Bellarine attractions win at Victorian Tourism Awards

TOURISM attractions and services from across the Geelong region are among the top winners in this year’s Victorian Tourism Awards.

Hosted annually by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), the awards honour business excellence and performance within the industry.

This year, 111 submissions were made, all vying for an award across 31 various categories.

Adventure Park Geelong in Wallington picked up two awards, winning Gold in the Tourist Attractions category and Silver in the Festivals and Events category for its Winter Glow Festival.

“We are over the moon about the two Victorian Tourism Awards,” Adventure Park marketing manager Alexandra Rouse said.

“Adventure Park has come leaps and bounds in the last five years and the awards are an encouragement for us to keep innovating and improving our awesome tourism product.

“The Winter Glow is a completely new offering for the park and we’re stoked that it has earned such as prestigious award in it’s infancy, it tell us that we’re doing something right.”

Elsewhere on the Bellarine, Searoad Ferries won Gold in the Major Tour and Transport Operators category, The Woods Ocean Grove won Gold for Self Contained Accommodation, and Ocean Grove-based Accessible Accommodation won Silver for Excellence in Accessible Tourism.

Other local category award winners and finalists were:

Tourist Attractions – Silver, Wildlife Wonders

Major Festivals and Events – Silver, Foo Fighters concert presented by Always Live and Frontier Touring at Kardinia Park

Ecotourism – Bronze, Wildlife Wonders

Cultural Tourism – Gold, Geelong Gallery

Tourism Marketing and Campaigns – Bronze, Tourism Greater Geelong & the Bellarine

Tourism Marketing and Campaigns – Finalist (Highly Commended): 52 Great Weekends by Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries – Finalist, Blackman’s Brewery

New Tourism Business – Finalist, Splatters Cheese Bar

Tourism Education and Training – Gold, Tourism Greater Geelong & the Bellarine

“I’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, thank you for doing what you do and representing our region on the Victorian stage,” Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine acting executive director Tracy Carter said.

“We know our tourism industry is a pretty special bunch, and the results at the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards is just further proof of how incredible our region is.

“It’s also quite humbling to be recognised for the work we do with the industry and in bringing visitors to the region – we love what we do.”

VTIC held the ceremony for the Victorian Tourism Awards on Thursday last week, and chief executive Felicia Mariani said the initiative showcased some of the most compelling experiences in Victorian tourism.