Southern Highlands Welcome Centre wins Gold!

29 November, 2016Posted in: Events
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The Southern Highlands Welcome Centre is officially number one in the State!

Announced at last week’s annual NSW Tourism Awards, Council’s Southern Highlands Welcome Centre took home top honours in the highly coveted Visitor Information Services category.

Speaking after accepting the award was Council’s Manager of Tourism and Events, Steve Rosa.

“This is a fantastic result and we’re absolutely thrilled with the win,” he said.

“These awards are considered the pinnacle within our tourism industry,” Steve added.  “To take home the gold award against such esteemed company is a huge achievement.”

More than 160 Visitor Centres across the State were eligible for entry in the Visitor Information Services category at this year’s awards.

The result comes after a major makeover of the former Mittagong Visitor Information Centre in 2015.

“Last year we undertook a significant refurbishment of the old facility which was officially opened by the NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres MP back in September 2015.

“Following the renovations we also re-branded the new premises to better reflect the concierge services which we now offer,” Steve said.

“The Welcome Centre now serves as a one-stop shop and Destination Hub for everything there is to know about events, services, products and experiences in the Southern Highlands.

“It also means we now cater to visitors, businesses, tree-changers and local residents.”

All up more than 110 finalists competed for honours across 25 categories that spanned the 12 months from July 2015 to June 2016.

All winners were selected by an independent judging panel following an exhaustive submission process.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Council for their ongoing support of tourism and the wonderful staff of the Welcome Centre who were instrumental in winning this award,” Steve added.

“Thanks also to our local tourism operators, shop owners and community members who have acted as tourism ambassadors for our beautiful region.

“We couldn’t have taken home this award without the entire support of the Southern Highlands.”

All winners now progress to the 2016 QANTAS Australian Tourism Awards to be held in February 2017.

To view the benchmark in NSW Visitor Centres visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=D75248_VYcQ&t=23s.