East Coast Tasmania Recognition Awards

From 2023, East Coast Tasmania Tourism (ECTT) is revolutionising the way we recognise and support exceptional Tourism Operators within our region. Say goodbye to the traditional East Coast Tourism Awards, and welcome our innovative approach designed to elevate recognition and foster continuous improvement.

Introducing the High Achiever Recognition Awards program.

Join us in the acknowledgment at our quarterly networking events, where ECTT recognises excellence in business across four distinguished categories:

1. Guest Love: Demonstrating exceptional customer satisfaction and delivering memorable experiences that resonate with visitors. In the Guest Love category, excellence is recognised across four sectors: food and beverage, accommodation, tourism attraction, and tourism experience. The scores are taken from ReviewPro, meaning operators must be TICT accredited for this award and the highest-scoring East Coast operator from each sector receive an award for their outstanding performance.

2. Positive Impact: Making a meaningful contribution to the local community, environment, and economy through sustainable practices and community engagement.

3. Accessible & Inclusive Tourism: Championing accessibility and inclusivity to ensure everyone can enjoy and benefit from our tourism offerings.

4. Innovation & Transformation: Embracing forward-thinking approaches and transformative initiatives that revolutionise the tourism landscape, setting new standards and inspiring positive change within the industry.

Join us on this exciting journey as we celebrate excellence, drive innovation, and empower our Tourism Operators to reach new heights of success. Together, let’s shape the future of tourism on the East Coast of Tasmania.

Here are our winners from each category in 2023:

Q1 2023 – Guest love:

Food & Beverage: Melshell Oysters stands out as a High Achiever in the Food & Beverage category due to their unwavering commitment to quality and freshness. With a focus on locally sourced, sustainably harvested oysters, Melshell Oysters delights guests with exceptional taste and texture. Their dedication to providing an unforgettable culinary experience, coupled with friendly and attentive service, consistently earns them rave reviews from satisfied customers.

Accommodation: Beaumaris Beach Guest House earns its title as a High Achiever in the Accommodation category through its impeccable attention to detail and commitment to guest satisfaction. From cosy rooms furnished with Tasmanian-made products to stunning beachfront views, Beaumaris Beach Guest House creates a welcoming and comfortable environment for travelers. Guests appreciate the warm hospitality, cleanliness, and personalised touches that make their stay truly memorable.

Tourism Experience: Operator Maria Island Cruises shines as a High Achiever in the Tourism Experience Operator category by offering unforgettable adventures in one of Tasmania’s most breathtaking destinations. With knowledgeable guides, comfortable vessels, and carefully crafted itineraries, Maria Island Cruises provides guests with enriching experiences that showcase the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Maria Island. Their dedication to customer service and commitment to sustainability ensures that every guest leaves with unforgettable memories and a deep appreciation for the island’s wonders.

Tourism Attraction: Serpentarium earns its place as a High Achiever in the Tourism Attraction category through its dedication to education, conservation, and immersive experiences. As Tasmania’s premier reptile park, Serpentarium offers visitors the opportunity to learn about and interact with a fascinating array of reptiles in a safe and engaging environment. With captivating exhibits, informative presentations, and friendly staff, Serpentarium provides an enriching and memorable experience for guests of all ages.

Q2 2023 – Positive Impact:

