The achievements of the State’s tourism industry were celebrated last night during a special ceremony at Dockside Pavilion to mark the 2015 NSW Tourism Awards. 

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said these Awards provide a fantastic opportunity to publicly showcase the quality products and experiences that are continuously delivered across NSW each year.

“It was an honour to be at this year’s NSW Tourism Awards and congratulate the individuals and businesses from one of the country’s most important industries on their outstanding accomplishments over the last year,” Mr Ayres said.

“In the year ended June 2015, the tourism industry contributed $23.6 billion in international and domestic overnight visitor expenditure to the NSW economy.

“These phenomenal figures demonstrate the significance of recognising the thousands of individuals who have worked tirelessly to ensure NSW remains the number one tourism and events State.”

The 2015 NSW Tourism Awards are made up of 29 categories including a range of tourism areas such as major tourist attractions, ecotourism, destination marketing, accommodation, tourism education and training.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said Destination NSW is proud to support the NSW Tourism Awards.

“The NSW Tourism Awards celebrate not only the winners but the finalists from across the State which is a major achievement in itself,” Ms Chipchase said.

“Awards such as these provide a valuable platform to help businesses consistently strive for excellence in their respective fields and last night was a wonderful testament to the diversity and strength of the NSW tourism industry.”