Queensland’s Bundaberg Region has been awarded ECO Destination Certification from Ecotourism Australia, making it is the second destination in Queensland and fifth in Australia to achieve this global benchmark.
Mayor Jack Dempsey said Bundaberg Regional Council had led the certification process with support from a range of stakeholders including Bundaberg Tourism, PCCC and local operators and organisations.
“It is a massive coup for the Bundaberg Region to achieve ECO Destination Certification and sees our community become one of only a small number in the country to do so,” he said.
“This achievement demonstrates our community’s respect and care for the natural environment and will ensure we continue to grow in a sustainable way into the future.
“This achievement has obvious benefits for our economy but it will also benefit our environment by providing a framework to constantly maintain and improve sustainability practices.”
Located just north of Brisbane, the region is home to some of the most highly regarded eco-certified experiences on the Great Barrier Reef including Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Lady Musgrave Experience, Mon Repos Turtle Centre and Kellys Beach Resort.
Ecotourism Australia CEO Elissa Keenan said the region had been working towards this goal for the last three years.
“Since beginning their sustainability journey in 2020, the Bundaberg region has made significant strides to achieve ECO Destination Certification at the Ecotourism level,” she said.
“Bundaberg’s application demonstrated a passion for and dedication to holistic sustainability within the region, championing initiatives such as the One Million Trees Project and the popular Milbi Festival.
“Achieving ECO Destination Certification not only supports local Ecotourism Australia certified operators but inspires local tourism businesses to implement sustainability and achieve certification.”
Bundaberg Tourism CEO Katherine Reid said local tourism operators were a key part of the region’s eco ambitions.
“The tourism industry of the region has long believed that experiencing our internationally significant but fragile natural assets is the greatest way to educate people about the need for conservation,” she said.
“The community and our tourism industry take great pride in our role as custodians of the Great Barrier Reef and the precious land, water and sea country of the Traditional Owners on which we live, and ECO Destination Certification is formal acknowledgement of this.”
