Montville seeks welcome recognition, president urges people to vote online

13 Apr

**“We made the finals. Now we need your vote!” says Montville Chamber of Commerce President Shiralee Cooper.**

**Welcome to Montville … the town is in the running for a top gong.**

The finalists are in for Queensland’s Top Tourism Town. And Montville is one of the 22 towns in the running for the “Small Town” category.

Hosted by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) the initiative recognises and celebrates towns that offer an amazing visitor experience.

A win would substantiate Montville’s 5th placing earlier this year in Booking.com’s Top 10 Most Welcoming Destinations in Australia.

Chamber of Commerce president Shiralee Cooper praised the tight-knit community for coming together at the last minute to organise a “stunning submission”.

“What is remarkable is that we put our entry together in quick time on a shoestring budget,” she said. “Many of the other entries were supported by local government and local tourism bodies.

“We were blessed by having so many people give their time to assist us in pulling this rabbit out of the hat.

“Our small team included Alan Dryden, Lynn Fallon, Xochi Khan and Tamara Large and was assisted by many to make this happen. Andrew Fairbairn of Visit Sunshine Coast encouraged us to have a go. We had great support from Hinterland Tourism Sunshine Coast (HTSC),” she said.

Ms Cooper praised the outstanding contribution of Peter Bellingham Photography who provided his time and inspiring footage.

“Peter Hook came up with an original draft for our editorial, Lynn from Mystic Mountain Tours designed our Itinerary, Angus Richard narrated our script which was then synched with the video by Kathryn at Tony Lawrence’s SoundMotion Maleny. All of these people and many more generously gave of their time.

“It was a most enjoyable adventure creating a Montville promo. Now we need the community to back our entry and vote for Montville as the Top Tourism Town in the small town section.”

QTIC Chief Executive, Daniel Gschwind, said the Awards showcased the great and diverse destinations of Queensland.

“With the current focus on domestic tourism, now is the time to draw attention to our regional destinations and to put the spotlight on our tourism operators and communities who keep our regions thriving.

The winner of the Top Small Tourism Town Award (population below 5000) will receive a $7500 Tourism Consultancy and Development Package provided by The Tourism Group.

The winners of the Awards will be decided by the public with voting open until 26 April.

Cast your vote and go into the running to win a $2000 Apollo Motorhome travel package.

• You can vote for Montville here ... www.qtic.com.au/top-tourism-award/top-town-voting/

Small Towns finalists:

Agnes Water 1770, Airlie Beach, Boonah, Canungra, Cunnamulla, Eumundi, Georgetown, Ingham, Karumba, Kuranda, Longreach, Montville, Mount Morgan, Orchid Beach, Quilpie, Rainbow Beach, Richmond, St George, Thargomindah, Winton, Woodford, Yungaburra.