The 2016 Brolga Awards have been run and won and some heavy hitters have scooped top honours.
The annual awards, which honour the outstanding contributions of tourism operators, industry suppliers and individuals, took place in Darwin on Saturday night.
Indigenous tourism operator Nitmiluk Tours had a successful evening taking home the Luxury Accommodation category for Cicada Lodge, and receiving a Highly Commended award for Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Tourism. Tony Clementson, General Manager for Nitmiluk Tours also walked away with the prestigious George Dunne award for Contribution to the Industry by an Individual.
Another company smiling was AAT Kings, which celebrated a double triumph, winning the Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services category for its Uluru Barbecue dinner which guests can enjoy under the stars after watching the sun set over Uluru. The second gong was in recognition of AAT Kings as a major contributor to tourism through a combination of touring and transport services.
Elsewhere, World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park was named best Major Tourist Attraction, while the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel took out the award for Unique Accommodation. To cap off a big night for the NT region, Christian Diddams, veteran ranger in Kakadu National Park, took home the SKAL Tourism Employee Award.
And once again, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia has scored the top honour in Northern Territory tourism, winning the Qantas Award for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism.
“Excellence in Indigenous Tourism is core to our vision at Ayers Rock Resort and to receive recognition for this for the fourth consecutive year is a great testament to the dedication of our team,” said Voyages Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Williams.
