Winning the national award for best major tourist attraction is no easy feat, let alone to do it twice in a row.
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Sovereign Hill chief executive officer Jeremy Johnson said the consecutive victories in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards were a “real feather in a regional attraction’s cap”.
“We are one of very few that have ever gone on and won consecutive awards – it is the most highly sought after award of the whole night,” he said. “The competition is so hard that generally after you win one it takes a long time to get back and beat all the other attractions again.”
To reach the national awards is an effort in itself with nominees required to win the top award in their state first.
Sovereign Hill was crowned Victoria’s Major Tourist Attraction in the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards in November last year.
It was Sovereign Hill’s third consecutive win in this category, earning the outdoor museum hall of fame status.
Mr Johnson said attractions also needed to be able to drive international visitors to Australia to be eligible for the national awards.
“You have to have a substantial percentage of your visitation come from international markets – usually around 25 per cent,” he said.
The museum beat out famous national attractions including Sydney’s Bridge Climb, Kakadu National Park and Freycinet National Park.
Mr Johnson said the award would bring even more international visitors to the region.
“When people travel they like to make sure they visit the key attractions and people want to visit the winners... this year will make it even more remarkable to say (we’ve done it) two years in a row,” he said.
The award also recognised the work of 380 staff and 250 volunteers who bring Sovereign Hill to life.
“When you win an award like this, it just reaffirms everyone’s belief in the high quality day-to-day work we are doing,” Mr Johnson said. “It makes you very proud because we’re a non for profit community-based regional organisation.”
It is the fourth time the museum has won top prize in the national awards’ 32-year history. Creswick Woollen Mills was also nominated in the Tourist Attractions category and Cave Hill Creek in the Standard Accommodation section.
