By Parker McKenzie
Tesselaar Tulip Festival has taken out a Bronze award at the Australian Tourism Awards in the Major Festivals and Events category.
The festival also won gold at the Victorian Tourism Award earlier in 2022, with both awards being received for the 2019 Tulip Festival.
Tesselaar’s Mel Rankin-Smith accepted the award on the Sunshine Coast and said it was an honour to win gold at the Victorian awards and a bronze in the Australian awards after Covid-19 cancelled the 2020 awards.
“We have about 70 to 90 casuals that come on board, it’s a whole army of people from the car park attendants right through to customer service, baristas, cleaners and management,” she said.
“So it’s very much a team effort and an award for everyone involved.”
The Victorian Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive Felicia Mariani said it was thrilling to see the tourism sector getting back to delivering world class experiences to customers across Victoria.
“Victorians developed a real love affair with our own backyard during COVID, from regional to metro destinations. Seeing these destinations and businesses recognised on a national stage shows we’re not alone in this sentiment,” she said.
“We congratulate all our Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, but also, all of our Victorian finalists that made it to this level of competing on the national stage. Thank you for continuing to rise to the challenge and create unforgettable moments for visitors as they explore our wonderful state. I can’t wait to see what we achieve in 2022.”
Tesselaar previously won gold in Victoria and silver in the Australian Tourism Awards.
Tesselaar will be hosting several festivals in the coming weeks and months, with KaBloom festival starting on April 2.
Ms Rankin-Smith said everyone at Tesselaar is ready to welcome visitors back.
“It’s been very challenging with Covid time. It’s usually an annual award and competition, but they had to extend it over two years,” she said.
“It’s been two and a half years since we’ve actually had an event. We’ve got one starting next week, so hoping it’s going to be well patronage and popular, especially given it’s an outdoor event.”
For more information about KaBloom festival, visit www.kabloom.com.au.
