THE Redlands is in the running to become Queensland's Top Tourism Town.
The city has been named a finalist in the 2021 Queensland Tourism Industry Council Tourism Award Program, which recognises the state's outstanding destinations.
It is among 15 regions listed in the top towns category, with 22 more in the small towns section.
Competing against the Redlands are towns including Bribie, Stanthorpe, Tamborine Mountain and Noosa.
Towns will be given a score, 30 per cent of which is determined by tourism industry judges and 70 per cent by a public vote.
Each year more than 1.2 million visitors come to the Redlands, injecting $228 million into the economy and supporting more than 2000 jobs.
Mayor Karen Williams said the Redlands' tourism drawcards included the bay islands and Quandamooka culture.
"We are home to the world's second largest sand island, Minjerribah ... that is teeming with marine life, where you can swim with manta rays, watch whales from one of the best land-based whale watching [sites] in the southern hemisphere and spot turtles, dugongs and dolphins," she said.
"[The region] is also home to one of the world's oldest living cultures, with the Quandamooka people delivering immersive cultural tours and experiences for visitors and locals alike."
She said the city had 335 kilometres of coastline.
The Redlands is also home to the Grand View Hotel, Queensland's oldest licensed pub, and Sirromet Winery.
In March this year, a council tourism video won an international gong.
The video won the Best Cultural Tourism award in Japan World's Tourism Film Festival and was developed as part of a campaign to help the tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign was viewed more than 2.57 million times.
To cast your vote for Redlands Coast, visit the QTIC website.
Voting closes April 26. Winners will be announced in May. The state winners will represent Queensland at the national awards and have the opportunity to be named Australia's Top Tourism Town.
