Southern tourism operator claims national award
“The calibre of nominations this year was outstanding with some very close scoring.”
Enter your email address to get each Southland Tribune edition sent to your email inbox.
A prominent southern tourism company has been celebrated at the 2024 Tourism Export Council’s Operator of the Year Awards held in Invercargill on Wednesday night.
RealNZ, which has tourism operations in Southland and Queenstown, was named the winner of the Large Allied Operator of the Year Award.
RealNZ has a diverse portfolio that includes Milford Sound experiences. The organisation also won the Operator of the Year award in 2013.
The Tourism Export Council’s Operator of the Year Awards and YoungTEC Awards were held as part of the TECNZ Conference being held at the Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill this week.
It is the first time the conference has been held in Invercargill.
Four of New Zealand’s top tourism businesses, one industry leader and two promising YoungTEC individuals were recognised as the best in the business at the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand’s (TECNZ) Awards.
The sought after TECNZ Operator of the Year Awards are nominated and voted for by members.
They recognise excellence in terms of quality, professional development for team, health and safety, sustainability, business systems, and outstanding visitor experiences.
For the first time this year, there have been separate awards for small and large businesses in each category.
The YoungTEC Awards recognise outstanding efforts and contribution to the development of New Zealand’s tourism industry. They are based on an application and interview process supported by Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand.
TECNZ chief executive Lynda Keene said: “The calibre of nominations this year was outstanding with some very close scoring.”
The winners of the 2024 TECNZ Operator of the Year Awards are:
Small Inbound Operator of the Year Award – New Zealand Educational Tours
Large Inbound Operator of the Year Award – Southern Crossings
Small Allied Operator of the Year Award – Gannet Safaris Overland
Large Allied Operator of the Year Award – RealNZ
Good Sort – Cecil Potatau
The winners of the 2024 YoungTEC Awards are:
YoungTEC Emerging Leader – Charlotte Brady
YoungTEC Rising Star – William Cannon