Whitsunday tour operator, Ocean Rafting, won both a silver and bronze award at the Queensland Tourism Awards 2019 held on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, winning the awards for the Major Tour and Transport Operator and Adventure Tourism categories respectively. The win follows recent success at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards, where Ocean Rafting won gold in the Adventure Tourism category. Sister company, Ocean Safari, based in Cape Tribulation, also came home with a bronze award in the Tour and Transport Operator category, bringing the tally to three gongs on the night.
Owners Peter and Jan Claxton attended the Queensland Tourism Awards 2019 ceremony and spoke proudly of their achievements in the three different categories. “We are so full of pride for our teams in both the Whitsundays and Cape Tribulation and they are such an integral part of the business. Both Ocean Rafting and Ocean Safari offer such unique experiences for guests and they are constantly evolving and growing. Our staff play such a big part in all of this and absolutely love what they do and the beautiful natural playgrounds they visit every day,” said Ms Claxton.
“While there has still been challenges for many tourism operators this year, it was wonderful to see so many Queensland tourism businesses come together to celebrate what this beautiful state has to offer and we pass on our congratulations to all the other winners and finalists.”
It has been another big year of growth for both Ocean Rafting and Ocean Safari. Ocean Rafting launched new aviation experiences and welcomed its seventh vessel, while Ocean Safari has continued to develop its land based operations, Safari Lodge and the Turtle Rock Café, to complement their Great Barrier Reef adventure, encompassing an entire Daintree rainforest retreat for guests to eat, stay and play.
“After 22 years operating Ocean Rafting and 11 years operating Ocean Safari, we are still growing and have another exciting year ahead with many new developments in the pipeline. We would really like to thank everyone for supporting us over the years,” said Ms Claxton.
