Christchurch Casino wins NZ's supreme tourism award

Christchurch Casino has picked up the Air New Zealand Supreme Award in the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards - announced in Auckland last night (14.10.10). 

 

Judges of the award said that Christchurch Casino was a business that put innovative workplace training at the heart of its culture, and as a result had increased staff loyalty, competitiveness and "customer delight". 

 

The supreme award was presented by NZ Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mr John Key. Christchurch Casino also won the ATTTO Tourism Workplace Training Award. 

 

The judges commented that "innovation is across the whole organisation (Christchurch Casino) and it shows results". 

 

Inspirational tourism 

The judges for this year’s Tourism Industry Awards said the high calibre of finalists for 2010 meant that selecting winners often came down to the wire. 

 

"It is great to see that our winners come from regions across the country and range from large companies with hundreds of employees to family run operations. Our inspirational winners show that being small is no deterrent to running a savvy and successful tourism business," said the judges. 

 

Other notable winners include Wellington’s Bolton Hotel (Westpac Hotel Award), YHA Wellington City (Backpacker Award), and Auckland’s Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World (Tourism New Zealand Innovative Marketing Award) . 

 

Lochmara Lodge Wildlife Recovery and Arts Centre, in the Marlborough Sounds, won the DOC Conservation in Action Award.

Eastland’s colourful new year festival Rhythm and Vines won the Festival / Event Award. 

 

Thinking outside the box 

The theme for the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards was innovation for success, and judges were looking for tourism operators and companies that thought outside the box and had successfully implemented their ideas. 

 

In the case of Christchurch Casino, the judges were impressed with its comprehensive training programme, which gave the 600 staff a clear career path and encouraged a culture of idea sharing and initiative. 

 

"Christchurch Casino is an outstanding tourism business that clearly shows the link between a quality, innovative training approach and delivering an unforgettable and positive customer experience - win or lose. Its performance is all the more impressive when you consider the highly regulated environment in which it operates," said the judges. 

 

Outstanding Cantabrians 

Two other Cantabrians also won distinguished individual awards - Wally Stone, the chairman of Whale Watch Kaikoura and an ex-Tourism New Zealand board member and chairman, won the Horwarth HTL Sir Jack Newman Award for his innovative contribution to tourism throughout a highly notable career in the industry. 

 

Ryan Sanders, the owner and director of Haka Tours, won the PATA Young Tourism Entrepreneur Award. Haka Tours is a Canterbury-based operator offering visitors guided adventure and snow tours in the region. Sanders also recently purchased Haka Lodge, a boutique ‘flash packer’ lodge in Christchurch. 

 

Conservation in action 

Lochmara Lodge Wildlife Recovery and Arts Centre, in the South Island’s Marlborough region, won the much-coveted DOC Conservation in Action Award - given to operators that show innovation, initiative and a strong commitment towards running an environmentally-friendly business. 

 

Lochmara Lodge, located on the shores of Queen Charlotte Sound, combines conservation with art and luxury. Judges said owners Louise and Shayne Olsen had created a haven for visitors with a great deal of respect and sensitivity towards the natural environment. 

 

Lochmara was the first private conservation area open to the public in the Marlborough Sounds, and works closely with the Department of Conservation and local Māori iwi / tribe on conservation projects.

The owners and staff have created a Wildlife Recovery and Arts Centre - a tourism attraction that combines art and wildlife for mutual benefit.

Place to be 

The annual Rhythm & Vines Festival - ranked by international media as one of ‘the’ places to be on New Year’s Eve - was named as New Zealand's top festival / event.

Now in its eighth year, Eastland’s Rhythm & Vines Festival has grown from a one-day festival for 1500 people, into a three-day extravaganza with 20,000 attendees and a multi-million dollar production featuring major international acts.