Carcoar has been recognised in the inaugural NSW Top Tourism Town Awards, cementing the village reputation as a must-visit destination.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said it was no surprise that Carcoar received the Highly Commended award for towns with a population of under 5000 residents.
“The local community knows how special Carcoar is and the steady stream of intrastate and interstate visitors reaffirms this,” Mr Toole said.
“It’s fantastic to see the village recognised through the NSW Top Tourism Town awards – it is a well-deserved accolade for the network of business owners, residents and associations that work with passion and pride to showcase the very best of our beloved home every day.
“We look forward to welcoming more visitors in the coming months and years who don’t want to miss out on the excellent visitor experiences that Carcoar and the surrounding region has to offer.”
Berrima and Mudgee were named NSW’s Top Tourism Towns, voted by the public and an industry panel as the State’s top destinations overall.
The winners of the inaugural awards were announced today by Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres at the Local Government NSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference in Port Macquarie.
“There’s a real buzz about regional NSW right now and with incredible destinations such as Berrima and Mudgee to visit it’s easy to understand why,” Mr Ayres said.
“These vibrant communities with unique visitor experiences, authentic hospitality and world-class tourism operators make NSW the envy of all other states, and the place to be when it comes to regional Australian escapes.
“Regional visitor economies are on the road to recovery, and the Destination NSW and Roy Morgan Weekly Visitor Tourism Tracking Index shows that the total number of visitors across regional NSW is approximately 20 per cent above the where we were at mid-October last year.
“The data also tells us that in the last six weeks alone, interstate travel has risen and 36 per cent of visitors to regional NSW are interstate visitors, up from 23 per cent in mid-February.
“These awards showcase NSW’s strengths, and with the ‘visitor-first’ approach shown by the 52 entrants, the program is a great platform to demonstrate our State is in a fantastic position to be the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific by 2030.”
The awards were managed by the NSW Tourism Industry Council, and celebrated towns with a population of less than 5000, and a population of more than 5000.
“Tourism Associations, Councils, Local Chambers and Visitor Information Centres collaborated to enter their towns in the awards,” said NSW Tourism Industry Council Executive Manager, Greg Binskin.
“Entrants submitted a short video, itinerary and editorial article which was reviewed by a judging committee of 14 industry experts and it was always going to be very competitive with a field of 52 nominations.
“The public then had their say, with more than 15,000 people casting a vote for their Top Tourism Town.”
Mudgee and Berrima will represent NSW at the inaugural Australian Top Tourism Town Awards to be held Wednesday 25 August at Parliament House, Canberra.
Full list of award winners:
Top Tourism Town population less than 5000 residents
· Winner – Berrima
· Highly Commended – Carcoar
Top Tourism Town population greater than 5000 residents
· Winner – Mudgee
· Highly Commended – Orange
Judges Choice Awards
· Most Inspiring Editorial: Oberon
· Most Captivating Video: Tumbarumba
· Most Compelling Itinerary: Ettalong Beach
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