• The Maria Island Walk / Wild Bush Luxury: Eco accreditation, collaborating with Triabunna High School students to conduct Welcome to Country for visitors, planting 800 trees on Maria Island, organising beach cleanups every trip, and implementing various waste and energy management initiatives.
• Freycinet Lodge: ECOstar accreditation, installation of an EV charging station, commitment to being completely plastic-free, and receipt of numerous eco awards.
• Spring Bay Mill: Planting 20,000 trees on-site, providing an EV charging station, maintaining an in-house kitchen garden, utilising rain/tank water, operating shacks entirely through solar power, constructing low-impact buildings, and renovating the Mill with sustainability in mind.
• Saffire: Offering EV charging facilities, running the Save the Devil program, planting 30,000 plants on-site, and designing the building with a strong focus on environmentally conscious materials and principles.
• Tasmania Walking Company: Achieving 100% carbon neutrality, participating in Wild Care Tas annual Ansons Bay to Denmark coastline cleanup, supporting Aboriginal Guide Training, and engaging in various other sustainability initiatives.
• Wine Glass Bay Cruises: Operating as 100% carbon neutral, engaging in island ecosystem restoration efforts, holding EarthCheck and Advanced EcoTourism accreditations, and contributing to tree planting initiatives with Greening Australia, including planting 200,000 trees.
• Bicheno Penguin Tours: Holding ECOstar accreditation and actively protecting wildlife while restoring habitats.
• Bay of Fires Bush Retreat: Providing an EV charging station and maintaining an in-house kitchen garden.
• Swansea Holiday Park: Offering an EV charging station and holding ECO accreditation.
• Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park: Providing an EV charging station and holding ECO accreditation.

Q3 2023 – Accessible & Inclusive Tourism:

• Freycinet Lodge: Dedication to accessibility is evident with three rooms allocated for wheelchair access, including one connected to the main building. Notably, the Lodge King room has won an award for accessible architecture and offers extensive accessibility options. The eatery ensures pathways are accessible, and there are braille labels on some light switches. Moreover, guests traveling on the cruise are provided guided jetty access.
• Sandpiper Ocean Cottages: Offers a 2-bedroom unit with ramp access, inclusive of a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, along with a 3-bedroom house on Fraser St featuring ramp access and a walk-in shower.
• Spring Bay Mill: Embracing accessibility, Spring Bay Mill ensures ease of access for all visitors with gentle ramps and wide doors. The Ridge Quarters provide fully wheelchair-accessible accommodations, and guests with mobility needs can opt for escorted tours around the site using the electric shuttle bus, ‘The Volts Wagon’. The site also promotes inclusivity through gender-neutral toilets and non-heteronormative language, supporting the use of support animals, providing Auslan interpreters on request, and offering accessible facilities.
• Bicheno Penguin Tours: Accommodates accessibility needs with prior knowledge of attendees, ensuring everyone can enjoy the experience.
• Big4 St Helens Holiday Park: Enhances accessibility by improving roads and providing compliant access ramps and wheelchair-friendly interior layouts in Valley View Units. A private all-abilities bathroom is available for campers throughout their stay.
• East Coast Nature World: Offers wheelchair access to most areas of the park and provides wheelchair-accessible toilet facilities, along with interactive exhibits and quiet spaces.
• Bay of Fires Bush Retreat: Features designated accessible bathroom and shower facilities, ramp access to communal areas, and wheelchair-accessible bunkhouse accommodations.
• Beaumaris Beach Guest House: Implements accessibility measures such as color-contrasted door handles, compliant website design, accessible guest rooms and bathrooms, and basic Auslan communication capability.
• St Helens History Room: Ensures wheelchair-friendly access and provides information signs for the deaf.
• Bicheno Surf Life Saving: Provides a beach wheelchair for use and facilitates access to Waubs beach, Tasmania’s only accessible beach as listed on Accessible Beaches Australia.
• TrailRiders – PWS: Offers TrailRider all-terrain wheelchairs at various national parks, enabling visitors with mobility limitations to explore rugged tracks with the assistance of trained helpers.
• Freycinet National Park: Ensures accessibility at the visitor center, campground, and nearby attractions, with wheelchair-accessible facilities and tracks available.
• Little Beach Co Glamping: Entire venue, including beach access and bathroom facilities, is 100% accessible.
• Tasman Holiday Parks St Helens: Offers accessible pods and facilities, including separate rooms and spaces designed for accessibility needs in the caravan and van section. Additionally, there are accessible toilets in the main block for added convenience.

