2017 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards

First established by the Federal Government in 1985, the Australian Tourism Awards are now owned and managed by the Australian Tourism Industry Council, on behalf of the tourism industry. A wide and diverse range of tourism businesses enter their state and territory Tourism Awards. Over 200 reach the prestigious status of becoming a national finalist.

Winners from these finalists are announced at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards Ceremony in front of an audience of their industry leaders and peers. The prestigious Hall of Fame trophy is awarded to an entrant who has won the same category for three consecutive years. For both the industry and the consumer an Australian Tourism Award is recognised as a mark of excellence in Australian tourism.

The winners of the 25 business categories at the Brolga Awards are automatically entered into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards (QATA).

An individual award, Australian Tourism Legend, is also presented to a member of the tourism industry who over a number of years has greatly contributed to the Australian Tourism Industry.

Visit the Australian Tourism Awards website to view all the winners.

The 2017 Australian Tourism Award Winners were announced on Friday 23rd February 2018 in Perth and the NT was recognised with the following:

Gold

Kakadu National Park - Major Tourist Attractions

Visitors to Kakadu National Park experience one of the world’s most outstanding natural and cultural attractions. Covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres of exceptional natural beauty and unique biodiversity, Kakadu is one of Australia’s iconic destinations. Generations of Bininj/Mungguy have lived on and cared for this country for tens of thousands of years and they welcome visitors to share in this living cultural landscape. Kakadu attracted 180,000 visitors last year, and is recognised as offering world class tourism experiences. Kakadu is jointly managed by Bininj/Mungguy and Parks Australia.

Deluxe Accommodation – Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters lies in the heart of Australia, surrounded by the spectacular Central Australia landscape and scenery. The 4 ½ star rated property is the perfect option for accommodation offering spacious rooms and suites. Guests are spoilt for choice with four restaurants onsite, heated resort pool, spa and sauna, Day Spa, health and fitness facility and complimentary use of mountain bikes to explore Alice Springs.

Silver

Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre - Visitor Information Services

Alice Springs is the base from which to ‘Do the Red Centre’ of Australia; a destination where nature, the outback, pioneering heritage and cultural experiences are intertwined. Located in the centre of town, Tourism Central Australia’s Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre offers friendly and fully trained staff and volunteer Ambassadors to provide comprehensive information, booking services and advice to enhance and extend visitor’s length of stay, encourage dispersal and increase expenditure. The nationally accredited Visitor Information Centre assists with over 90,000 travel enquiries annually, employs 11 staff and 13 Ambassadors and is open seven days a week.

Luxury Accommodation – Cicada Lodge

Cicada Lodge is a unique luxury lodge overlooking the Katherine River within the Nitmiluk National Park. Designed as a base from which guests can experience the Top End, Cicada Lodge gives offers the opportunity to explore the cultural and natural landscapes of Nitmiluk, traditional lands of the Jawoyn people. Guests can immerse themselves in ancient and authentic terrains and cultures - visiting rock art sites, cruising the waters of Nitmiluk Gorge, or swimming in private waterholes accessible only by helicopter. The Jawoyn people welcome visitors to encounter spectacular landscapes through the experience and luxury of Cicada Lodge.

Bronze

Venture North Australia – Cultural Tourism

Venture North Australia offer guided cultural and nature based tours throughout the Top End and Kimberley. They specialise in tours off the beaten track into some of the more remote and hard to access regions. Through excellent relationships with Traditional Owners they have been granted access into Arnhem Land where they employee local Indigenous guides on every tour. Venture North also operate Cobourg Coastal Camp; an eco-tourism and fishing camp on the Cobourg Peninsula in northern Arnhem Land. This remote camp offers an array of pristine wilderness experiences, cultural activities as well as world class fishing.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism – Nitmiluk Tours

Nitmiluk Tours is a 100% Indigenous owned tour operation offering a variety of tours and accommodation options for guests to explore the spectacular Nitmiluk National Park -a region of rugged beauty, iconic landscapes and an ancient Indigenous culture with Nitmiluk Gorge as the centrepiece. Cruise, canoe, walk, fly, swim or embrace the Indigenous culture - no visit to the Northern Territory is complete without visiting the spectacular destination of Nitmiluk.

Paul Hogan - Australian Tourism Legend

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Paul Hogan changed tourism in Australia. His famous Come Say G’Day ads (part of The Wonders Down Under campaign) and the Crocodile Dundee movies that followed provided a huge catalyst for tourism, contributing to an extraordinary jump in visitor numbers to Australia in the late 1980s.

For many Australians, Hogan’s Come Say G’Day campaign still stands as one of Australia's most memorable tourism promotions. "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you". The line has become immortalised in tourism folklore. The campaign paved the way for the modern tourism industry in Australia. It engaged Americans on an emotional level, inviting them to immerse themselves in the relaxed Australian lifestyle. Our friendliness, the Australian accent, our cheeky sense of humour.

The Wonders Down Under campaign gave Paul Hogan a launching pad for Crocodile Dundee I and II, which in turn were also great for tourism promotion.

U.S. audiences were first introduced to Mick “Crocodile” Dundee on 26 September 1986. The movie opened on 879 screens in the US and became the biggest grossing film in Australia’s history. In America, it was only pipped by Top Gun as the most successful film in the USA in 1986.

In 1986, Australians hadn't even been to Kakadu, let alone Americans. Basically Kakadu was a mining area. Uranium was its biggest mineral. The road from Darwin to Kakadu was not built for tourism, but for mining. Hogan changed that.