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09/11/2023The Central Coast has confirmed its place as a leading New South Wales destination, with the exciting announcement the region has taken home three golden wins in the 2023 NSW Tourism Awards, powered by Business NSW and presented in partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW, held on 8 November at White Bay Cruise Terminal, Balmain.
The three Gold wins include Destination Central Coast managed by Central Coast Council winning the category Local Government Award for Tourism, along with the Australian Reptile Park winning the Major Tourist Attractions category, and Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific also winning Gold in the Business Event Venues category.
This highly respected Gold Award is the third win in succession for Council’s Marketing and Tourism team in the Local Government Award for Tourism category at the NSW Tourism Awards, with Council taking out Silver in 2022 and Bronze in 2021.
It’s a category open to all local government authorities and recognises excellence in tourism planning, the provision of tourism facilities and services, marketing, event development and management, and the overall contribution made to the NSW tourism industry.
Council sends congratulations to the Australian Reptile Park and Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific for their incredible Gold win achievements last night, as well as Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures for achieving finalist status in the Award for Visitor Litter Prevention category presented by Long Jetty-based organisation Take 3 for the Sea.
All of these outstanding tourism businesses have made a successful contribution to the visitor economy on the Central Coast.
The Central Coast visitor economy is a major contributor to supporting the growth of the region, bringing in more than $1 billion in the last year alone, boosting local businesses as well as providing employment,” Mr Hart said.
According to the latest visitation numbers released in March 2023 by Destination NSW, via Tourism Research Australia, the region saw 5.7 million visitors annually.
The Gold Award to Destination Central Coast is a major milestone adding to previous finalist and award achievements for the region:
* NSW Tourism Awards 2021 Bronze Winner, 2022 Silver Winner & 2023 Gold Winner Local Government Award for Tourism
* Green Destinations Top 100 List finalist in 2021 & 2022 & 2023
* Winner 2023 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards - Special Project Initiative for ECO Destination journey
* Highly Commended 2022 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards - Special Project Initiative for Love Central Coast
* Finalist in NSW Top Tiny Tourism Town Awards 2023
* Finalist in National Banksia Sustainability Awards 2022
Outstanding Region in 2022 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards
Finalist in NSW Top Tourism Town Awards 2021 & 2022
Judges Choice Award for 'Most Compelling Itinerary' - NSW Top Tourism Awards 2021
Photo caption: 2023 NSW Tourism Awards Gold Winners from left; Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific, Australian Reptile Park and Destination Central Coast. Image supplied by BusinessNSW.