THE 2023 Victorian Tourism Awards Gala Ceremony was held at the Palladium at Crown last night, Thursday, November 30, and Bass Coast business and tourism was among the most decorated organisations on the night.
And coming home with the biggest gong of all was NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park on the beach front at Cowes which took out the Best Victorian ‘Caravan & Holiday Parks’ award.
It continued the holiday park’s success in 2023 after they took out a major award at the Bass Coast Business Awards in October.
But this one, in front of the industry heavyweights at a packed Crown Palladium of 1000 guests, each paying $2400 a table for the privilege was the big one.
Here’s what the judges said about the winner:
“NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park is an award-winning holiday park located on absolute beachfront at Cowes, on the Victorian holiday hot spot of Phillip Island. The team prides themselves on hosting memorable holidays for all guests young and old. A range of clean and modern facilities combine with a year-round guest experience program to ensure guests are comfortable and entertained. With the beach on your doorstep and a huge range of things to see and do around the island, it’s easy to see why NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park gets rave reviews from all who stay.”
Other winners in the caravan park section were as follow: Silver: BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park. Bronze: BIG4 Bendigo Marong Holiday Park. Finalist: BIG4 Aireys Inlet. Finalist (Highly Commended): BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Inverloch. Finalist (Highly Commended): BIG4 Riverside Swan Hill. Finalist (Highly Commended): Tasman Holiday Parks,Bright
The team at NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park were delighted. posting the following on Facebook:
"We're beyond thrilled to share that we've taken home the gold award in the Victorian tourism caravan park industry! This incredible achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and hard work of our entire team, from our on-the-ground staff to the invaluable support we receive from head office.
"We're incredibly humbled to have been recognized for our commitment to providing exceptional experiences for our guests. This award is a true reflection of our passion for creating a welcoming and memorable environment for everyone who visits our park.
"This victory automatically qualifies us for the National Tourism Awards, which will be held in Darwin on March 15th next year. We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping to bring home the gold again!
"A huge shoutout to our incredible guests who continue to choose our park as their preferred destination. Your support means the world to us!
"Thank you to everyone who has played a role in our success. We're incredibly proud of what we've accomplished, and we're excited to see what the future holds!"
The annual black-tie Victorian Tourism Awards event not only recognises the industry’s finalists and winners, but it also celebrates the achievement of the sector as a whole.
The night was MC’d by one of Australia’s premier major-event hosts, Hamish McLachlan, and what a night of celebration and networking it turned out to be.
A feature of the night was a special performance by the cast of ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’.
- The winner of the main award on the night, the ‘Major Tourist Attractions’ award was taken out by Zoos Victoria for the Melbourne Zoo, but it was a fine effort by Phillip Island Nature Parks to take the silver.
- In the Best Visitor Information Services category Bendigo Visitor Centre won the gold and was admitted into the Hall of Fame, silver went to Sorrento Beachside Visitor Information Centre- and the bronze to Phillip Island and Bass Coast Visitor Information Centre Network
- In the Tourism Marketing and Campaigns’ category, the winner was City of Melbourne, Destination Marketing, ‘Only in the City’, with the silver going to the ‘Phillip Island 101 square kilometres of amazing’ campaign by Destination Phillip Island.
- In the highly competitive ‘Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries’ section, the gold went to Billson's Brewery of Beechworth, silver Starward Distillery and bronze Harman Wines of Inverloch/Wattlebank.
- The ‘Local Government Award for Tourism’ went to the City of Greater Bendigo with a commendable silver taken out by the Bass Coast Shire Council.
- Genesta House on Phillip Island won silver in Hosted Accommodation following Kangaroo Ridge Retreat's gold win and Tallawarra Homestead's bronze.
- Searoad Ferries picked up gold in the Major Tourism & Transport Operators category - securing them Hall of Fame status with their third gold award in the category.