Daintree Eco Lodge named World’s Best
Posted by editor (editor) on Nov 19 2009
2009 >>

Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor and Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Steve Wettenhall congratulated Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa for winning World’s Best Eco Lodge and Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel at the 2009 World Travel Awards in London on the weekend.

Mr Lawlor said it was a stunning result for the Tropical North Queensland property.

“The World Travel Awards are described by the Wall Street Journal as the 'Oscars' of the global travel and tourism industry,” Mr Lawlor said.

“The win follows a vote by 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in more than 160 countries across the globe.

“Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa outclassed entries from first-class lodges in Kenya, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Malaysia and Sri Lanka to take out these accolades at the 16th annual awards.

“In the World Category, the lodge shared a win with only one other Australian product– Bondi Beach, for the World’s Leading Beach – and this means the property was the only privately-run Australian enterprise to win at this level.

Steve Wettenhall, also the Member for Barron River, said the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa had a distinctive combination of ecotourism, unique spa and Indigenous cultural experiences nestled in the World Heritage listed Daintree rainforest which makes it a shining light for tourism in Queensland.

“I applaud Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa’s operators Terry and Cathy Maloney for this wonderful achievement," Mt Wettenhall said.

"The fantastic results at the World Travel Awards follow the lodge’s win in the 2009 SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards, where it beat 15,000 other global hotel, resort, and destination spas to take out World’s Best Environmental Spa and World’s Best Boutique Spa accolades.

“Altogether, the lodge has won 10 major awards for excellence this year, including for spa, health and wellness, eco, nature, green and travel experiences.

Mr Lawlor said their awards raise awareness of Queensland and help Tourism Queensland market the kinds of experiences that they and other operators in the state offer to consumers.

“Tourism Queensland markets four distinct themes which capture a range of Queensland tourism experiences and destinations: ‘islands and beaches’, ‘natural encounters’, ‘adventure’ and ‘Queensland lifestyle’," he said.

“As part of this approach, Tourism Queensland in part focuses on eco and Indigenous tourism experiences directly through a range of PR, marketing and development activities and works with tourism operators throughout the state, including Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa.”

Last changed: Nov 19 2009 at 9:17 AM