Dunk Island
A recent article in the Cairns Post high lighted the questionability of various awards.
When a product or business get an award for say 2011 … surely it has to be for it’s performance over that 12 month period.
Dunk Island Resort which was devastated by cyclone Yasi in February of this year (2011) …… due to allegations of raw sewage leaks making the area an undesirable place to visit has just won a globally recogonised Tourism Award for 2011.
Dunk Island Resort has been closed since the cyclone with no date set for reopening
The devastated island has been named Australia’s Leading Resort for 2011 in the World Travel Awards.
To quote the paper “The awards are regarded as the “very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive”, founder and president Graham E. Cooke said.”
My question to Mr Cooke is … how do you pick the winners of your awards?
Surely to be able to judge a location and give it an award a visit to the site is necessary.
Unfortunately if we as travellers are to visit various destinations on the recommendation of major award winning these awards awards need to be assessed using more current information.
I did not picked up this story to run here to rubbish the devastated Island resort but rather to point out that there are so many great locations around that never even get a mention during award presentations.
So talk to your travel professionals before you decide your next vacation they are in the know.
Would like to point out that I am not in the travel industry and not affiliated with anyone in the industry.
I just love to travel our great country.
Picture Cairns News
The Dunk islands used to be a great tourist place but plundered after the Yasi and still undergoing reconstruction. The award might be a kind of consolation for the island or another tourist attraction scheme.