New South Wales best inland regional tourism operators and attractions were named last Saturday night at the 2012 CountryLink Inland Tourism Awards in Mudgee.

Attendees from across the state gathered together at the Parklands Resort in Mudgee on Saturday the 28th July to find out which of the finalists would take home a coveted 2012 CountryLink Inland NSW Tourism Award.

The annual award ceremony is hailed as the ‘night of nights’ for the Inland NSW regional Tourism Industry. The theme for this year’s awards was country glamour and the night was a celebration of not only the NSW regional tourism industry but it was also a night to experience the best of what Mudgee has to offer. 

The 18 winners are now able to compete for finalist positions at the NSW Tourism Awards, which will be held in Sydney, later this year.

Chair of the Awards, Tracey Valenzisi said the awards showcased some of the best tourism attractions and products in NSW.  Tracey also stated that it is important that all entrants try to make it to workshops held by INTA.

“All entrants were of a high calibre, in some categories the marks between finalists were so close that a silver award was given. There was a clear distinction between those applicants who have attended the INTA workshops, run by TIC NSW, throughout the year and those who did not have the chance to attend. The workshops give valuable information on submission writing and provide first hand experience and knowledge on how to best develop an entrants business.”

The INTA Board would like to congratulate all winners and finalists for their contribution to regional NSW tourism. Regional tourism supports almost half of the state’s 162,500 direct tourism jobs and injects more than $11.5 billion into the state’s economy each year.

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2012 CountryLink Inland NSW Tourism Awards Winners