Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dunk Island Tourism Award 2011?

I read today that the luxury resort of Dunk Island has won an award for the best Australian resort for 2011 or something along those lines which I find quite amazing as it has been lying in ruins for the best part of this year thanks to the efforts of the  most powerful cyclone  ever recorded in Queensland, Cyclone Yasi. Obviously nobody had told them. The first part of this video shows the massive damage caused by Cyclone Yasi to the Dunk Island Resort in early February this year.

 Update: An explanation posted in the Cairns Post comments (Dec 21). "As World Travel Awards, our goal is to highlight and reward excellence in travel and tourism. For many years, Dunk Island has served as a beacon of these ideals, with its laid-back luxury amid a paradise setting, reflected by its core business of repeat guests.We were therefore deeply saddened last February when news emerged that the resort had been destroyed by Cyclone Yasi.Our awards programme operates on a “first past the post system”, and Dunk Island’s support from both its guests and the travel trade led to it gaining sufficient votes to win its category, even though it closed several months before the voting deadline.We therefore felt it only right that Dunk Island should still receive the award. We also maintain implicit confidence in the island’s future and its ability to bounce back from adversity in the long term. We also acknowledge that tourism remains the economic lifeblood of the region. Its star qualities will guarantee the on-going recovery. Posted by: World Travel Awards of London 3:23am today".

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