Monday 21 September 2026
Moreton Bay’s growing tourism industry will be strongly represented at this year’s Queensland Tourism Awards, with six local businesses, events and organisations named among the state’s finalists.
The Moreton Bay finalists are: Tourism and Events Moreton Bay Volunteer Group; Visit Moreton Bay; Abbey Medieval Festival; Brisbane Whale Watching; Pranafest and Aqua Warrior.
Tourism and Events Moreton Bay CEO Luke Edwards said the strong showing reflected the growing depth and quality of the region’s visitor economy.
“To have six Moreton Bay finalists represented across events, experiences, destination marketing and visitor services is a great result for the region and recognition of the people and organisations continuing to raise the bar for tourism in Moreton Bay,” Edwards said.
“Moreton Bay is evolving quickly as a destination. We’re seeing strong growth in visitation, increased investment in tourism infrastructure and a growing number of operators developing experiences that can compete on a state and national stage.
“These awards provide an important opportunity to benchmark against the best in Queensland, and being named a finalist is an achievement in itself.”
The announcement continues a strong run for the region, with Abbey Medieval Festival returning as a finalist after taking home Gold at the 2025 Queensland Tourism Awards.
Moreton Bay has also recorded significant recent growth in international tourism, with the latest available Tourism Research Australia data showing more than 2.3 million international visitor nights in the region in 2024–25, an increase of more than 426,000 nights on the previous year.
Edwards said recognition through the Queensland Tourism Awards helped strengthen the profile of both individual operators and the destination as a whole.
“Every strong tourism business, event and experience adds to the story we can tell about Moreton Bay,” he said.
“Our role at Tourism and Events Moreton Bay is to build awareness and demand for the destination, but ultimately it is the quality of the experiences visitors have when they arrive that builds reputation, drives repeat visitation and creates long-term value for the region.
“We congratulate all six finalists and look forward to seeing Moreton Bay represented alongside some of Queensland’s leading tourism businesses in November.”
The winners will be announced at the 2026 Queensland Tourism Awards Gala on Friday 6 November on the Gold Coast, as part of Tourism Week.
Ends.
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