The Margaret River Region once again collected a swag of awards at the 2017 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards, announced on Saturday night.
Tour operator Walk into Luxury collected Gold in the Tour and Transport Operator category, while fellow Margaret River region operators Top Drop Tours and Cape to Cape Explorer Tours scored silver and bronze respectively.
“We love what we do and our team’s passion and genuine care for our guests is plain to see.
“We feel privileged to be able to show visitors the natural beauty and local food and wine on offer in the South West”, said Nikki King, managing director of Walk into Luxury.
The business plans to expand in 2018, this week confirming an extended tour program which will offer travellers the chance to pair luxury Perth stays with South West tours and ‘bucket list’ experiences across the State.
“We want to offer a one-stop-shop to ensure their time in WA is seamless, and creates lasting memories. We are excited to be able to show visitors the incredible experiences on offer right across WA, and to work with our partners to deliver the holiday of a lifetime for guests,” Ms King said.
Top Drop Tours’ Chris O’Hare – who also tasted success in the Best New Tourism Business category thanks to partners Swan River Seaplanes – said the success of the region came down to a concerted effort from operators and businesses in the region.
“We were extremely proud to support our partners Swan River Seaplanes at the awards,” he said.
“Winning gold is a thrill for everyone involved. There has been an extraordinary amount of work done by many people to create and launch the Margaret River Tours. We are set to launch overnight tours featuring the Margaret River Region later this year.”
Vasse MLA Libby Mettam applauded the Margaret River Gourmet Escape’s win in the Festivals and Events category.
“[This is an] accolade which I hope will encourage the state government to secure its future beyond this year,” Ms Mettam said.
“I understand sales are up for this year’s event which will see over 60 of the world’s best wine and food celebrities put the spotlight on this region as an international gourmet destination, with a global reach of over 50 million people.”
Australia’s South West CEO Catrin Allsop said the organisation was extremely proud of the South West tourism operators who were recognised at the awards.
“These award-winning operators were up against some of the best in the industry, and their resulting awardsshould be acknowledged as a true testament to the quality of their own product, not to mention the strength of tourism in Australia's South West,” Ms Allsop said.
Cape to Cape Explorer Tours were awarded Gold in the Ecotourism category and Silver for Excellence in Chinese Tourism, while Private Properties and Vasse Virgin collected Silver and Bronze in Specialised Tourism Services.
Pullman Bunker Bay Resort scored Silver for Business Event Venues and Luxury Accommodation, and Fervor collected Bronze for Excellence in Food Tourism.