Aireys Inlet strikes gold

Aireys Inlet has struck gold after winning an award for its strong commitment to tourism and visitation for a town with less than 1500 people.

The Top Tiny Tourism Town Award is one of three categories in Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Top Tourism Town Awards, recognising towns that provide outstanding visitor experiences.

The Victoria Tourism Industry Council hosts the awards, and chief executive Felicia Mariani said she was proud to help showcase the many regional destinations across the state.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of our regional towns and centres across Victoria,” she said.

“These awards celebrate the commitment of these destinations to delivering the very best experiences, ensuring they create magical memories for their visitors to cherish.

“We congratulate all the finalists in these special awards, and we wish the best of luck to our gold winners who will now represent Victoria in the national competition.”

This year’s awards were delivered with the TAC’S support, and chief executive Tracey Slatter said its sponsorship was an important opportunity to promote road safety through tourism.

“These awards are an important opportunity to celebrate the value of regional towns across Victoria,” she said.

“It is also a time to highlight the powerful platform they hold in communicating vital road safety messages to those travelling across our state’s vast road network.”

Victoria’s TAC Top Tourism Town Award category winners included Ballarat for the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town and Sorrento for the Top Small Tourism Town Award.

The three Victorian gold winners will go on to compete for the title of Australia’s Top Tourism Town in their respective categories, which will be announced on September 14 at Canberra’s Parliament House.