Tourism operator soars at awards

A Kimberley-based tourism operator has stolen the show on a national scale after winning big at the annual Australian Tourism Awards.

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures was the big winner at the March 1 ceremony in Launceston, winning gold medals in three categories: Tourist Attractions; Unique Accommodation; and Adventure Tourism.

The family-owned and operated company was also inducted into the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame in the Adventure Tourism category.

The national success comes on the back of huge wins at the Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards in November, where they won gold medals in the same categories and were inducted into the WA Tourism Hall of Fame.

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures owner Troy Thomas said it was exciting to win three gold medals, representing both the Kimberley region and WA.

“It certainly seems that tourism in WA is on the move with the success we had at the ceremony,” he said.

“It was great to showcase WA over in Tasmania and really tell everyone about what’s on offer over on the West coast.

“It’s a massive milestone for us to win three awards in the same night and be inducted into the hall of fame.”

Mr Thomas said he wanted to maintain the high standards of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures and continue to push the Kimberley region as a tourism hotspot.

“I think people are most attracted to come to Horizontal Falls to see the beautiful scenery and experience what we have on offer,” he said.

“We certainly try to give people a unique experience with the seaplane and the Horizontal Hotel and we have a very enthusiastic crew that’s always there to have a chat.”

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures was one of six WA-based tourism operators to strike gold at the Australian Tourism Awards, winning eight out of 25 categories collectively.

Kimberley Quest won gold for Tour and Transport Operators; Albany’s Beach House at Bayside won gold in Hosted Accommodation; Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences won the Qantas Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism; Swan Valley Visitor Centre won the Visitor Information Services award; and Two Feet & A Heartbeat also struck gold.