For more than 30 years the Victorian Tourism Awards has showcased the very best of our state’s tourism and event industries. The awards have played an integral role in connecting businesses and encouraging collaboration, professionalism and innovation. The culmination of a year-round process, they provide an opportunity to pay tribute to all the tourism operators, experienced industry identities, volunteers and support workers who deliver ongoing excellence in the visitor economy.
On December 1, more than 1,000 people gathered at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park for the annual gala ceremony – a glitzy evening of great food, fabulous entertainment and, most importantly, some very deserving award winners. Hosted by Brihony Dawson with a live performance by Ella Hooper, the event kicked off with a Welcome to Country and featured speeches from the lord mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp; chief executive officer of Melbourne Airport, Lorie Argus; chief executive officer of Visit Victoria, Brendan McClements; and chief executive officer of VTIC, Felicia Mariani.
The awards recognise winners in 28 categories – including ecotourism, visitor information services, festivals and events, unique accommodation and major tourist attractions, to name just a few – and are determined by a panel consisting of a chair and 34 judges. Over the course of the evening, 65 winners were celebrated, while a further six businesses were highly commended (the 'Highly Commended' recognition was introduced this year to recognise finalists that did not win an award but produced a high-quality submission).
This year, three of Victoria’s leading tourism operators were inducted into the Hall of Fame after winning gold in the same category for three consecutive years: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Alexandria Hotel and Melbourne Cable Park. Four special categories also recognised individuals for their contribution to the industry. They were Despina Karatzias for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, and City of Melbourne visitor services for Outstanding Contribution by Volunteers, while Julia Antonetti received the Young Achiever’s Award and Stuart Toplis was the winner of the reinstated VTIC Chairman’s Award.
Travellers Aid was the deserving recipient of the City of Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Award, which recognises a business that has demonstrated a point of difference in its offering that focuses on visitor satisfaction and a commitment to tourism excellence.
Winners in 25 of these categories will now proceed to compete in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards which will be held in Sydney on March 17, 2023.
For more information on the event, head to the VTIC website. For the full list of finalists and winners, see here.