01 December 2005
Children’s Garden wins major tourism award
The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne has been named the best tourism operator in the New Tourism Development category at the Melbourne Airport 2005 Victorian Tourism Awards.
The prestigious Awards salute the tourism industry’s leading operators, businesses and individuals. They give the industry an essential boost, reinforcing the enormous value of tourism to the community, highlighting the great experiences on offer across the State and recognising the hard work of tourism operators.
Dr Philip Moors, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, said: “We are thrilled to win this major award for our new garden.
“The Royal Botanic Gardens has long wanted to create a natural experience for children that will inspire happy memories and develop a life-long appreciation and interest in plants and gardens. We are delighted to have been recognised as a major new tourism development.
“The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden is a garden, not a playground, especially designed for children and is the only one of its kind in Australia. It is a magical place where children can come and dig, build, imagine, create, hide... and discover the world of plants.“
Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos congratulated The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden for its achievement.
“The awards process is not an easy one, nor is it meant to be,” Mr Pandazopoulos said. “The Awards recognise people striving for excellence- it’s not about being first past the post.”
As a Victorian Tourism Awards-winner, the Children’s Garden is now automatically entered into the 2005/06 Australian Tourism Awards to be held on the Gold Coast in February to compete against the best in each State and Territory.
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