Volunteers who dedicate countless hours to promoting the Whitsundays as a must-see tourism destination are being thanked for their role in helping the local visitor information centre win a major award.
At a special awards ceremony in Noosa, the Whitsundays has taken out Visitor Information Centre of Year at the 2022 Queensland Information Centres Association Awards.
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Rick Hamilton says the award is a materialisation of the passion and dedication to the staff and volunteers who run the centre.
About 10,000 holiday-makers have used the centre over the past year, Mr Hamilton says.
“They’re getting really good information and intimate knowledge of the destination, which is something that the team hold dearly to them.
“I’m really excited for the team when you consider all of the visitor information centres that we have got in Queensland,” he says.
“From the visitor expenditure perspective, the Whitsundays pre-covid were around $900 million economic value… the latest stats from the National Visitor Survey is at $1.3billion.”
Centre manager Dea Huvonen says the award is an excellent boost to the staff and volunteers as they wrap up one of their busiest periods.
”I couldn’t run the visitor information centre without the incredible volunteers who have worked 325 hours this year and are just as dedicated and passionate as when they first came in.
”This award is a credit to everyone involved with the Whitsundays Visitor Information Centre.”
The centre aims to promote the Whitsundays as the heart of the Great Barrier Reef on the international stage in a bid to increase visitation and boost the local economy.
