Another Hidden Jewel of Australian tourism has been uncovered, as Pop Sullivan’s Ross River Dam Boat Cruises takes out the OM4Tourism national award for 2009.

To be on the only boat on a vast lake, teeming with over 200 species of water birds and fringed by an Australian landscape of mountains and savannah, echoing with the ghosts of history …

Out of bounds to the public since it was created in 1976, the Ross River Dam area opened for cruises four years ago, but Townsville City Council would only allow one boat to operate on the lake, ensuring that Pop Sullivan’s tours remain truly unique.

The MV Kathleen Mary is dwarfed by the 160,000 hectares of water it cruises every Sunday – hard to believe it is right on the doorstep of Townsville, one of Queensland’s busiest centres.

The area is listed as a Wetland of National Significance, encapsulating the history of Australian settlement around its banks, and offering a showcase of bird life, with turtles often spotted lazing on the surface.

Passengers on the 12 metre, purpose-built, flat-decked vessel are guided through the history and fauna by Pop Sullivan, including visits to historic sites from the first station homestead to Chinese market gardens and early hotels.

Optional extras include hopping off the boat for a campfire singalong, and the boat is available for hire for functions, including weddings.

Already an award-winner in Northern Queensland, news of these very Australian guided cruises aboard the MV Kathleen Mary is spreading rapidly by word of mouth, leaving skipper Michael (Pop) Sullivan too busy to market the business.

The cruises have now achieved national recognition with this year’s national Hidden Jewel Awards, which aim to uncover relatively unknown gems of the Australian tourism industry.

The prize is designed to provide the marketing boost that will take the winning business to the next level – a customised website, fully optimised to attract target markets with online bookings functionality. So while his new website beavers away to bring in new business, Pop can continue to focus on what he does best – tour guiding.

Last year’s winner, fly-fishing tour operator Riverfly, has seen extraordinary growth in business since its new OM4Tourism website went live. Riverfly’s Daniel Hackett is on this year’s judging panel, and as a seasoned campaigner for the preservation of Tasmania’s wilderness, he is delighted to see a nature-based venture take out this year’s award.

The judging panel consists of tourism operators who have a proven track record of successfully building a business based on an effective web presence.

Drew Bernhardt is General Manager of Cape Lodge, a hotel in the Margaret River region that was awarded Luxury Travel Magazine’s Best Boutique Hotel in Australia for 2009.

Pip Chalk is Chair of Wildlife Tourism Australia, based in New South Wales.

Phil Walcott is a phenomenal online networker who manages the multi-award-winning Rainbow Connection – a resort hotel in Alice Springs, which took out the Northern Territory Hidden Jewel Award 2008.

Liz Hatherley is Marketing Manager of the Great Escape Charter Company, which runs small-boat luxury cruises around the stunning Kimberley Coast and to the Rowley Shoals.

The OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards, now in their third year, were developed by online marketing business, OM4, to give smaller tourism operators an opportunity to gain recognition.

OM4Tourism websites are designed for small to medium tourism businesses, with all the tools required to attract attention online, engage prospective customers and increase bookings.

Well, I managed to well and truly drop the ball this week with our Hidden Jewel awards.

Link: Hidden Jewel Awards 2009

Because of some delays (that with the beauty of 20:20 hindsight I might have avoided), the original closing date has been extended to 21 November (midnight EST). This should give enough time for those who wish to enter to register and answer the questions needed for an entry:

• Provide a profile of your business.
• Describe your main point of difference – what is unique or unusual about the experiences you offer?
• Supply three testimonials to support the quality of those experiences.
• List pages on your website that display images or information you would like to draw to the judges’ attention.
• What is the potential for your operation if you had more exposure and more visitors?

Apologies for any inconvenience caused through the delay, and good luck with your entries!

Press Release for the 2009 OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards

Hidden Jewel 2009 – win a tailored tourism website

The stakes are higher than ever for this year’s OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards, with one national winner set to take out one major prize.

The winner of the national Hidden Jewel Awards 2009 will receive a five-star website created by online tourism specialists, OM4Tourism.com

The judging panel will choose the winning entry based on answers to four questions submitted by small tourism operators from around the country.

This year’s entries will be subject to the scrutiny of five peer judges drawn from a cross-section of travel businesses and regions:

• Daniel Hackett won the national 2008 Hidden Jewel Award for his Tasmanian fly-fishing tours, Riverfly.
• Drew Bernhardt is General Manager of Cape Lodge, a hotel in the Margaret River region that was awarded Luxury Travel Magazine’s Best Boutique Hotel in Australia for 2009.
• Pip Chalk is Chair of Wildlife Tourism Australia, based in New South Wales.
• Phil Walcott manages the multi-award-winning Rainbow Connection – a resort hotel in Alice Springs, which took out the Northern Territory Hidden Jewel Award 2008. He is also Northern Territory Director of GALTA (Gay and Lesbian Tourism Australia).
• Liz Hatherley is Marketing Manager of the Great Escape Charter Company, which runs small-boat luxury cruises around the stunning Kimberley Coast and to the Rowley Shoals.

This year’s lucky Hidden Jewel winner will be able to choose to set up a brand new site, or have their existing one completely revamped and restructured for greater success.

Either way, they will get everything a small tourism business dreams of – a dedicated team to create an attention-grabbing site tailored to suit their unique needs.

Demand for OM4Tourism’s websites is growing rapidly among tourism operators looking for detailed attention to design, functionality and optimisation.

“Switching to an OM4 website has been the best business decision I’ve made over my five years of operating guided Tasmanian fly fishing trips,” said 2008 winner, Daniel Hackett.

“In 18 months, my OM4 website has generated five times the visitation rates of my previous website, which has been the key catalyst for substantial business growth in a competitive industry.”

The Hidden Jewel winner will also have access to OM4Tourism’s online education and resource centre, to enable them to maintain complete control over their own website.

The OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards is now in its third year, and has provided recognition to smaller businesses that don’t have the resources to submit entries to state tourism awards.

“One of the benefits of these awards are the many jewels in the Australian tourism industry that otherwise remain hidden from the limelight,” said OM4Tourism Director, Glenn Nicholas.

“Yet it is often boutique accommodation or guided tours that visitors treasure most about their holiday. At OM4Tourism we believe in helping these important little gems compete in one of Australia’s largest and most exciting industries.”

To enter the Awards, tourism businesses simply answer four questions in less than 100 words each, and provide relevant links to pages on their existing website, or other websites that represent their business.

Timeline

The Awards are now open. Tourism businesses can find out more and register to enter the awards at this link: Hidden Jewel Registration

Entries must be received by midnight EST on Saturday 14 November *UPDATE* Saturday 21 November, 2009.

The Hidden Jewel winner for 2009 will be announced on Monday 30 November on the OM4Tourism website.

For more information, please contact:
Jane Hammond jane@om4.com.au
Glenn Nicholas glenn@om4.com.au