Geraldton wins tourism award

Geraldton has won the GWN7 Top Tourism Town Award in the more than 5000 population category.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was the first time Geraldton had won the award in 27 years.

“Geraldton tourism has come of age,” he said.

“We have taken a significant leap forward in our tourism approach and worked hard in making Geraldton a destination in its own right.”

He said beautiful beaches and an incredible climate enabled a wide variety of water based activities and southerly winds during summer made the City a hotspot for wind and kite surfing.

“The City also puts on a number of festivals each year and have attracted two major concerts, Cold Chisel and triple j’s One Night Stand, in the last eight months alone which brought thousands of tourists into the City,” he said.

West End projects including the Geraldton Multipurpose Centre with outdoor stage, Youth Precinct, the Esplanade, refurbishment of the original Railway Station, installation of dedicated 24-hour RV and campervan parking and an RV dumping station also enabled Geraldton to attract visitors “like never before”.

The awards, which are run in partnership with the Visitor Centres Western Australia, required the Visitor Centre to submit a 90 second video which showcases the City region’s outstanding tourist attractions.

Mr Van Styn said the win would not have been possible without significant effort from the Geraldton Visitor Centre, volunteers and businesses helping shape Geraldton as a tourism destination.

Geraldton also took out the Community Engagement Category award for its Meet and Greet volunteer program and community events.