A Hastings Point landmark and a Byron Bay event were two of the big winners at this year’s NSW Tourism Awards held in Sydney this week.
The BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort at Hastings Point was named NSW’s ‘Best Tourist and Caravan Park’ at a ceremony at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centr,e while the Byron Bay Blues Festival won it’ category.
The win caps off an award-winning year for park owners Ian and Diana Beadel who, earlier this year, won the Caravan & Camping Industry (CCIA) award for Best 4½ to 5 star Holiday Park greater than 100 sites, the 2011 Award for Excellence in Environmental Innovation, and were officially recognised as the ‘Best of the Best’ at the CCIA Awards for Excellence.
Ian and his wife Diana, who are celebrating their 30th year at the five-star-rated resort, said they couldn’t be happier and are now looking forward to the Australian Tourism Awards.
Ian said it was a great achievement for a park in the far north of the State to win an Award of this significance.
“This award raises the profile of the entire area and helps put Hastings Point on the map. It will be a real honour to represent the State at the Australian Tourism Awards in March 2012,” said Ian.
Ian said the Award is a credit to his staff, many of whom are been with them for over 10 years, and he firmly believes their drive and passion has taken North Star to another level.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be winning awards of this calibre,” he said.
Ian believes the face of the caravan and holiday park industry has evolved dramatically over the past three decades and these days, park visitors demand better facilities and a wider range of accommodation than ever before.
“They’re not just looking for campsites or somewhere to park the van; they expect all the facilities and activities they would find at a large holiday resort or hotel,” Ian said.
“Our philosophy has always been to provide an ‘experience’ that meets our visitors’ expectations and represents great value for money.”
State member for Tweed, Geoff Provest, congratulated Big4 North Star Holiday Resort & Caravan Park for taking out the Tourist and Caravan Parks Gold award in the 2011 NSW Tourism awards, a fantastic accolade for our region.
“This is a tremendous acknow-ledgment of the hard work and dedication tourism industry operators devote to making Tweed a memorable experience for visitors.
“It is operators such as North Star that help promote this area and its economy and we should all be proud of the achievement of winning such an award,” Mr Provest said.
Bluesfest brought home the Gold Award in the category of Major Events and Festivals.
After securing the North Coast Tourism Award for Business excellence in August, the State award comes as a major win for Bluesfest.
Festival director Peter Noble said the category of Major Festivals and Events was reserved for hallmark Festivals or Events that create substantial economic impact, attract visitors from interstate and or overseas, generate a national or international media profile and positively promote the destination. Other North Coast winners included: The Byron Beach Cafe, the Cape Byron State Conservation Area and the Lismore & Nimbin Information Centre.
“We are proud to bring this award home to the North Coast, and to be representing NSW in the Australian Tourism Awards next March,” he said.
“Tourism is worth almost $29 billion to our State, and provides 160,000 jobs, with 50 per cent of those jobs being in rural NSW. Our wonderful team at Bluesfest continues to show the dedication, hard work and resolve that has resulted in this incredible win. I grew up going to the Royal Easter Show, and enjoying all it has to offer – to have come home in front of them is like – ‘pinch me I’m dreaming’. With this award, you not only need to have the event that can win, it also requires submissions of the highest degree.“
The Hastings Point caravan park, always a big drawcard for the coast, has seen its occupancy rates skyrocket, according to Ian Beadle, following the installation earlier this year of a $1.3 million water playground.
“Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon has become a magnet for kids. For them, it’s like having a holiday in the middle of a theme park. It’s non-stop entertainment for the kids and it’s all included, so it’s not heavy on the wallet,” he said.
The park has its own free Kids Club and the recently opened Seascape Leisure Centre, where adults can enjoy a massage, hairdressing and beauty treatments and use the lap pool, gym and spas.
North Star is also home to a Marine Environment Centre, one of Australia’s finest marine study centres, visited by around 4000 students every year.
The popular holiday park brings over 100,000 bed nights to the Tweed and Northern Rivers region each year. There are 129 tourist sites, including holiday apartments and cabins and 199 long term sites. BIG4 North Star employs 40 local people in various capacities.
