Celebrating Australian tourism businesses

Congratulations to the winners of the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

The 25 winners and more than 200 finalists deserve our praise for their passion and commitment to the tourism industry.

Propelled by the hard-working businesses honoured at these awards, Australian tourism is breaking records.

In the last 12 months, Australia welcomed 8.19 million international visitors who spent $38.8 billion.

Australia's export tourism industry is now more valuable to the national economy than coal or rural exports.

The continued passion and commitment from the hard-working Australians honoured tonight is crucial to further growth and attracting more visitors to Australia.

The more tourists that visit Australia, the more jobs that are created for Australians.

One in 12 Australians currently work in the tourism industry which is worth $120 billion, contributes $53 billion to Australia's GDP and is a key driver of the national economy.

Held in Darwin for the first time in its 30-year history, the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards provided a fantastic opportunity to shine the spotlight on the Northern Territory as a premier tourism destination.

In the past year, the Northern Territory recorded a 23 per cent increase in visitors and 35 per cent increase in visitor spend, strengthening the local economy and driving jobs.