The Central Coast’s 2024 tourism industry winners will be celebrated at an event hosted by Council Mayor Lawrie McKinna this week at the Central Coast Visitor Centre at The Entrance.

The celebration event recognises the significant contribution 20 award winning Central Coast businesses have made in raising the profile of the Central Coast through tourism and business excellence.

Mayor Lawrie McKinna said the array of awards showcases the dynamic and diverse range of local businesses and their outstanding achievements.

“I feel it is really important to recognise and publicly acknowledge what each of these businesses have achieved this year and hope that it will also build confidence for other businesses on the Coast, knowing that the Central Coast is winning awards nationally and internationally.”

Business award winners to be celebrated at the morning tea event, include fine dining restaurants, a brewery, distillery and winery, as well as popular major attractions, business events venues, arts and cultural festivals as well as international recognition for the growing list of eco-certified operators.

“The Central Coast visitor economy has without a doubt recovered post-pandemic with a renewed focus now on sustainable growth.

“The latest Destination NSW Central Coast Visitor Profile for year ending June 2024 reveals the value of the Central Coast visitor economy is increasingly prominent.

“Council applauds all the local businesses who are committed to the economic growth of the region through tourism and business excellence,” Mayor McKinna said.

Central Coast had a total of 5.3 million visitors, 5.8 million overnight stays with $1.4 billion injected into the local economy.  *Domestic overnight travel is +18.8%. The average stay is 2.6 nights with visitors spending an average of $500 per visitor.  

ReviewPro insights reveal excellent results for visitor experience and customer satisfaction in our Destination Central Coast Q1 report July-Sept 2024.

Using online reviews from 175+ sites, the online reputation for the Central Coast scored highly with Tourism Operators at 89%, Restaurants at 86% and ECO Certified Operators at 95%, demonstrating the high-quality tourism experiences and positive feedback generated for our region.

“I expect that in 2025, we will see a continuing number of awards being won by local businesses as well as Council’s own Destination Central Coast marketing arm,” Mayor McKinna said.

*Data source: 
Destination NSW Central Coast Visitor Profile: YE June 2024
Review Pro Reporting Destination Central Coast Q1 Report July - September 2024

Image:  Mount White 
Image credit:  James Horan