Quest Griffith and Limone Dining were noted among two of the best in the region. 

Finalists across across 14 categories included tourism businesses, restaurants, wineries, and accommodation providers. 

The Griffith accommodation providor took out Gold in the Deluxe Accommodation category, while Limone netted a silver prize for its excellence among tourism restaurants and catering services. Quest’s Joshua Nadzielski said it was nice to be recognised. 

“It’s nice to be able to drive back with the trophy for the team. The team works so hard. They were real drivers behind the scenes, making sure we’re nominating,” he said. 

“All these are awards are self-nominated. It takes time, but the team get a lot of benefit out of being recognised for the hard work they do. It’s not always commonplace in hospitality.”

Mr Nadzielski said tourism awards gave MIA businesses the opportunity to promote themselves regionally. 

RELATED:

“There’s definitely opportunity for better exposure for Griffith as a tourism area. There are so many businesses around Griffith that are up and rising,” he said. 

“It’s great exposure and marketing, to be up against some of the more established tourism businesses. It’s also a chance to learn learn from competition and filter off that.” 

While Luke Piccolo unable to collect his silver gong in person as he is travelling overseas, proud parents Peter and Rosa were able to attend the awards on the restaurant’s behalf.

All category winners from Saturday night’s regional awards automatically become finalists in the NSW tourism awards, set to be held in Sydney. 

Destination Riverina Murray general manager Richie Robinson praised the opportunity for businesses to put themselves forward. He says it’s also a great way for industry members to network and learn from each other. 

“All winners and finalists are to be congratulated for their efforts to enhance the Riverina Murray region’s profile as a leading regional destination.”

For Mr Nadzielski, diversity in the town’s accommodation options often have a flow on affect. 

“It now lands us with a premium place people want to travel and stay. They might have been placed outside Griffith beforehand,” he said. 

“We can now capture a lot of them. We’re well placed between Wagga and Albury and we can now capture overflow. It they stay here, they need to eat, dine and entertain. It’s definitely advantageous for the whole economy.”