Kuranda, Yungaburra and Georgetown are among 22 towns enlisted in the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) Small Top Tourism Towns awards, as Mareeba is a finalist in the division for large towns.
Through an open poll, the winning town will be decided, with voters also in the running to score a $2000 travel package.
The Top Tourism Town Award winner will receive a $25,000 Strategic Consulting and Capacity Building Package provided by EarthCheck. The winner of the division for smaller towns will be awarded a $7,500 Tourism Consultancy and Development Package offered by The Tourism Group.
For the small town, Liz Tonkin, a member of the volunteer-run Kuranda Traders Association, has explained that grabbing the award would be a “massive leg up”.
“It’s great news … along with some really busy days over the school holidays,” she said.
“Our Easter Rocks event was massive – it went into the night, which is unusual for Kuranda.”
“These awards will help show the rest of Australia the magical place that is Kuranda.”
Ms.Tonkin stated that the association is keeping no stones unturned to showcase the village as a tourist destination.
“It’s a bit of a challenge for a small town like ours, as well as for a volunteer-run organisation,” she said.
“Our community certainly would love some help and that kind of funding would be beneficial to us all.”
QTIC Chief Executive, Daniel Gschwind, mentioned that the Awards highlight the diverse destinations all over Queensland.
“With the current focus on domestic tourism, now is the time to draw attention to our regional destinations and to put the spotlight on our tourism operators and communities who keep our regions thriving,” he said.
“We have towns from as far north as Mareeba, to the coast of Rainbow Beach and out West to Longreach which shows the amazingly diverse tourism landscape we have right here in our backyard.”
