"We were very surprised to get the award. We thought there were so many other great businesses which had entered," she said.
Mr Wickham said they thought they had a better chance in the tourism section but were more than happy to get a highly commended recognition.
Whanganui Scenic Experience Jet started out with a little four-seater jet boat but has since bought a 20-seater to cater for larger tour parties.
"Without a boat that big, it would mean we'd have to have at least two smaller boats on the river to handle the numbers and that means having more staff," he said.
They said the business was growing slowly but Mrs Wickham said there were some challenges.
"One of the most common comments we get is if they'd only known about Whanganui and what it has to offer they would have stayed longer."
She said getting Whanganui a greater profile was one of the reasons that prompted her to get involved with Visit Whanganui, an arm of Whanganui and Partners which is the district council's economic development body.
"We want to try and drive that message and attract more people to Whanganui. That's the biggest challenge for any tourism business here.
"We keep hearing that tourism numbers are growing, and they are nationally, but not so much in the regions. It's the same challenge all regions face outside of the main tourism areas.
"Taranaki was named by the Lonely Planet as the best region in the country but, if you ask operators in that province, they'll tell you they face the same issues we do," Mrs Wickham said.
Their tours offer a variety of options but on all of them they stop and explore historic and cultural places of interest.
Trips are fashioned depending on how much time customers want to spend.
They include short trips through the Atene Bush, canoe expeditions, day trips to the Bridge to Nowhere, or three-day tours exploring the river as far north as Taumarunui.