Nan Tien Temple, Shellharbour Visitors Centre, Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club, Lagoon Seafood Restaurant, The Sebel Harbourside Kiama and the Kiama Show were among the winners at the South Coast Tourism Awards in Batemans Bay on Wednesday.
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The annual awards take in an area from Helensburgh in the north to Eden in the south and the industry contributes $2.1 billion a year to the South Coast economy and directly employs more than 19,700 people.
The Lagoon Seafood Restaurant was named Best Tourism Restaurant, Nan Tien Temple won the award for heritage and cultural tourism, and Silos Estate and Wileys Creek was recognised in the regional winery, brewery or pub category.
The best visitor information centre was Shellharbour Visitors Centre in Shellharbour Village, the best registered club was Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club, The Sebel Harbourside Kiama was recognised with the Meetings, Functions and Business Tourism Award and Kiama Show was named best festival or event.
Dolphin Watch Cruises continued its success in the tour and/or transport operators category.
Lagoon Seafood Restaurant marketing manager Jonni Nicolaou said it was great to fly the flag for Wollongong. Earlier this year, the Lagoon was named Australia's favourite restaurant in the I Love Food Awards, run by Foxtel's LifeStyle Food Channel and Australia's biggest people's choice restaurant awards.
In May, Mrs Nicolaou was named 2014 Illawarra Innovative Businesswoman of the Year and runner-up for Illawarra Business Woman of the Year at the Illawarra Women In Business Awards.
South Coast Regional Tourism Organisation acting chair Diane Johnston said the standard of entries was very high again this year in the regional tourism awards.