The power to decide North Queensland’s top tourism and event experiences now rests with the community and visitors, as public voting for the 2024 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards officially opens today.
After another standout year for Townsville North Queensland – the fastest growing destination for visitor numbers in the Country (YE June 2024)- the 2024 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards provide an opportunity to recognise industry and the individuals who deliver exceptional experiences.
Townsville Enterprise Director of Visitor Economy & Marketing, Lisa Woolfe, emphasised the importance of this year’s awards, underscoring the region’s continued growth.
“This year marks a significant milestone, our increased marketing presence and attraction of major events has helped the region to not only reach a record-breaking $1.2 billion in visitor expenditure, but our destination is also the fastest growing in terms of domestic visitor numbers in the country,” Ms. Woolfe said.
“The tourism sector supports almost 9,000 local jobs here in Townsville North Queensland, and the North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards is an opportunity to recognise the tireless dedication of an industry that not only drives significant economic benefit to the region, but also contributes to boosting Townsville’s appeal and liveability.”
“We're so pleased to see 67 finalists take up the opportunity to put a spotlight not only on their business, but to also showcase the industry as a whole. Our region is proud to boost a strong diversity and depth of experiences, and the nominations are a testament to that,” Ms Woolfe said.
“The People's Choice Awards gives the community – both local and visitors who have experienced the region firsthand, the chance to recognise their favourite businesses. We include these votes in conjunction with Queensland benchmarking scores, to complete the judging process.
“Last year we saw more than 31,000 votes to crown our winning experiences, operators and events. We encourage everyone to have their say and vote for their favourite restaurant, event, tour experience or hotel – with one lucky voter able to score a $500 holiday voucher to experience the best of the best right here in Townsville North Queensland.”
Three-time winners and first Hall of Fame recipients, Mick and Lynda Bethel from Texas Long Horns said:
“2009 we transitioned from a lifetime of cattle breeding to establish our own business, sharing our passion with visitors from across Australia and beyond.”
“It has been an exciting and fulfilling journey and one that culminated in our introduction into the North Queensland Tourism Award - People's Choice Awards Hall of Fame in 2023.”
“This recognition was very humbling and something we are extremely proud of. We encourage visitors to ALL of the wonderful attractions, experiences etc to show your appreciation in the best way by voting in the 2024 People's Choice Awards.”
“Good luck to all the finalist, you are all doing the region proud!”
People’s Choice Award categories include:
- Transport and Hire Services
- Business Conferencing
- Destination Events
- Major Events
- New Tourism Business
- Tours and Attractions
- Bars
- Dining
- Restaurants
- Cafe and Casual Dining
- Accommodation
- Caravan
- Hotel
Additional categories (not for public vote) include:
Individual Awards:
- Young Achiever Award
- Richard Power Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual
- Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group
Excellence Awards:
- Excellence in Sustainability
- Excellence in Accessible Tourism
Public voting will close Friday 25 October with the prize drawn the following day. Cast your vote at People's Choice Voting - North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards | Townsville Enterprise The Awards night will be held on Friday 22 November at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, with limited tickets still available.
