The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney has been named the NSW Major Tourist Attraction of the Year for the second year in a row.
Announced last night at the NSW Tourism Awards, the back-to-back win was supported by a host of new and ongoing visitor initiatives from the Garden this year.
These include free Wi-Fi, a new smartphone app, a successful podcast series, a diverse range of major events, education and award-winning community programs such as Community Greening, internationally acclaimed horticulture attractions such as Pollination, Plants with Bite, and the new Southern Africa Garden.
Today the harbourside Garden is one of the Australia’s top tourism assets, receiving more than 5.43 million visits!
It’s also a major contributor to the wider community, contributing more than $140m to the NSW economy each year.
This award recognises the people behind the Garden: the educators, scientists, horticulturalists, volunteers, tourism and events specialists, maintenance staff and many more. Each and every day they showcase the beauty of Australia to the world, and for the local community.
To win the prestigious award the Garden was assessed against criteria including safety, customer service, quality, business planning, marketing, sustainability, and its commitment to tourism excellence through involvement in the tourism industry.
Founded by Governor Macquarie in 1816, the Garden has endured to become the oldest botanic garden and oldest living scientific institution in the country.
Today it is an oasis of lush lawns, specialty gardens, heritage buildings and natural beauty in the heart of the city, along with the picture-perfect harbour, Opera House and Harbour Bridge – is part of a family of must-see attractions for visitors to Sydney.
Last year the Garden was also named NSW’s 2017 NSW Major Tourist Attraction and took out Bronze nationally. It will again go on to represent NSW at the upcoming Australian Tourism Awards.