The 2024 South Australian Tourism Awards have celebrated the state’s outstanding tourism operators, highlighting excellence across various categories. The annual Gala Dinner, held on November 1st, recognised businesses and experiences that significantly contribute to South Australia’s vibrant tourism landscape.
Major Tourist Attractions
- Monarto Safari Park: Awarded for its “Wild Africa Precinct,” offering immersive safari tours that bring visitors closer to wildlife while supporting conservation efforts.
- Silver: Adelaide Festival Centre
- Bronze: Adelaide Botanic Garden
Tourist Attractions
- d’Arenberg: Recognized for the d’Arenberg Cube, a multi-level building combining wine tasting, dining, and an art gallery, attracting visitors with its unique architecture.
- Silver: Adelaide Gaol
- Bronze: MOD.
Major Festivals & Events
- Adelaide Festival: Celebrated for its extensive program, including theatre, opera, music, dance, and the Adelaide Writers’ Week.
- Silver: Illuminate Adelaide
- Bronze: WOMADelaide
Festivals & Events
- Sleep’s Hill Tunnel: Transformed an abandoned heritage site into an immersive historical experience during the Adelaide Fringe.
- Silver: 2024 Glenelg Ice Cream Festival
- Bronze: 2024 Let’s Go Caravan, Camping and Outdoor Show
Ecotourism
- The Big Duck Boat Tours: Offers scenic wildlife expeditions along the Southern Ocean, bringing guests close to sea cliffs, islands, and marine wildlife, including sea lions, dolphins, and migrating whales.
- Silver: Nilpena Ediacara National Park
Cultural Tourism
- Adelaide Zoo: Acknowledged for its longstanding role in conservation and community heritage.
- Silver: Flamboyance Tours
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences
- Kool Tours: Inducted into the Hall of Fame for its third consecutive win, offering authentic insights into Indigenous history and traditions.
Tourism Retail, Hire & Services
- Copper Trails Bike Hire: Specializes in E-Bikes, providing visitors with opportunities to explore the scenic Yorke Peninsula.
- Silver: Adelaide Central Market
- Bronze: Bole About Mountain Bike Tours & Hire
Visitor Information Services
- Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre: Recognized for exceptional customer service and tailored experiences, ensuring visitors discover the best of South Australia.
- Silver: Clare Valley Wine, Food & Tourism Centre
Business Event Venues
- Adelaide Convention Centre: The Adelaide Convention Centre offers 20,000sqm of multi-purpose space, with a highly flexible design that enables it to deliver an extensive range of events. Beyond its purpose-built facilities, Adelaide Convention Centre is known for its culinary creations, innovative technology, sustainability leadership and expert team.
- Silver: Events at Skycity
- Bronze: Adelaide Oval
Major Tour & Transport Operators
- SeaLink Marine & Tourism – PS Murray Princess: Offers eco-tourism boat tours along the River Murray, Lower Lakes, and into the Coorong National Park.
Tour & Transport Operators
- Spirit of the Coorong: ‘Spirit of the Coorong’ is a small family business, now operating in its fourth generation! You will find Spirit of the Coorong at the end of the River Murray in Goolwa, offering various wetland exploration cruises and other specialty cruises including a brand new ‘Gin Flight Cruise’.
- Silver: Juggle House Experiences
- Bronze: Port River Cruises
Adventure Tourism
- Bendleby Ranges: Inducted into the Hall of Fame for its adventure experiences in the Southern Flinders Ranges.
- Silver: Woodhouse Adventure Park
- Bronze: RoofClimb Adelaide Oval
Tourism Marketing & Campaigns
- Barossa. Be Curious: Barossa. Be Curious is a destination marketing campaign developed by Barossa Australia. Beyond the cellars, a tapestry of experiences unfolds. From artisanal eateries to scenic trails, the Barossa beckons the curious soul.
- Silver: Station Stays SA Flinders Ranges & Outback
Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services
- L’Anse French Café: L’Anse French Café and Croissanterie offers a unique food experience that delights the senses, with a menu featuring fresh, seasonal produce, and a changing range of bespoke pastries.
- Silver: The Current Shed
- Bronze: Watervale Hotel
Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries
- Seppeltsfield Wines: A historic wine estate offering diverse visitor experiences.
