The Dandenong Ranges’ Tesselaar Tulip Festival took out a gold award for major festivals and events at the Victorian Tourism Awards 2022.
The 30-day event features almost a million tulips on display, live entertainment, performances, tractor rides, market stalls, international food, a treasure hunt, souvenirs and games.
Now in its 60th year, the festival celebrates the tulip, Dutch history and flower farming. It also employs around 90 staff and is held annually in Spring in Silvan.
The Victorian Tourism Awards are hosted annually by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council to honour business excellence throughout the tourism industry.
VTIC Chief Executive Felicia Mariani said the council is proud to deliver an important event for the tourism industry and highlight operators like the Tulip Festival.
“This year’s celebration feels especially meaningful. We not only look to reward operators for their business excellence, but we want to recognise and celebrate the innovation, resilience, and commitment they have exhibited to weather the storm of the past two years,” she said.
“We congratulate all our Gold, Silver and Bronze category winners, along with all this year’s finalists.”
There were 119 submissions across 32 categories in 2022. As a gold winner, the Dandenong Ranges’ Tesselaar Tulip Festival will represent Victoria at the national awards on the Sunshine Coast in March.
Ms Mariani said 2021 has been the toughest of years for tourism operators throughout Victoria.
“Operators in Victoria have encountered more obstacles in their businesses than any other state in the country, having to press pause and restart to accommodate six lockdowns and more than 260 days under restrictions during the pandemic,” she said.
“But in testament to the pure grit and determination of Victorians, our industry rose to the challenge and relished the opportunity to win Gold in Victoria, earning the right to compete with their counterparts on the national stage at the 2021 Australian Tourism Awards.”
The next Festival will be held from 10 September until 9 October, 2022 at Tesselaar Flower Farm, 357 Monbulk Road, Silvan.
