Abell Point Marina wins Gold - Major Tourism Attraction

by Joscelyn O'Keefe on 31 Oct 2016 The team at Abell Point Marina are celebrating after taking out the Gold - Major Tourism Attraction at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards on Saturday 29 October. After being awarded with the Global 5 Gold Anchor Accreditation in August this year, 2016 is fast becoming a year of ‘gold’ achievements for the team at Abell Point.

The gala event was held at Cape Gloucester Eco Resort with over 280 attendees representing local tourism industry operators, regional and state tourism bodies and local and regional government. As the sun set over Gloucester passage the crowd prepared for the awards presentation showcasing the very best in Whitsunday tourism products and experiences.

The marina was well represented with several valued tenants and commercial operators receiving awards:

- Abell Point Marina (Major Tourism Attraction – Gold)
- Derwent Hunter (Steve Irwin Eco Tourism – Gold)
- Ocean Rafting (Major Tour and Transport – Gold/ Adventure Tourism – Silver)
- Red Cat Adventures (Tour & Transport – Silver)
- True Blue Sailing (Unique Accommodation - Silver, Steve Irwin Eco Tourism – Silver)
- Whitsunday Escape (Unique Accommodation – Gold)
- Whitsunday Jetski Tours (Adventure Tourism – Gold, Tour and Transport – Gold)

The dedication of these teams and ongoing commitment to their first-class tourism products is testament to the accolades they received during the evening. Many of these operators will now go on to represent the region at the Queensland Tourism awards in November.

In his acceptance speech, Luke McCaul General Manager of Abell Point Marina paid tribute to the hard work of the marina team, the vision of marina owner Paul Darrouzet, the quality of the marina operators and the contribution they make to the marina becoming a world-class destination. When the winner was announced for Major Tourism Attraction the judge’s comments described Abell Point as ‘by far the best (in every sense) marina in Australia’.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO, Craig Turner, said in his opening speech that the awards were indicative of the quality of product and experience on offer in region and thanked the hard work of the Tourism Whitsundays team. The mayor of Whitsunday Regional Council, Andrew Wilcox, commented on how closely the current council were working with Tourism Whitsundays to grow tourism in the region and acknowledged the importance of tourism for regional growth.

Abell Point Marina is one of the largest marinas in Australia and home to 80% of Whitsundays on-water tourism operators, including 65 commercial operators. Employing 700 local community members, the marina is one of the primary economic drivers in the Airlie Beach and surrounding regions. Abell Point Marina delivers world class onshore and offshore marina experiences enhancing economic tourism growth whilst setting industry benchmark standards in tourism excellence.