Exmouth awarded Small Tourism City of 2022
The chief of one in every of Western Australia’s main vacationer communities says a nationwide award is a becoming reward for the city’s hard-working locals.
Key factors:
- Australian Tourism Awards has named Exmouth because the Small Tourism City of 2022
- The city is the gateway to the world heritage Ningaloo Reef and Cape Vary Nationwide Park
- Denham was a finalist for the Prime Tiny City class
Exmouth, 1200-kilometres north of Perth, was named Small Tourism City of the yr on the Australian Tourism Awards.
In Canberra to simply accept the award on Tuesday, Shire President Darlene Altston stated the popularity would imply lots to the city.
“With the ability to take again this award to our neighborhood and figuring out that everyone does their finest to ship that have is simply superb,” she stated.
“It is simply superb to be recognised on a nationwide stage for delivering a beautiful tourism expertise for our guests.”
Pure wonders the important thing
For guests, the city’s sights are clear.
Travelling round Australia along with his household, Melbourne man Elia Petzierides stated the city’s proximity to the UNESCO Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Space was a significant drawcard.
“We acquired to swim with some whale sharks and we had been fortunate sufficient to additionally rating some manta rays,” he stated.
“I requested our children what they thought was the spotlight and the aquarium arms down was the favorite.
“We additionally love a city with a giant attraction and so Exmouth’s big prawn actually helps them alongside.”
“In our journey of Australia, we have seen some fairly lame big statues, so it definitely is sufficiently big.”
For backpacker Evan Centanni, it was snorkelling alternatives which drew him to the world.
“After I arrived in Australia in Perth, I began wanting into the place I might wish to go subsequent,” he stated.
‘I do a number of snorkelling usually, so Ningaloo Reef jumped out as a precedence.”
Mr Centanni stated the wildlife within the Cape Vary Nationwide Park had additionally been a spotlight.
“It is thrilling to see totally different mammals within the wild and I used to be fairly excited to search out that rock wallaby,” he stated.
“In comparison with different locations I have been in Australia thus far, which isn’t very many, it has a fairly cool backpacker scene. It is a actually good place to satisfy folks and there are a number of events.”
Huge crowds carry housing problem
The vacationer city swells in measurement from April to October, with as much as 20,000 folks visiting throughout the July Faculty Holidays.
Its recognition has been singled out as a driver of housing stress within the city which has pressured staff to sleep of their automobiles.
Ms Alton stated addressing lodging challenges remained a key precedence for the shire forward of a as soon as in 400-year photo voltaic eclipse in April subsequent yr.
The uncommon phenomenon is tipped to attract tens of 1000’s of individuals to Exmouth as one of many few accessible vantage factors around the globe.
“We’re engaged on establishing some extra lodging overflow campsites and house for RVs,” Ms Dalton stated.
“We actually need to have the ability to ship a tremendous occasion to everybody that involves Exmouth at the moment.”
WA Tourism Council CEO Evan Corridor stated Exmouth had been “going from power to power”.
“They’ve all the time had a very sturdy worldwide presence due to issues just like the whale sharks, that are a really distinctive providing,” stated Mr Corridor.
Additional south on WA’s coast, Denham was highlighted as a finalist for the Prime Tiny City class on the awards.
