Tourism Bay of Plenty has won the inaugural Regional Tourism New Zealand Supreme Award.
The Regional Tourism New Zealand's inaugural Awards were announced at a cocktail function in Auckland on Wednesday. The supreme award recognised the Regional Tourism Organisation that achieved the most significant results in the last year, with Tourism Bay of Plenty named a stand out recipient in 2018.
Tourism Bay of Plenty achieved the levels of funding required to incorporate a destination management element into their organisation as well as continuing to promote their region as a visitor destination.
Regional Tourism New Zealand executive officer Charlie Ives said Tourism Bay of Plenty's transformation into a destination management organisation was no easy feat.
"They recognised the need to take tourism in their region to the next level, connecting with the local community along the way to look for long term solutions to managing tourism growth in a sustainable way," he said.