NSW wins three ATEC awards
NSW tourism products and an individual took out three awards at the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) Awards for Excellence in Cairns on Friday night.
Minister for Tourism and Sport and Recreation, Sandra Nori said the tourism products – BridgeClimb and The Grace Hotel were voted by inbound tour operators as excelling in their fields.
“The NSW products were nominated for their excellence in product service and quality over the past twelve months,” she said.
BridgeClimb won best Attraction and the Grace Hotel, Sydney won First Class Accommodation.
“One of Australia’s most prominent tourism identities and former Tourism NSW Board member, John Ward was named recipient of the Most Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award for 2006,” she said.
Ms Nori said John Ward was currently Chairman of Transonic Travel and a former Qantas CEO, who has devoted more than three decades to developing Australia’s inbound tourist market.
“BridgeClimb is one of our most popular tourism exports, I’m pleased they have been recognised by those that package their product overseas,” she said. “The climbing of Sydney’s most recognisable icon provides visitors with an experience and a view of Sydney that visitors will never be forget.”
Winners were selected from nominations provided by ATEC’s 120 plus international tour operator members, and were asked to nominate suppliers who had excelled over the past 12 months.
Ms Nori said she was pleased that NSW would be hosting one of the key events on the tourism industry’s calendar, the 2007 ATEC Symposium in Tweed Heads between 17 and 20 April 2007.
“The ATEC Symposium brings together 600 tourism product suppliers and inbound tour operators so this is a real opportunity for the Tweed Coast and the State to showcase the region’s attractions to the cream of the Australian tourism industry,” Ms Nori said.
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