NSW and Canberra Region Tourism Awards

NSW and Canberra Region Tourism Awards

Below you will find information about the NSW and Canberra Region tourism awards. The Destination Southern NSW board and team strongly encourage you to consider entering this year’s awards.

 There are a number of reasons:

  • Look at the process like training for the Olympics. You may not win a gold medal on your first attempt, but you will learn a huge amount, and be that much closer to success the next time round.
  • You will get some great marketing exposure just by entering the awards, even more if you are a finalist or a winner.
  • Whilst many consider the tourism awards as a marketing tool, we see the process far more as a business development tool. During the process of completing an application you will be required to produce or refine marketing and risk management plans, and complete some financial and statistical analysis. Regardless of how you fare in the actual awards, you and your business will be in far better shape by the time you have completed the application, and you will have a valuable baseline for ongoing development. 

We are here to help

Destination Southern NSW team will support you with your application.

Subscribe to our newsletter for information about any workshops or mentoring opportunities the awards organisers may offer.

Get in touch with your Industry Development Manager for one-on-one support with your application.

Jenny Robb | Industry Development Manager – South Coast and Snowies | jenny.robb@dsnsw.com.au

Jessica Bryden | Industry Development Manager – Southern Tablelands | jessica.bryden@dsnsw.com.au

Many of the services we offer, via our newsletters, website, workshops, or one-on-one engagement, will support you with your application. This includes helping you clarify your business strategy, getting clear on your target markets, refining your product and experience offerings, honing your tech and online processes, and generally helping you do what you do better.

Do I Enter the Canberra Region or NSW Awards?

If your business falls within the Canberra region’s ‘envelope’, i.e. 72 km from the Canberra GPO, you will enter the Canberra Region Tourism Awards. This includes businesses in Murrumbateman, Lake George, Gundaroo, Bungendore, Yass and Braidwood. Click here for more information on regional entries.

All other businesses will enter the NSW awards program.

Tips for Success

Our team have had extensive experience and success with tourism awards over the years.

Here are some tips for success:

  1. Winning combination – you need both a great product and a great application to be successful.
  2. It takes time to eat an elephant – start your application early and aim to make steady progress. It is tempting to leave an application to the last minute because you are busy, but you will enjoy the process far more and produce a much better application if you start with a rough outline and fill in the gaps over time.
  3. Take advantage of any support you can get – if the awards organisers offer workshops or mentoring, take advantage of them. Whilst the process can seem a little daunting, getting tips from the pros and engaging with your industry colleagues can be motivating and get you ‘unstuck’. And remember, the Destination Southern NSW team are here to help, just ask.
  4. Dream big – don’t assume that your business isn’t competitive, or that the business that has won your category for the last 2 years will win again. As noted above, there are many reasons why you should enter beyond taking out 1st place, but who knows, maybe that competitor down the road gets complacent, or the judges love the originality of your product, or you get some great feedback from the judges that completely changes the way you do business…

In Conclusion

If you already have a great business plan, a great marketing plan, and some great data, you should enter the awards because you will be very competitive. If you don’t, you should enter the awards, because the process of completing an application will require you to get these important business fundamentals in place, and while that alone will be a great result, who knows, you might win an award along the way. Get into it.

Access NSW Tourism Awards Information
Access Canberra Region Tourism Awards Information
Category: Toolkits