Regional Tourism Awards 2020 cancelled: Orange tourist operators disappointed

A funding shortfall and lack of a major sponsorship partner has been blamed in an announcement made by the awards committee this week.

Until now the annual awards have celebrated the best of the best in the industry, with Orange operators regularly featuring as finalists and winners.

The awards are "run on an extremely tight budget under the management of a volunteer board", the committee explained.

Orange360 general manager Caddie Marshall said the decision was extremely disappointing and the awards represented a huge marketing and economic boost for finalists and winners.

"Heifer Station won gold last year and their business grew exponentially because of the media exposure they got," she said.

Heifer Station owners Michelle and Phillip Stivens said they are very disappointed that the regional leg of the tourism awards was axed.

"It's the fabric and uniqueness of remote communities that make them what they are and to remove the regional leg is like losing part of your identity," Mrs Stivens said.

"Entering the awards in 2018 provided us with an opportunity to identify our personal and professional development needs within the tourism industry whilst presenting opportunities for networking with other like-minded business owners.

Heifer Station was awarded gold in 2018 and 2019 in the Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries section.

"We couldn't put a monetary value on the amount of media exposure and traffic that has been driven to our business as a result of this acknowledgement," Mrs Stivens said.

It is unclear if the awards will run again in the future.

Last year five groups in Orange were finalists for an award, they included: Heifer Station Wines, Lakeview Luxury Retreat, Orange FOOD Week, the Orange Ex-Services' Club and the Orange Visitor Information Centre.

While a bronze medal was awarded to Silver Compass Tours in the Excellence in Food Tourism category, and Heifer Station Wines won gold in the Tourism, Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries category.

Ms Marshall said the tourism awards also provided a networking and learning experience for operators and she hoped they would return in 2021.

"Being able to network with other businesses is vital ... as a small business person you don't necessarily get the chance or the opportunity," she said.