In Summary
- The Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre won silver in the Visitor Information Servicing category at the 2024 Victorian Tourism Awards, recognising its exceptional efforts in supporting tourism.
- Council was a finalist in the Local Government category, while other regional highlights included gold for Go Adventure Nagambie and bronze for Tastes of the Goulburn in the Festivals and Events category.
- The award acknowledges the Visitor Economy team’s work on campaigns such as Home for the Holidays, TAC Pause Stop, Cup of Shepp & GV, and Visitor Centre activations like the T-Rex photo opportunity and Top Tourism Town itineraries.
- Mayor Cr Shane Sali commended the Visitor Economy team and volunteers for their dedication to enhancing visitor experiences and promoting Greater Shepparton as a premier tourist destination.
Both Council and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre were finalists at the awards, with the ceremony taking place at the Palladium at Crown, with great results for the region.
The Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre received silver in the Visitor Information Servicing category, with Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre taking out gold, and Phillip Island and Bass Coast Visitor Information Centre Network taking out the bronze.
Council was one of eight finalists in the Local Government category, with the City of Melbourne taking gold, City of Greater Bendigo silver and City of Ballarat bronze.
Other results from the Goulburn Valley region included Go Adventure Nagambie taking out gold in two categories for the second year in a row: Adventure Tourism and Tourism Retail, Hire & Services.
In the Festivals and Events category, Tastes of the Goulburn took out bronze in their first year of entering. Port Fairy Folk Festival was awarded gold and Adventure Park Geelong's Winter Glow Festival silver.
Trawool was also a finalist in the 4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation category, with Crown Plaza taking out gold, Dorsett Melbourne silver and Hilton Melbourne bronze.
This award is a fantastic achievement for Council’s Visitor Economy team, and follows an extensive application and judging process, which included work undertaken over the last 12 months as part of several campaigns, such as the Home for the Holidays, the TAC Pause Stop premium location and the Cup of Shepp & GV. Work also included several Visitor Centre activations such as the T-Rex photo opportunity, smoothie bikes, various major event pop up initiatives and Top Tourism Town itineraries.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Councillor Shane Sali, congratulated the Visitor Economy team and highlighted the excellent work behind achieving this recognition.
“This award reflects the wonderful work that Council, through the Visitor Economy team and the destination brand Shepparton & Goulburn Valley, have undertaken to support tourism businesses in the region. Congratulations to our dedicated staff that are constantly looking for opportunities to raise the profile of Shepparton & Goulburn Valley as a tourist destination,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud of our Greater Shepparton Visitor team and wonderful volunteers who go above and beyond every day to service thousands of visitors annually and this is very well deserved recognition for the work they do to make every visitor’s experience so memorable”
“The Victorian Tourism Awards are a great opportunity to showcase to the rest of Victoria the many wonderful things the region has to offer, while encouraging local businesses and organisations in the tourism industry to meet and exceed industry standards.”
The 2024 Victorian Tourism Awards are facilitated by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council - the dedicated peak body and leading advocate for Victoria’s tourism and events industry.
