TAMBORINE Mountain has earned another accolade for the Scenic Rim after Booking.com announced their top 10 list of most welcoming towns in Australia for 2022.
The 10th annual Traveller Review Awards revealed Maleny, QLD as the most welcoming town in Australia for the second year in a row, while Tasmania placed third in the most welcoming regions globally.
Possum Lodge at Cloudhill Estate was specifically named as a place to visit.
Possum Lodge owner Darren Stewart said he was delighted that Tamborine Mountain made the list.
"The mountain has magic," he said.
"There's a real village like atmosphere and we really do rely on tourism as our main industry.
"Welcoming visitors comes naturally to people up there ... we rely on the 1.3 million visitors coming up to the mountain every year.
"I also run the Cauldron gin distillery (on Tamborine Mountain) and for us, our customers are our bread and butter. If we weren't friendly we would be doing something wrong, I think."
Cr Derek Swanborough said after the Scenic Rim was named in Lonely Planet's top 10 regions to visit in 2022, it was his personal view that Tamborine Mountain deserved the extra recognition.
"I think they punch above their weight when it comes to tourism offerings and their welcoming and friendly attitude," he said.
"Tamborine Mountain especially Gallery Walk, is the most visited destination in all of the Scenic Rim.
"With COVID, we can see just from the visitation and the increased popularity up in our coffee shops, businesses and certainly in our scenic lookouts like the hang gliding lookout and others that hace a steady contingent of tourists every day."
Booking.com area manager for Australia, Melissa Ellison, said the country's award achievements highlighted the unwavering hospitality of Aussies, in the face of yet another year in the global pandemic.
"As the travel industry has remained vigilant and flexible in light of the continued uncertainty and travel restrictions we've seen over the course of the past year, the passion and dedication of our Australian partners to create safe and welcoming travel experiences for everyone across the nation has continued to shine through.
2022 Most Welcoming Towns in Australia
- Maleny , Queensland
- Mount Tamborine, Queensland
- Halls Gap, Victoria
- Denmark, Western Australia
- Margaret River Town, Western Australia
- Healesville, Victoria
- Warrnambool, Victoria
- Hervey Bay, Queensland
- Montville, Queensland
- Albany, Western Australia