Gallery achieve picture perfect title

THE Geelong Gallery has received national recognition at the 2022 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, receiving a gold medal in the Cultural Tourism category.

The awards, hosted in Sydney on Friday, March 17, highlighted tourism business excellence across the country and celebrated visitor economy and the appreciation and demand for travel in the post-pandemic world.

The Geelong Gallery was cited as one of 11 Victorian businesses to secure a medal and one of only four to achieve a top tier gold medal.

Geelong Gallery Director & CEO, Jason Smith was thrilled to receive the honour from Senator the Hon Don Farrell (Minister for Trade and Tourism) in person at the event.

“I pay tribute to our entire team at Geelong Gallery…. we have an amazing commitment to community… we have a wonderful team culture and that shows in what we do for our City,” Smith said.

“We are so delighted that our work has been reflected tonight through this award.”

Geelong Gallery’s 2021 submission for the award was led by Deputy Director Penny Whitehead who said the submission and interview process focused on the Gallery’s achievements over a 12-month period.

She cited that the submission “focused on the impacts of COVID-19 to the organisations operations [and] provided an overview of Geelong Gallery’s history and tourism offering including how the organisation continues to demonstrate tourism excellence through community outreach, sustainability and innovation.

“It demonstrated how Geelong Gallery mitigates or minimises its impacts on our cultural heritage through preparation, presentation and conservation program.

“It provided details on the Gallery’s marketing strategies and differentiation of cultural heritage promotion to visitors and community; and finally, it focused on customer service, accessibility and inclusivity.”

Other local award winners included The Woods Ocean Grove (Gold, Self Contained Accommodation) and Searoad Ferries (Silver, Major Tour and Transport Operators).