North Coast Tourism Awards
Destination North Coast and the NSW Tourism Association have partnered to launch the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards. Open for nominations from 10 March, the awards program provides a smooth transition to the state’s NSW Tourism Awards, with New South Wales winners proceeding to the national stage for the Australian Tourism Awards.
The North Coast Regional Tourism Awards feature 18 categories that align with the NSW Tourism Awards and Australian Tourism Awards. The program celebrates excellence and also equips tourism businesses with the tools for lasting success. This initiative provides a clear pathway to the top, supported by an extensive program designed to drive business growth and industry best practice.
Entrants are required to meet recognised quality standards, either through Sustainable Tourism accreditationor by completing Quality Tourism Business Standards. This ensures that every finalist has undergone a rigorous assessment, evaluating all facets of their operation. By upholding these benchmarks, the awards celebrate businesses that exemplify excellence, credibility, and a commitment to industry best practice.
All you need to know about entering the North Coast Regional
Entry Fee
$220 +GST NSW Tourism Association member rate
(use primary NSWTA membership email address to access membership price)
$295 +GST Non-member rate
What this includes:
- One nomination provides automatic entry into both the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards and the NSW Tourism Awards.
- Comprehensive Entrant Support Program including weekly webinars, Q&A sessions with expert judges and detailed draft reviews – for both the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards and the NSW Tourism Awards
- The panel of expert judges provide detailed feedback with valuable insights, supporting growth and continuous improvement.
- Opportunity to enhance submission following judges feedback at regional level, allowing businesses to strengthen applications before competing at state level
Next Steps
- Nominate your business – checking category eligibility
- Read through questions
- Start collating evidence – set up a folder to save your files
- Brainstorm key points for each question
- Attend Entrant Support webinars - Register here
- End of March – Submissions open in portal
- Start working on submission early to be eligible for a draft review
- Complete your final submission
- Save the date for the Gala Night! (31 July 2025)
Categories
- Tourist Attractions
- Festivals and Events
- Ecotourism
- Cultural Tourism
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience
- Tourism Retail, Hire and Services
- Business Event Venues
- Tour and Transport Operators
- Adventure Tourism
- Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services
- Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries
- Caravan and Holiday Parks
- Hosted Accommodation
- Self-Contained Accommodation
- 4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation
- 5 Star Luxury Accommodation
- New Tourism Business
- Accessible Tourism
Entry Requirements
Businesses that don’t currently hold Sustainable Tourism accreditation are required to complete Quality Tourism Business Standards – demonstrating that industry quality standards are met.
Accommodation entries are required to either have current QTF Star Rating accreditation or must meet accommodation standards specific to their category.
Guidelines and Rules
- Qualifying Period: 1 July 2024 – 31 March 2025 - All activities, achievements and innovations referred to in submissions must have occurred within this period
- Category Questions – the questions are identical to the NSW Tourism Awards and Australian Tourism Awards, however, at regional level the difference is a reduced word count, shorter qualifying period, and fewer examples are required.
- Online Review – an online review will be undertaken by the judges to assess online presence across owned website, social media channels, search engine optimisation and external listings.
- Word count: Max 5,000 words
note: If entering more than one category a separate nomination and submission is required.
Pathway to Excellence
Entrants will be able to update their submission between the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards and the NSW Tourism Awards, adding in the additional activities achieved during the final quarter (1 April – 30 June) and incorporating the judge’s feedback. This allows businesses to strengthen their applications and further highlighting excellence before competing at the state level and beyond.
Entrant Support Sessions
Weekly entrant support sessions guide entrants through the submission process with NSW Tourism Awards experts and judges. Register to attend these free sessions below.
All sessions start at 2pm.
Tuesday, 18 March
Introduction to NSW Tourism Association, the North Coast Regional Tourism Awards + Getting Application Ready
Tuesday, 25 March
Showcasing Business Excellence – Qu 1
Tuesday, 1 April
Excellence in Business & Product Development – Qu 2
Tuesday, 8 April
Excellence in Marketing – Qu 3
Tuesday 15 April
Excellence in Customer Service – Qu 4
Tuesday 22 April
Excellence in Sustainable & Responsible Business Practices – Qu 5
Tuesday 29 April
Entrant Q&A Webinar (1)
Tuesday 6 May
Entrant Q&A Webinar (2)
Judging Panel
The awards are assessed by a panel of highly experienced judges. Each judge undergoes dedicated training and collaborates in teams to conduct a rigorous assessment of every category.
Their detailed feedback provides businesses with valuable insights, supporting growth and continuous improvement.
Benefits of Entering
One entry, two awards programs
- Access to comprehensive entrant support program
- An opportunity to review business goals and record successes
- Raise your profile by receiving public recognition of your achievements
- Ensure business growth and development
- Benchmark against industry competitors
- Examine the productivity of marketing activities
- The opportunity to represent New South Wales at the Australian Tourism Awards
Gala Awards Night
How's Business?
Every quarter, we check in with tourism businesses to understand the state of the industry to help us benchmark NSW against the rest of Australia, drive advocacy efforts, and ensure your voice is heard.
It's confidential and takes just five minutes. We'd love your input!