Greater Shepparton City Council has been awarded Bronze at the Victorian Tourism Awards for its contribution made to the region, both locally and overall, to the state's tourism industry.
The Awards are hosted annually by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), with the objective of honouring business excellence and performance within the industry.
Council took Bronze in the category of Local Government Award for Tourism, which recognises excellence in tourism strategy and planning, the provision of tourism facilities and services, marketing, and event development and management.
A very detailed nomination process was undertaken for both categories, with the submissions judged by an expert panel of judges from VTIC. Nominations must score over 75 per cent to make finalists.
At the event, Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Environment and Outdoor Recreation, and Brendan McClements, Chief Executive Officer of Visit Victoria, acknowledged the hard work of the Victorian tourism sector to recover from an extended period of significant challenge, citing that visitation numbers and tourism spending within the state of Victoria now exceeds that of pre pandemic levels.
Greater Shepparton City Council, Mayor, Councillor Shane Sali said it was a great honour to receive the Bronze for the Local Government Award for Tourism.
"These awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our Visitor Economy team and Council over the past 12 months," he said.
"Some of the great accomplishments for this year include the industry and consumer facing roll-out of the new Shepparton and Goulburn Valley destination brand, the production of the new Visitor Guide, supporting the industry following the October 2022 flood event, collaborating with neighboring Councils on the development of a Visitor Economy Partnership for the Goulburn region and achieving a finalist position with the nomination of Murchison in the Top Tourism Town Awards."
Council also congratulates local business 'The Storekeeper's House' in Tatura owned by Carrie Donaldson and Luis Cassanova, who were a finalist and achieved the status of 'Highly Commended' for the Self Contained Accommodation category. This is fantastic recognition of the hard work and dedication Carrie and Luis have made to their business and the industry.
Greater Shepparton City Council also acknowledge and celebrate the success of fellow Goulburn region visitor economy businesses Rambling Wine Tours, finalist in the Tour and Transport Operator category and Go Adventure Nagambie dual Gold award winners in the Adventure Tourism and Tourism, Retail, Hire and Services categories.