- Silver: Pindarie Wines
- Bronze: Dandelion Vineyards
Caravan & Holiday Parks
- BIG4 West Beach Parks: A beachfront holiday park offering diverse accommodation options.
Hosted Accommodation
- Oceanview Eco Villas: Provides a fully hosted, bespoke experience on Kangaroo Island.
Unique Accommodation
- Woodhouse Adventure Park: Inducted into the Hall of Fame for its experience-based accommodation in the Adelaide Hills.
- Silver: Mount Little Station
- Bronze: Bukirk Glamping & Fancy Coops
Self-Contained Accommodation
- Old Coach Road Estate: Old Coach Road Estate offers a luxurious retreat in the heart of the Fleurieu Peninsula. This gorgeous eco-friendly, self-contained villa accommodates up to 8 guests on a secluded 201-acre property, promising an exclusive escape.
- Silver: Neagles Retreat Villas
- Bronze: ‘THE CHURCH’ Gawler Barossa Region
3-3.5 Star Accommodation
- ibis Adelaide: Recognized for its modern guest rooms and central location.
4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation
- Oval Hotel: Oval Hotel is Australia’s first stadium hotel and a completely unique accommodation experience. Seamless integration with the eastern façade of the stadium offers guests views out to heritage-listed parklands, and into the Adelaide Oval stadium interior from its restaurant Bespoke Wine Bar & Kitchen.
- Silver: Beach Huts Middleton
- Bronze: Atura Hotel Adelaide Airport
5 Star Luxury Accommodation
- Eos by SkyCity: Eos by SkyCity is Adelaide’s most luxurious hotel, set within South Australia’s only world-class integrated entertainment hub. The hotel features 120 luxurious rooms, a wellness centre, and access to SkyCity’s bars and restaurants. Whether you are searching for an escape from the everyday or a haven to celebrate someone special, Eos awaits.
- Silver: Le Mas Barossa
- Bronze: Mount Lofty House
New Tourism Business
- Radelaide Tours: Radelaide Tours showcases the best of Adelaide’s sights, lifestyle, culture, food and drink, delivering tour experiences that will truly transform your perception of Adelaide and reveal the underrated charm our city holds.
- Silver: Little Blessings Brewing
- Bronze: Pod[e]
Excellence in Food Tourism
- Watervale – Ethical Epicurean Experiences: Watervale has become a tourism destination for its ethical, epicurean experiences. Chef, Nicola Palmer’s philosophy is to enhance and enrich the produce Mother Nature has gifted us whether at the farm fresh to plate restaurant in the Hotel, over breakfast at the General Store, or through produce sold at the Providore.
- Silver: Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market
- Bronze: Anita Robin, The Foodbuilder
Excellence in Accessible Tourism
- Adelaide Fringe: Adelaide Fringe, the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere, celebrating culture, place, and artists from across the globe. Fringe’s innovative and inclusive approach as an open-access arts festival has made it a hub for emerging talent and a destination for established artists from across the globe.
- Silver: Adelaide Zoo
- Bronze: Kimbolton Wines
Outstanding Contribution
Elaine Bensted
Elaine Bensted is the Chief Executive Officer of Zoos South Australia, a role she has held since 2012.
A highly respected and celebrated leader, Elaine is recognised for her exceptional contributions to tourism and conservation. She has been instrumental in demonstrating and championing the profound connection between these two fields, driving initiatives that showcase how tourism can lead to impactful conservation outcomes, at national and global levels.
Young Achiever
Taylah Lochert
Taylah Lochert, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, is employed by Southern Cultural Immersion while also studying tourism at Flinders University. She is considered an exemplary young leader, demonstrating an agility and diversity valued in tourism, developing experience in Aboriginal tourism, wine, conference and events, and nature-based tourism.
Young Achiever
People’s Choice: Experience / Service
- Monarto Safari Park: The people have chosen! Monarto Safari Park has doubled up on their Gold in Major Tourist Attractions, and been named People’s Choice for Experiences and Services in South Australia.
People’s Choice: Accommodation
- BIG4 West Beach Parks: BIG4 West Beach Parks has confirmed its status as a much-loved South Australian destination for Australians with the People’s Choice – Accommodation Award!
These awards highlight the diverse and exceptional tourism experiences available in South Australia, reflecting the industry’s commitment to excellence and innovation.
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