Windmill Café Bargara, Bundaberg Rum and Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort have all walked away winners at the 2019 Queensland Tourism Awards on Friday evening.
More than 200 nominations in 30 categories entered the Queensland Tourism Awards and were presented in front of more than 900 guests who gathered to celebrate the achievements of Queensland’s best tourism operators.
Entering for the first time, Windmill Cafe Bargara owner Joey Caruana said he was beyond excited after winning gold in the Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services category.
“We are super proud of our team and our community, by winning this award it shows the destinations of Bargara and Bundaberg are unique places to be,” Joey said.
“I am really thankful to the Bundaberg Tourism office for their help with the award, as I know it will benefit the local community by bringing more tourists to the region.
“Food is a big criteria when it comes to tourism, food helps bring people to the region and our area has so much fresh produce to offer!”
Joey said the 2019 Queensland Tourism Awards awards were highly competitive, and they were up against some “big players” from all over Queensland and he was proud to take home the gold award.
“I believe the award looked at our genuine hospitality and our love for the Bundaberg area shown through.
“We have a passion for our community and for food, and winning gold really was a great reward for our dedicated staff.
“It really is just mind blowing that a little regional coffee shop has won a gold award for tourism, we are very proud!”
More Bundy gold at highly competitive 2019 Queensland Tourism Awards
Also winning gold for another year was Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort in the Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism.
For the second year in a row, Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience won gold in the Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries, and won silver in the highly competitive Tourist Attraction category.
The gold award winners will go on to compete at the national tourism awards that will be held in Canberra next year.
