Why Entering Tourism Awards is a Win-Win for Your Business

First published on April 18, 2023
Last updated on August 18, 2023
Three key benefits from entering the Tourism Awards and how to leverage the opportunity for business growth.

Are you a tourism operator looking to boost your business and gain recognition for your hard work and dedication? Have you considered entering tourism awards? If not, then this is the perfect time to weigh up the reasons why you should.  Participating in tourism awards can offer numerous benefits for your business and destination beyond just winning a trophy. In this article, I will turn back the clock to my journey as a tourism operator at a time when I was managing the leading Australian hot air ballooning business, Global Ballooning. I recorded a video the morning after being awarded ‘finalist’ for the fourth year in a row. Yes, after not winning consecutively for four years, I turned my disheartenment into an opportunity for further development. You can watch my ‘morning after’ video where I documented my learnings in this video

Ten years on, the feelings I have about the benefits of entering the tourism awards are still just as true and relevant today as they were for me in 2012.

In the spirit of launching our own Tourism Tribe Mentoring solution for you to have access to professional writers, judges and award specialists I wanted to share and further explore the three key benefits of entering tourism awards that go beyond the need to win, including the opportunity to learn, build team morale, and gain insights from tourism leaders.

 

1. Let go of the need to win and embrace the need to learn

While winning an award can be a fantastic accomplishment, the real value of entering tourism awards lies in the process itself.

  • Writing an award submission requires a thoughtful reflection on your business, its achievements, and its challenges. It forces you to critically evaluate your operations, marketing strategies, and customer service, and identify areas for improvement. Through this process, you gain a deeper understanding of your business, its strengths, and weaknesses, and you can develop strategies to address them.
  • Additionally, the feedback you receive from judges who read and evaluate your awards submission can be invaluable. It provides an outsider’s perspective and can highlight areas where your business can improve.
  • Embracing the need to learn from the awards process can help you identify growth opportunities, enhance your business practices, and stay ahead of the competition.

2. Ultimate team-building activity

Entering tourism awards can also be the ultimate team-building activity for your business.

  • It requires collaboration and coordination among team members to gather data, prepare documentation, and craft a compelling submission. It can foster a sense of camaraderie and pride amongst your team as they work towards a common goal. Let’s not forget to mention the opportunity to glam up and attend the night of nights in your State, which can be a fantastic team building opportunity, as your team celebrates all that they’ve achieved and have the opportunity to cheer for and support other operators in your destination.
  • As you go through the awards process, you may discover untapped talents and skills within your team members that can be utilised in other areas of your business. It also provides an opportunity for team members to engage in professional development and learn from each other’s expertise.
  • The experience of working together towards a common goal can strengthen team dynamics and boost morale, creating a positive and motivated work environment.
Tourism Tribe team at Queensland Tourism Awards
Tourism Tribe team at Queensland Tourism Awards in formal evening wear. They have the Warner Bros characters Tweety Bird to the left and Bugs Bunny on the right.

3. Opportunity to learn from tourism leaders

Participating in tourism awards provides a unique opportunity to learn from industry leaders. Judges in tourism awards are typically experts in the field and have a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their feedback and comments on your submission can provide valuable insights into industry best practices, trends, and benchmarks.

  • By engaging with these tourism leaders, you can gain valuable feedback on your business strategies, marketing approaches, and customer service, which can help you refine your operations and stay ahead in the competitive tourism industry. You can also establish relationships with these leaders, expand your network, and potentially open doors to new opportunities.
  • Fun fact in the last decade: we never gave up at Global Ballooning. We went on to win three years in a row and be inducted into the Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame… a true story of not giving up.
  • By continuously entering the tourism awards, it offered our tour operation more than just the opportunity to win a trophy. As it was for the team at Global Ballooning and many other entrants, it can be a valuable learning experience for your business, to promote team-building amongst your team, and receive valuable insights from industry leaders.

So, if you’re looking to take your tourism business to the next level, consider entering tourism awards this year and unlock the benefits that go beyond the need to win, and unlock your potential to learn.

Need some guidance and championing along the way?

Our team of past winners, writers, judges, and tourism award die-hard ambassadors can provide cost-effective tourism-award mentoring solutions to assist you in crafting an award-winning submission. Take advantage of the opportunity to elevate your business and gain well-deserved recognition in the tourism industry!

You will find more information about our tourism awards mentoring solutions on the tourism awards product page here.

We we wish you all the very best for all the learnings the tourism awards have to offer your business and career.

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