General News
21 July, 2021
Timboon impresses at awards
TIMBOON has taken out silver in the inaugural Victorian Top Tourist Town Awards.
TIMBOON has taken out silver in the inaugural Victorian Top Tourist Town Awards.
Ballarat was named Victoria’s Top Tourism Town (population over 5000), while Port Fairy took out the top spot to win Top Small Tourism Town Award (population under 5000).
Lakes Entrance took the Silver Award for Top Tourism Town, followed closely by Bendigo which was awarded Bronze. For the Top Small Tourism Town category, Timboon was awarded Silver and Apollo Bay achieved Bronze recognition.
Corangamite Shire mayor Ruth Gstrein congratulated all of the tourism operators in and around Timboon.
“The awards were decided by a combination of judging and popular vote and the result shows Timboon really has a lot of friends across the State,” she said.
“Being a finalist shows that Timboon’s friendly, welcoming people make a positive and lasting impression on their visitors.
“We hope that recognition in the awards entices more visitors to come and discover the sights and experiences the area has to offer.”
South-West Ward councillor Kate Makin said Timboon was held in high regard and performed well against strong competition.
“The Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre and shire tourism team did a great job putting together a really professional submission,” she said.
“It included a three-day itinerary showing how much there is for visitors to do in and around the town, and a promotional video featuring the talents of local songwriter, Timboon’s Ciara Fitzpatrick, and videographer, Josh Beames from Cobden.
“We can continue to use these to promote Timboon and the surrounding area.”
“The aim is to stop people just driving through on their way to and from the more famous destinations. We want them to know it’s worth their while to stop in Timboon for a few days – or even more – and explore.
“They’ll love what they find and hopefully come back again.”
The judge said the submission was “packed with flavour and energy” and compelled people to want to visit Timboon.
“Some of the standouts of this video are: the sense of community subtly included in the story, many friendly locals and welcoming businesses, the excitement for visitors and the high quality food and beverage offering,” according to the judge.
“It is also creative, fun and full of ideas and choices without overwhelming the reader.”
The video and the three-day itinerary can be found at vtic.com.au/toptourismtown/timboon.
The Top Tourism Town Awards are a new initiative under the Victorian and Australian Tourism Awards process.
Hosted by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), the awards recognise and celebrate towns that excel in providing an outstanding visitor experience.
VTIC was pleased to see 30 destinations nominate for this prestigious position, with 22 outstanding finalists from across the state ultimately competing for the top awards.
VTIC’s chief executive Felicia Mariani said it was a “great time to showcase the diverse regional destinations Victoria has and the economic impact tourism brings to these towns”.
“With all the industry has endured over the past 18 months, this is a perfect time for us to acknowledge and celebrate all that our regional towns and centres have done to deliver compelling experiences to their visitors,”she said.
“The visitor economy is an intrinsic part of the fabric of our regional communities all across the state and is a key driver of the economic performance of our regional areas.
“These awards are the perfect way to recognise the critical role that our industry plays in the vibrancy of regional Victoria.”
