MONA business manager, Mark Wilsdon, said it was a great honour to accept the Tasmanian Tourism Award for Best New Tourism Development on behalf of owner and founder, David Walsh, and the whole MONA team.
“While we aren’t exactly a new tourism product, with so much work being carried out on our site over the past five to six years we feel as though we are absolutely brand new. And let’s face it, David has spent enough money to justify the word ‘new development’.
“David Walsh, as you can imagine, is not someone who seeks any gongs for what he has created at Berriedale. But he understands the importance of such acknowledgement for our industry and for the
Mona team who have worked so hard to make the Mona experience what it is.
“For me personally, it is particularly rewarding as I have been there since Mona became the germ of an idea. As of today, more than 306,000 visitors have been to the site, and we look forward to bringing more visitors to the island.”
Mark Wilson has been employed at Mona since 2002. He is a member of the executive team responsible for all commercial operations and new business opportunities.
MONA, Museum of Old and New Art, opened on 21 January 2011 and represents a more than $100 million investment in infrastructure, employment of the equivalent of 170 staff along with the $100 million collection.
• Luke Martin, Tourism Council:
Old and New Attractions Feature in Winners List
MONA has joined some of Tasmania’s best known tourism icons on the list of winners of the
2011 Tasmanian Tourism Awards announced tonight.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania Chief Executive Officer Luke Martin said the Awards
again highlighted the industry’s capacity to deliver unique and exceptional visitor experiences.
“It is not surprising given its enormous success that MONA won the award in the New Tourism
Development category,” Mr Martin said.
“Less than 12-months since opening, MONA has already become a widely recognised and
celebrated icon of Tasmania attracting whole new markets of visitors to the State.
MONA joined some of Tasmania’s most recognised and celebrated attractions such as the Port
Arthur Historic Site – which won the Major Tourist Attraction category – on the list of winners.
“The industry continues to re-invigorate our evergreen experiences, like our magnificent
collection of heritage properties, and develop new products that take advantage of our natural
environment,” Mr Martin said.
Mr Martin said the importance of the awards to the industry should not be underestimated.
“It is a night to recognise those operators who provide outstanding visitor attractions and
experiences and who go the extra distance to provide excellent service,” he said.
“The Awards are not given lightly. The winners have to earn these awards by achieving and
maintaining the highest of standards.
Mr Martin said that each category winner goes into the national awards, the Qantas Australian
Tourism Awards. In that way, each plays a key role in helping to keep Tasmania “top of mind”
for potential visitors.
The winner of the Minister’s Young Achiever Award this year went to 29-year-old Anthony
O’Hern, the co-founder of Cradle Mountain Canyons.
Mr O’Hern, who also received the Young Achiever Award at this year’s Cradle Coast Regional
Tourism Awards, has worked in the adventure tour guiding sector in Tasmania for 10 years.
Cradle Mountain Canyons is the only canyoning business in Tasmania and takes advantage of the
beauty of Cradle Mountain to provide a unique product which expands the tourism offerings of
the region.
The Minister’s Tourism Champion Award went to Robert Pennicott – the well-known owner and
operator of the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and Tasman Island Cruises at Port Arthur, both
iconic Tasmanian eco-cruise experiences that shares the spectacular coastlines and wildlife of
Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula with locals and tourists alike.
Mr Pennicott’s business has brought considerable benefit to Bruny Island and the Tasman
Peninsula through employment of locals, use of local goods and services, donations and other
support to the local communities.
This year Mr Pennicott, a multi-tourism award winner, and his operations manager, Mick Souter,
took on a circumnavigation of Australia in a 5.4 metre inflatable dinghy to raise more than
$250,000 to assist Rotary in eradicating Polio from the world.
The publicity generated by the Follow The Yellow Boat Road project brought significant
awareness for not just for Tasmania but also for the coastal areas of Australia he passed through.
The Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual went to Greg Farrell, the Managing
Director of Federal Group Tasmania, the largest Tasmanian tourism business and the state’s
largest private sector employer.
Under Greg’s stewardship, the company has dramatically expanded its tourism assets in
Tasmania through acquisitions and new developments, and has created the “Pure Tasmania”
brand.
The winner of the People Choice Award was the Tamar Visitor Centre which is located in Exeter
and is a member of the Tasmanian Visitor Information Network (TVIN).
The Centre assists visitors with accommodation bookings, itinerary building, tour bookings,
national parks passes and general travel information for the Tamar Valley and Tasmania.
Entrants for this award are nominated by feedback from customer surveys.