Q4 2023 – Innovation & Transformation:

• Tasman Sea Salt: Combining age-old salt harvesting traditions with innovative clean energy technologies, Tasman Sea Salt exemplifies sustainability in salt production. Harnessing sustainable energies throughout the production process, they utilise innovative methods such as evaporating fresh water to produce pure white salt flakes, ensuring nothing is added or removed.
• Bicheno Penguin Tours: With a focus on conservation and protection of nature, Bicheno Penguin Tours goes beyond traditional tourism. Collaborating with local farmers to reconstruct penguin habitats and implementing educational initiatives, their recent reconstruction efforts prioritise the safety of penguins while offering an immersive experience for visitors.
• Devils Corner Vineyard: Implementing a water treatment plant utilising dam water for the entire site, Devils Corner has revolutionised its water management practices, eliminating the need for frequent water freight and ensuring a sustainable water supply for vineyards and site amenities.
• Craigie Knowe: Evolving from a sheep farm to a winery, restaurant, and live music venue, Craigie Knowe epitomises transformation. The recent addition of the Marquee and Restaurant Floras showcases their commitment to innovation and enhancing visitor experiences.
• Spring Bay Mill: From deforestation to regeneration, Spring Bay Mill’s transformation is remarkable. Formerly a woodchip mill, the site now features a 600-seat amphitheater and sustainable infrastructure, demonstrating their dedication to environmental stewardship and community engagement.
• Freycinet Marine Farm: Expanding beyond traditional oyster farming, Freycinet Marine Farm introduces long-life shelf-stable seafood treats, diversifying their offerings and catering to evolving consumer preferences.
• Lobster Shack: Transitioning from a fishing boat to a restaurant, Lobster Shack pioneers a farm-gate seafood experience, offering visitors a chance to enjoy premium seafood products on-site. Their growth and popularity highlight their innovative approach to showcasing local seafood.
• Tas Walking Co: Leading the charge in climate action, Tas Walking Co commits to cutting emissions by half by 2030. By signing the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, they demonstrate their dedication to environmental sustainability and responsible tourism practices.
• Pennicott Wilderness Journeys: Striving to minimise environmental impact, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys achieves 100% carbon offset for all tours and exceeds global best practice levels for sustainability. Their commitment to eco-certification ensures high-quality nature-based tourism experiences.
• Waubs Harbour Whisky: Implementing an ocean cooling system using water drawn directly from the ocean, Waubs Harbour Whisky reduces energy consumption and environmental impact while repurposing existing infrastructure for sustainable operations.
• Swansea Beach Chalets: Innovating with Tasmanian-made products and paperless guest information systems, Swansea Beach Chalets exemplifies sustainability and technology integration in hospitality.
• Easy Tiger Cinema and Beer Garden: Beyond entertainment, Easy Tiger Cinema fosters community engagement through fundraising events and revitalises disused spaces into vibrant hubs of activity.
• Bicheno Beams: Creating innovative winter events and activities, Bicheno Beams showcases creativity and community involvement, contributing to the region’s tourism appeal.
• East Coast Nature World: Offering unique wildlife experiences like the Devils After Dark, Nature World pioneers immersive and educational attractions, contributing to wildlife conservation efforts.
• Triabunna Barracks: Transforming historic military barracks into a luxury bed and breakfast, Triabunna Barracks combines heritage preservation with modern hospitality, offering an environmentally conscious experience with amenities like EV chargers.
• Freycinet Holiday Houses: Evolving into luxury offerings with personalised concierge experiences, Freycinet Luxury Hosts elevates guest experiences while maintaining a commitment to sustainability and quality service.
• Malting Lagoon Brewery & Guest House: Innovating with a closed-loop composting machine and sustainable brewing practices, Malting Lagoon Brewery sets a high standard for environmental responsibility in the brewing industry.
• Serpentarium Wildlife Park Tasmania: Expanding from reptile awareness to animal rescue services, Serpentarium Wildlife Park exemplifies innovation and dedication to wildlife conservation and education.
• Secret River Gem Hunters & Kayak Tours: Offering unique gem hunting experiences and kayak tours, Secret River Gem Hunters provides distinctive and memorable adventures in Northeast Tasmania, showcasing the region’s natural beauty and treasures.

In 2024 ECTT will provide each winner with digital assets which can be shared and promoted on Social Media, websites and newsletters as well as a copy of the certificate delivered to them.

Upcoming events:

April 30^th at Easy Tiger, St Helens. More details to follow.