Portarlington claims bronze in Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards

PORTARLINGTON has taken bronze in this year’s Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards, a nod to the seaside locale’s growing reputation as one of the state’s best destinations.

The awards, run by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) celebrate towns across the state that provide outstanding visitor experiences, were presented last night (Wednesday, July 25) at a tourism summit in Shepparton.

Public voting formed a key component for the awards’ judging process, with locals from across the region banding together to help make the result, in the small tourism town award category for destinations with a population between 1,500 and 5,000 people, possible.

In a post on Facebook, Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine celebrated the accolade and thanked everyone who took part in the voting process.

“Thanks to everyone for voting, and thank you to the local operators who work tirelessly to create the kind of experiences that people remember and come back for time and time again,” the post read.

The top gong in the small tourism town category went to Mount Beauty, situated in the state’s north-east, while silver went to Great Ocean Road neighbour Port Fairy.

Acting VTIC chief executive Chris Porter said each winner offers a reflection of the quality visitor experiences that can be found across the state.

“A theme we have seen this year is that many of the winners are located further out of Melbourne with destinations showcasing why visitors should travel to enjoy the delights that the winning Top Tourism Towns have to offer,” he said.

Portarlington recorded 680,000 visitors through 2024, an increase of more than 35 per cent on the preceding year, according to recent data from Tourism Research Australia.