with a GOLD Award on the night,” Ms Scott said.

“The exceptional results for the Tweed are a great celebration of our remarkable tourism operators who continue to overcome challenges, evolve their product and work hard every day to deliver consistently high-quality visitor experiences.

“Our Tweed winners and finalists should be proud of achieving excellence not only for their own businesses but for also representing the whole region at a state level and helping to lift the profile and reputation of our collective tourism industry.”

The GOLD winning Tweed marketing campaign was a collective body of work that was developed in alignment with Phase One: Recovery of Tourism Australia’s THRIVE 2030 strategy.

The destination recovery marketing strategy aimed to achieve pre-Covid levels of domestic overnight and day trip visitation by the end of 2024 and included promotion of the new Northern Rivers Rail Trail, a Slow Road to Tyalgum campaign, hosting of the Australian Society of Travel Writer’s Convention and Australia’s first Wellness Tourism Summit.

Celebrating Potager winning Gold for the second year in a row, Peter Burr, owner said the win was a wonderful validation for all the hard work of the Potager team in delivering exceptional visitor experiences.

“We love to showcase the Tweed, this beautiful part of the world we call home, so I’m exceptionally proud to be in the company of our gold-winning mates at Husk and The Tweed Tourism Company and Silver winners Tweed Eco Cruises – what a fantastic result for the region and here’s to more people discovering us,” Mr Burr said.

Fellow GOLD award winners, Husk Farm Distillery said that the win was very humbling and the whole Husk team was excited to be recognised for their work.

“This win is a testament to the hard work and vision of our entire team at Husk Farm. We hope this award will give us more opportunity to bring people together on our farm in the beautiful Tweed Valley and showcase the region, our unique Ink Gin and the sustainable connection between Husk Rum and the land.”

Tweed Mayor, Councillor Chris Cherry.

Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry was thrilled with the results and said the accolades were testament to the quality of tourism operators in the Tweed, supported by the outstanding consumer campaigns and events delivered by Tweed Tourism Co as Council’s tourism partners.

“Tourism in the Tweed is thriving and the success of Tweed businesses at the NSW Tourism Awards are testament to that,” Cr Cherry said.

“Visitors are flocking here to experience the quality attractions we have to offer, like the Northern Rivers Rail Trail – which has already exceeded 100,000 visitors in its first seven months – the newly-opened Uki Mountain Bike Park and the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre which is now hosting one of the world’s most famous artworks by Claude Monet.

“This is a moment of immense pride for the Tweed business community and those lucky enough to call the Tweed home and I congratulate all the winners.”

The NSW Tourism Awards are the tourism industry’s peak awards, recognising and promoting excellence in tourism across 27 business categories, including individual excellence categories and the Judges’ Tourism Star Awards, honouring outstanding resilience and innovation.

Managed by the NSW Tourism Industry Council in partnership with Destination NSW, the awards are an annual celebration for all tourism businesses across the state to gather together and recognise outstanding achievements in customer service, innovation and resilience.

As a national program, Gold Medal Award winners of select categories at the state level automatically receive entry to compete at the Australian Tourism Awards.  

The 2024 Australian Tourism Awards Gala will be held on Friday 15 March in the Northern Territory with Potager, Husk Farm Distillery and The Tweed Tourism Company all travelling to Darwin to represent the Tweed on the national stage.

The Tweed Tourism Company staff Greer Zunker (left) and Sally Scott (right), at the NSW Tourism Awards accepting Gold for Tourism & Marketing Campaigns

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