PORT Fairy has taken out the Top Small Tourism Town award (population between 1500 and 5000) for the second year in a row at Victorian Tourism Council’s Top Tourism Town Awards, and the town has now been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The awards, hosted by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), were presented in Healesville on Wednesday night and aim to recognise and celebrate towns that provide an outstanding visitor experience, with 18 finalists competing for the top award.

Moyne mayor, Cr Ian Smith, said it was an incredible achievement for Port Fairy to win the award for two consecutive years as it reflected the huge efforts of Council’s visitor services team and the local community.

“These awards recognise the hard work and commitment of our tourism operators, local businesses and the community, and is a significant win for not only the town of Port Fairy, but the broader region as well,” he said.

“It really is a reflection on the efforts everyone puts in to make Port Fairy and the Moyne region an outstanding destination people want to visit.

“The tourism sector has had a pretty rough couple of years, so awards like this will help us recover and rebound stronger than ever.”

The prize for the Top Small Tourism Town Award includes a $10,000 television advertising package, which Cr Smith said would be helpful in promoting Port Fairy and the south-west region to a wider Victorian and interstate audience.

“We saw last year there were increased enquiries and bookings after this award win – so we are expecting the same this year,” he said.

“Those enquiries coming through gives us the opportunity to promote not just Port Fairy, but everything that is on offer across Moyne.”

Timboon in the Corangamite Shire was awarded Silver in the newly introduced Top Tiny Tourism Town award (population under 1500), with Cr Smith extending his congratulations to all those involved.

“These don’t only benefit the town whose name is on the trophy – we work really closely as a whole region to attract people here and encourage them to move around to experience everything we have to offer,” he said.

“So to have two of these awards going to south-west towns is fantastic news and will have a knock effect on for everyone.”

VTIC chief executive, Felicia Mariani, said the awards showcased the diverse range of regional destinations in Victoria and the economic impact tourism brings to these towns.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of our regional towns and centres across Victoria,” she said. 

“The reliance on the visitor economy was brought home during extended lockdowns when all businesses, not just tourism businesses, were deeply impacted.

“These awards celebrate the commitment of destinations right across Victoria to delivering the very best experiences, ensuring they create magical memories for their visitors to cherish.”

Port Fairy is one of three Victorian Gold winners that will go on to compete for the coveted title of Australia’s Top Tourism Town in their respective categories, which will be announced in the next few months.

Cr Smith said he was hopeful Port Fairy would take out the overall prize in the Top Small Tourism Town category later in the year.

“Now we are off to the national awards later in the year and aiming to go one better that last year and bring home the gold as Australia’s top tourist town,” he said.

The Top Tourism Town Awards are delivered by VTIC in partnership with the Department of Transport, Prime7, Storytowns, Time Out Melbourne, and Victoria University.