Albany’s Historic Whaling Station takes home silver and bronze awards from Qantas Australian Tourism Awards

Albany’s Historic Whaling Station has claimed national honours, bringing home two awards at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards on March 6. The popular attraction claimed silver for cultural tourism and bronze for tourist attraction, cementing its place as one of the country’s standout tourism experiences. The awards ceremony took place at the Fremantle Prison and brought together about 800 tourism leaders and industry representatives from across Australia. The ceremony recognised excellence across accommodation, experiences, events and regional tourism. Albany’s Historic Whaling Station chief executive Jen Bane said the awards recognised the staff’s dedication and the tourism experience at the Whaling Station. “It’s an incredibly exciting and proud moment for our entire team,” she said. “These awards recognise the passion and dedication of our staff, volunteers and community who have cared for this site for decades. “For a regional attraction in Albany to stand alongside Australia’s leading tourism experiences and bring home national awards is something everyone involved should feel proud of.” Ms Bane said the award for cultural tourism reflected the site’s commitment to truth-telling, while the award for tourist attraction recognised the diversity of the experience the Whaling Station offered for visitors. “For cultural tourism it really comes down to authentic truth-telling,” she said. “We share the full story of the whaling industry and its place in Albany’s history while caring for a site of significant national and international importance in human history. “For a tourist attraction, its the diversity of the experience. “Visitors can board the Cheynes IV whale chaser, explore immersive exhibitions, walk through the original whaling station, enjoy the wildlife park and gardens and take in incredible views over King George Sound.” Ms Bane said the awards had only motivated them to grow tourism opportunities at the station. “We will continue investing in the precinct, strengthening exhibitions and preserving the heritage assets that make this place so special,” she said. “We’re also looking forward to expanding the story we tell, incorporating current whale research, conservation science and new data so visitors can understand not only our past relationship with whales, but what that relationship looks like today and into the future. “Education around conservation, biodiversity and our oceans will continue to grow as part of the experience, among other things that visitors will just have to wait and see.” Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall congratulated the medallists and finalists and said their success highlighted the strength of WA’s tourism industry. “WA medallists at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards are a testament to the incredible depth of tourism product we have here, from Perth’s world-class city offering to the remarkable experiences found right across our regions,” he said. “Now is a perfect time to book a trip in WA and add these national award winners to the list of must-do experiences.” Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said the gold awards showed the dedication and effort businesses put into the tourism sector. “Every finalist was a gold recipient in their category before stepping on to the national stage, which speaks to the incredible talent, dedication and innovation across our tourism sector,” he said. “We’re thrilled to see our local operators celebrated nationally, showcasing why WA is is such a special place for visitors and business events.”