Exmouth, Kalbarri, Geraldton and Denham feature prominently in 7NEWS 2025 Top Tourism Town Awards

West Australian

2 days ago

Tourism jewels along WA's Coral Coast shimmered in all kinds of variety — gold, silver and bronze — at the 2025 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards last week.
In an incredible feat, Exmouth won gold in the small tourism town category for the fourth year in a row, with Bridgetown and York coming in second and third.
Kalbarri scored back-to-back gold, taking out the tiny tourism town category ahead of Pemberton (silver) and Denham (bronze).
Exmouth and Kalbarri scored a $10,000 and $5000 airtime package respectively to promote their towns on 7 Regional WA.
Geraldton's night had a massive silver lining, awarded silver for the fourth consecutive year in the top tourism town category, pipped at the post by Fremantle.
The winners were announced at the 2025 Perth Airport WA Tourism Conference dinner last Wednesday night. The gold winner in each category will also receive a professionally produced Storytowns custom audio guide of their town, featuring two local legends.
More than 8000 people voted for their favourite tiny, small and top tourism towns.
'Congratulations to this year's winners of the Top Tourism Town Awards. Fremantle, Exmouth, and Kalbarri have all displayed an exceptional commitment to delivering high-quality visitor experiences,' Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said.
'All medallists have impressed both an industry panel of judges and the public through consumer voting. They will now go on to represent Western Australia on a national level in the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards in September.'
City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune said the city was proud to claim another silver and gave a 'huge shout out' to all the other Coral Coast localities for their achievements.
The 11th version of the WA Tourism Conference will be held in Carnarvon between May 25 and 27, 2026. More than 200 delegates are expected from across WA, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
Shire president Eddie Smith said it was a thrilling moment for the Carnarvon community.
'Carnarvon is a place of stories from ancient landscapes and rich Aboriginal culture to our world-class produce and iconic attractions. Hosting this event will allow us to share our region's unique character with industry leaders from across the State and showcase why Carnarvon deserves to be on every visitor's itinerary,' he said.