The state’s best holiday hotspots and local treasures have been revealed at the 2024 Queensland Top Tourism Town Awards Ceremony in Brisbane, with Airlie Beach taking out the top honours for Queensland Top Small Tourism Town for a third consecutive year.
Presented by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), the annual Top Tourism Town Awards celebrate regional communities that demonstrate a commitment to visitor excellence.
After an extensive judging process by tourism experts and a public vote that attracted more than 16,000 votes, Queensland’s top holiday destinations were announced from a shortlist of 16 finalists.
Across three hotly contested award categories, regional destinations were crowned the best in Queensland based on population size.
Airlie Beach won gold in the Top Small Tourism Town category, with a population between 1,500 and 5,000, for the third year in a row, now entering the hall of fame.
Bowen took out the bronze medal in the Top Tourism Town category, and Collinsville should also be recognised for making it to the finals for Top Tiny Tourism Town.
State winners from the Top Tourism Town Awards will go on to represent Queensland at the national awards held later in the year, where they have the chance to be crowned the best in Australia.
The Queensland Top Tourism Town Awards are made possible through sponsorship by the Seven Network and Tourism and Events Queensland.
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor, Ry Colins said he was excited that Airlie Beach had now entered the Hall of Fame after their hat-trick of wins.
“Tourism is one of the three key pillars for our regional economy, and winning gold for three consecutive years is just a reward for the resilience and passion of our tourist operators and the leadership shown of Tourism Whitsundays (TW),” he said.
“This is a great outcome not only for our resort town of Airlie Beach but also for Bowen wining bronze and also for Collinsville who made the finals for the Top Tiny Tourism Town highlighting the diverse range of visitors experiences our Whitsunday region offers.
“Council is proud to be the major funding supporter for TW and looks forward to partnering with them to continue promoting our Whitsunday region as one of Australia’s top tourism destinations.”
Tourism Whitsundays CEO said the award was a huge moment for Airlie Beach.
“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire community. We are so proud to be recognised as a top tourism destination, not just for our stunning scenery and vibrant town centre, but also for the action-packed activities that make Airlie Beach so unforgettable” he said.
“This award reinforces our commitment to providing our visitors with an exceptional experience and the added success of Bowen and Collinsville helps showcase The Whitsundays region as a must-visit destination with something on offer for everyone.”
Contributed.
