Mudgee has taken out the title of Top Tourism Town for the second year in a row at Australia’s Top Tourism Awards 2022.
The award was presented by the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) during a special ceremony held at Parliament House in Canberra yesterday.
The winner of the coveted award is determined by a state and national level voting process combining people’s choice votes and an industry judging panel.
The NSW wine town took out the gold spot for Top Tourism Town followed by Bendigo in Victoria in silver place and WA’s Mandurah in bronze.
The ceremony also recognised Small Tourism Towns with WA’s Exmouth taking out the gold spot, Sheffield, Tasmania landing silver and Port Fairy, Victoria coming in bronze.
The Tiny Tourism Town category was won by Strahan in Tasmania, followed by Winton in Queensland and Mount Macedon in Victoria.
Top tour guides were recognised as well, with WA’s Jamie Van Jones taking out the top spot followed by the Northern Territory’s Anna Dakin.
“The competition for top Tourism Town is fierce across the nation and it is fantastic to see one of our very own towns in Central West take out the top award today,” said Paula Martin, senior director of the NSW Tourism Industry Council.
“With its amazing food and wine scene and passionate local operators, Mudgee really is an authentic country town experience not to be missed.
“As the tourism sector continues to battle its way through recovery after the pandemic, thinking outside the square and collaborating to make NSW towns great are the key ingredient to town and tourism operator success.
“Domestic tourism is definitely on the rise with many operators telling us that their forward bookings are at capacity as Australians seek out authentic and unique experiences.
“Spending time in our regional towns is good for business and helps to build the diversity of tourism experiences across the State.”
Image: iStock/Kirsten Walla
