Hall of Fame & Golden Awards for Urunga Riverside Resort
Published on 09 February 2022
The Urunga Riverside Holiday Resort has received one of the greatest accolades a NSW tourism operator can achieve by winning two Gold Awards in the ‘Excellence in Tourism’ and ‘Self Contained Accommodation’ categories at the recent NSW Tourism Awards held Thursday 03rd February 2022.
Bellingen Shire Council Mayor, Cr Stephen Allan, said the NSW Tourism Awards celebrated tourism operators from across the state that demonstrated a commitment towards business excellence, exceptional customer service and continuous improvement.
“That’s why the resort was also inducted into the NSW Tourism Award’s ‘Hall of Fame’ in acknowledgement of their continued efforts to provide and develop inclusive tourism services and accommodation opportunities for our community and visitors to our Shire.”
“This isn’t the first time however that their commitment towards providing inclusive tourism opportunities has been recognised, with the resort having received several awards during recent years, including Council’s own ‘Ian J. Cooper Award’ for access and inclusion.”
Cr Allan said the resort had also won the ‘Local Tourism Hero’ Award at the North Coast Tourism Awards held in Urunga mid-last year, in recognition of the role the resort played during the bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic by providing emergency accommodation for those in need.
“The resort opened its doors to displaced travellers, provided shelter to victims of domestic violence and free accommodation for staff during the bushfires, and they also accommodated health workers that needed to isolate from their families during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s fantastic to see their efforts publicly recognised, and it makes you proud to know that we have local businesses in our Shire that will lead by example and work together with our community so we can be in a strong position to provide local responses to the challenges we face.
“It’s also a win-win situation for our community when local businesses like the Urunga Riverside Holiday Resort invest in developing tourism assets that attract additional investment and economic growth to our Shire, and I congratulate them on their well-earned wins.”