Winning a tourism award is a moment of pride. Standing on stage, trophy in hand, you are recognised for your business excellence and celebrated as a leader in the tourism industry. But the real value of entering tourism awards extends far beyond a single night.
Tourism Award Submissions – Are They Worth It?
In reality, entering your Australian state or territory tourism awards can bring many immediate and long-term benefits that far outweigh the effort. Yet, many hesitate to enter the awards because they seem time-consuming or stressful.
It could be one of the best decisions you make for your business. So, if you’re sitting on the fence and wondering whether entering your business in the tourism awards is worth it, let me tell you, it absolutely is. There are many valuable benefits, and here are just a few to inspire you.
Achieve Accreditation First
Quality Tourism accreditation proves your business hits the mark on service, safety, and operations. It’s like a gold star for quality that tells customers, partners, and judges that you mean business.
It is part of the Quality Tourism Framework, a national program that helps tourism businesses raise their standards and sharpen their competitive edge.
Once accredited, you can enter the awards and splash that shiny accreditation logo across your website, brochures, emails, and booking sites. It is a badge of trust that continues to work for you long after the awards night ends.
Quality and Sustainable Tourism Accreditation – First Level of Accreditation in the Australian Quality Tourism Framework
Bottom line? Accreditation is not a hoop to jump through; it is your launchpad to bigger opportunities and stronger brand credibility.
Review and Improve Your Business
The tourism awards submission process forces you to look deeply and honestly at your business operations and helps you:
- Highlight your successes: From guest reviews to growth milestones. What have you achieved? What customer service stories stand out?
- Reassess your brand position: Are your vision, mission, and values still relevant today?
- Identify areas for improvement: Systems, service delivery, marketing effectiveness – what could be enhanced for better performance?
- Plan for future growth: Where are the new opportunities for innovation or expansion?
Tip: The insights you gain from the process are like conducting a free strategic review of your business. Additionally, you’ll receive judge feedback, which provides valuable external perspectives that you can use for continuous improvement.
Benchmark Your Business Against Industry Leaders
Awards enable you to compare your operations with those of your peers and competitors, offering a rare opportunity to benchmark your performance and gain a fresh perspective on your operations.
So, when writing your application, you ask yourself:
- How do we stand out?
- What customer experiences are we delivering better?
- Where do we lag behind competitors?
- What innovations could we adopt or adapt?
Tip: This is a valuable exercise to enable continuous improvement, so identify two or three improvements to implement each year based on your findings.
Leverage Media Exposure and Free Marketing
Award programs offer outstanding PR opportunities. Whether you are named a finalist or a placeholder winner, you can generate favourable media coverage across local newspapers, tourism blogs, radio stations, and television news.
Examples of marketing opportunities include:
- Press releases announcing your finalist or winner status.
- Social media campaigns celebrating your achievement.
- Sharing customer testimonials related to your award recognition
- Local newspaper and radio features
- Displaying award logos on your website, email signatures, brochures, signage, and booking platforms
Tip: Prepare a simple media marketing pack ahead of time with images, logo files, and a short business profile. This will make it faster and easier to respond to media opportunities if you are shortlisted or win.
FURTHER READING: Step by Step Guide to Creating Your Tourism Media File
Build Customer Trust and Loyalty
When customers see that your business has received awards, it builds confidence in their choice – it’s a strong form of Social Proof. It shows that your business is trusted by customers and recognised by industry experts.
Tip: Share behind-the-scenes stories of your award journey with your audience via email or social media; it creates a sense of connection and pride among your existing customer base, making them even more loyal to your brand.
FURTHER READING: How to Use Social Proof in Tourism Marketing.
Strengthen Your Business Storytelling
Awards give you another layer to your brand story. They become a proof point you can use across all your marketing, such as in pitches, on your website, in brochures, on social media, and in direct customer conversations.
Example: A Farmstay accommodation could update its “Our Story” page to include: “Proud recipient of the 2024 State Tourism Award for Excellence in Eco-Tourism — recognising our commitment to sustainable, authentic guest experiences.”
Enhance Your Grant or Investment Applications
If your business ever seeks grant funding, sponsorship, or external investment, having an award win on your track record can significantly strengthen your credibility.
Tip: Many grants and tourism investment programs ask for examples of business excellence. An award win or a finalist placement can help fast-track your application.
Create New Business Opportunities
Being visible through awards can sometimes lead to unexpected opportunities — partnerships, media features, cross-promotions, collaborations, and even invitations to larger tourism events or advisory boards.
Example: A small regional tourism operator who won a local tourism award was later invited to partner with their regional tourism organisation to co-host a major familiarisation trip for interstate media.
Develop Personal and Professional Skills
Preparing an award submission often strengthens skills such as:
- Strategic business thinking
- Marketing and communications
- Writing and presentation skills
- Critical analysis and self-assessment
Tip: Even if you outsource the final writing, the thinking and strategic planning you do will benefit you long after the awards night ends.
Motivate and Celebrate Your Team
An award is not just a win for the business. It’s a win for every team member who contributes to your success.
Celebrating an award win:
- Boosts morale
- Increases staff engagement and pride
- Reinforces a positive workplace culture
- Helps attract and retain top talent
Tip: Involve your team in the celebration. Whether taking key staff to the awards night, hosting a celebratory lunch, or acknowledging their contributions in internal communications, ensure everyone shares in the achievement.
Plus, Let’s Not Forget…
Attending tourism award ceremonies provides fantastic networking opportunities. You might meet potential collaborators, suppliers, media representatives, or tourism industry leaders — all in one room.
Final Thoughts
Entering your state or territory tourism awards is not just about winning. It is about growing, evolving, connecting, and celebrating what makes your tourism business special.
You never know what new opportunities, relationships, or business growth and inspiration might emerge from taking the leap and entering.
Plus, if you win – your shiny, new trophy or plaque will take pride of place in your business!
