Ayers Rock Resort has been awarded the Australian Tourism Award for Indigenous Tourism at a gala awards ceremony held in Adelaide Friday night 10th April.
"Excellence in Indigenous Tourism is core to our vision at Ayers Rock Resort and to receive recognition for the achievement of this at the highest level in Australia is not only very gratifying but is a key endorsement of our success," said Andrew Williams, Voyages Chief Executive Officer.
The Award for Indigenous Tourism was awarded not only for the creation and delivery of a daily suite of free Indigenous guest activities that include spear and boomerang throwing lessons, cultural dance performances, garden walks and more but also the significant achievements made in Indigenous employment training and development.
"To be awarded the highest accolade in Australia is a fantastic endorsement of the success of the entire team," said Andrew.
Other achievements for Voyages at the Australian Tourism Awards included a Bronze Award for Indigenous Tourism for the Mossman Gorge Centre and a Silver for Business Tourism for Uluru Meeting Place.
The Mossman Gorge Centre located on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland not only offers visitors a gateway into the pristine wilderness but also provides a connection to the rich Indigenous culture of the local Kuku Yalanji people. Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks run daily which allows guests exclusive access to an area of Kuku Yalanji land where they are shown traditional methods of living, hunting as well as a unique insight into their connection with the land.
"A Silver Award for Uluru Meeting Place, in the Business Events category, which achieved a Gold Award in the same category in 2014, is also a great achievement and is recognition of the success of the facility in a market with strong competition," said Andrew.
Tourism Australia Managing Director John O'Sullivan said that Ayers Rock Resort was richly deserving of its award, having developed a quality tourism product which provided visitors with genuine Indigenous experiences delivered by Aboriginal Australians.
"I'm a firm believer in getting out of things what you put in and, for me, Ayers Rock Resort is an outstanding example of Indigenous tourism at its best.
"The commitment shown by the Voyages team at Uluru to Indigenous employment and training is commendable, as is the willingness they've shown to continually invest in improving their tourism product," he said.
Picture Caption (L-R): Ray Stone, Voyages Executive General Manager Sales Marketing & Distribution; Karena Noble, Voyages Director of Public Relations; Andrew Williams, Voyages CEO; John O'Sullivan, Tourism Australia Managing Director
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