The Mudgee region again proved it’s a tourism force to be reckoned with at the 2019 NSW Regional Tourism Awards on Saturday, taking out multiple gold and silver awards as well as a coveted Hall of Fame induction.
Mudgee Regional Tourism (MRT) was the biggest winner on the night, nabbing gold in the ‘Visitor Information Services’ category as well as earning a place in the Destination Marketing category Hall of Fame.
CEO of Mudgee Region Tourism, Cara George said the event was a really good reflection of the passion for regional tourism.
“The event was actually two destination networks combined, so it was a bigger area to contend with this year,” Cara said.
“We (Mudgee Region Tourism) were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. It was a recognition we won the Destination Marketing category three consecutive years up until last year So this year we were recognised for that.,”
“That restricts us from entering that category for a few years (laughs), and then we will be back in again. That’s them recognising that it takes a lot to put in those kind of award submission every year, it takes a long time, and to maintain at that gold level is a big effort in itself,”
So what is the region’s secret to success?
Two regions down, two to go! Thanks to last night's event partners, in particular, the @NSWBC, @destinationnsw, Destination Country & Outback, Destination Riverina Murray, @DubboCouncil, and @corporateairaus.
— Regional Tourism Awards (@The_Regionals) July 28, 2019
See the winners: https://t.co/27uihiqBxd
📸: @SarOPhotography #RTA19 pic.twitter.com/e7haiKQFol
“It really is a number of things. I think that we can break it down to that we have a great team at Mudgee Region Tourism that’s really passionate about our region and everything they do and have a drive for success,” Cara said.
“But most importantly it’s our partners that are delivering service excellence in visitor experiences and that makes our job much easier. We’re basically marketing what’s on offer in the region and I think the word collaboration is the most important word in our region, I think true collaboration is our secret to success.”
Sierra Escape, Mudgee won gold in the competitive ‘Unique Accommodation’ category. Owner of Sierra Escape, Cameron D’Arcy – who was in Fiji at the time – said that hearing they’d won was incredibly humbling.
“To be able to take out gold was pretty humbling and in particular, given some of the competition out there we were pretty stoked about it.”
Sierra Escape owner, Cameron D’Arcy
“It was a pretty great feeling, we’re really proud with what we’ve done so far,” Cameron said.
“We really value the partnerships and relationships that we’ve made in the region, not to mention our great staff, especially our housekeeper, Delle,”
“To be able to take out gold was pretty humbling and in particular, given some of the competition out there we were pretty stoked about it,”
“Really this award isn’t just for us, it’s for all of our local partners, MRTI, Destination NSW, and all the people we wok with every day.”
The awards kept coming with Kirsten Serviced Accommodation and Peppertree Hill taking gold and silver respectively in the ‘Self Contained Accommodation’ category and Parkview Hotel winning silver in the ‘Deluxe Accommodation’ category.
Stuart and Kersti Faulkner, owners of Peppertree Hill – who were first time attendees and finalists – said it was quite daunting being up against businesses that had been before.
“It was a great event, the Dubbo Regional Council put on a great event, we just thought the event was fabulous,” Kersti said.
“Obviously we were up against people who had previous experience at this sort of thing. It’s no small task the submission that you need to hand in, there’s a lot to consider,”
“Cara and Leanne at Mudgee Region Tourism were a great support, they were very encouraging of us entering, that’s always inspiring,”
“We are just so grateful for the support we have in the community, the region is such a drawcard for tourists, we have terrific partners and a tenacious MRTI.” T
The winners from these awards go to the NSW Tourism Awards as finalists and from there, there’s an opportunity to progress to the Australian Tourism Awards.
Source: Benjamin Palmer, Mudgee Guardian, 29 July 2019
Link: https://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/6298270/mudgee-cleans-up-at-regional-tourism-awards-night/
