Cairns reef operator Passions of Paradise has won two Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards after earning Ecotourism Australia’s 2013 Innovation in Ecotourism Award earlier this month.
The locally owned company specialises in personalised snorkelling, diving and sailing adventures on the Great Barrier Reef visiting both Michaelmas Cay and exclusive Paradise Reef.
Passions of Paradise Sales and Marketing Manager Adam O’Malley said winning the awards for Adventure Tourism and Major Tour and/or Transport Operator was quite a coup for a small family-owned business.
“Passions of Paradise is a tight-knit team of people who go to work every day thinking how lucky they are to work in such a wonderful environment like the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.
“We pride ourselves on offering a friendly, personalised adventure for visitors to the Great Barrier Reef and it is really rewarding to be recognised at a State level.
“It has been an exciting year for Passions of Paradise as we have become one of 13 companies in Australia to be awarded Climate Action Leader status from Ecotourism Australia.
“We introduced the National Geographic Diver Program so passengers could be a scientist for a day by joining a research project documenting the corals and fish they see.
“These and other innovative steps we have taken to protect the Great Barrier Reef and educate passengers about its ecological value have helped us win Ecotourism Australia’s 2013 Innovation in Ecotourism Award.
“Awards are a great way to take a close look at our business and measure what we are achieving so we can continue to innovate and be a leader in showing people a Great Barrier Reef adventure.”