The 39th annual Queensland Tourism Awards Gala was hosted in Brisbane this Friday night, where
the excellence of individuals and businesses statewide was recognised for their exceptional accomplishments! Ocean Rafting celebrated their success by bringing home two awards: gold in
Major Tourism and Transport and bronze in Adventure Tourism.
At the gala event, Ocean Rafting joined a contingent of Whitsunday operators, showcasing
Queensland’s phenomenal tourism offerings.
Kerr Claxton, operations manager and youngest of a three-generational family-owned and operated
business, represented the team alongside marketing “superstar” Nathan and office manager
Jasmin.
Without their fearless leaders, the speech was led by Nathan. “We’re still proudly owned and
operated, with three generations actively involved in the business. With 28 years of operation, we
have had the pleasure of welcoming over 2.5 million visitors to explore the Whitsundays by boat or
plane and showcase one of Australia’s top destinations”, said Nate.
“Our award wouldn’t be possible without our agents, suppliers, partners, the Whitsunday
community, Tourism Whitsundays, TEQ, QTIC, and of course, our incredible team, and I would like
to extend a huge thank you to you all”. Said Nate
“It was an exciting night for the Whitsundays, with many of our region’s operators getting
comfortable on the podium. The Whitsundays should be extremely proud of the unforgettable
experiences they offer that showcase our backyard.” Said Jan.
“I have been fortunate enough to be a part of Ocean Rafting since I could walk, and to witness the
growth over the years and sit where we are today brings me a great honour to accept this award on
behalf of my family and team”, said Kerr
I am incredibly proud of what we do and acknowledge that this would not be possible without our
Ocean Rafting team, past and present, our leading industry partners, our amazing community, and
our local and international agents. So, I extend a big thank you to all you mentioned, and I look
forward to our future operations. Said Kerr.
Ocean Rafting’s win follows recent success at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards, where the team
won gold in the ‘Major Tour & Transport’ and silver in the ‘Adventure Tourism’ categories and was
also acknowledged as the Whitsundays’ favourite tourism experiences in the consumer-voted
‘People’s Choice Award Experience’. The wins had the team entering the Hall of Fame, an
achievement for three years of gold in the “Major Tour & Transport” category and three years of
“People’s Choice Award Experience”.
