Hot off a one-two punch of major tourism nods, Mudgee has been named as a finalist in the first ever NSW Tourism Council awards, and residents are urged to vote.

42 towns from across the state are in the running for the inaugural award with Mudgee going up against big hitters like Newcastle and Terrigal. Voting is now open until Friday, 14 May 2021. The winners will be announced by the Hon. Stuart Ayres, Minister for Tourism, Investment and Jobs at the Local Government NSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference on Thursday 27 May.

The awards are different to the NSW Regional Tourism Awards, which saw Mudgee Region Tourism (MRT) pick up multiple awards over the years and be inducted into the hall of fame.

The finalists were all selected based on a multi-part pitch application for each region which included editorial and audio-visual components. Which according to Mudgee Region Tourism CEO Cara George was something they were well equipped to do.

"It's something we do every day in terms of marketing and campaign activity, so... as a region, we've got a great number of assets stills, video and written content to promote the region. So, because we've got such an outstanding collection of things to do and see and enjoy around the region for both the community and visitors. It wasn't really difficult... I think the results will speak for themselves," she said.

With Mudgee facing finalists with much larger population centres who could vote, Cara thinks Mudgee has plenty of widespread appeal and that it can hold its own against those larger destinations.

"There's always a little bit anxiousness around how we're faring when it comes to that kind of detail. I think that we've got so many supporters of our region from outside the region as well though that I'm hopeful that the greater population that has fallen in love with the Mudgee region are going to get behind it," she said.

What's on around Mudgee

"We'd love obviously for all our local supporters to get behind it, because any accolade like this is great for - a thriving economy, because you can build awareness of the region through different points like this. It's good for everyone."

Business NSW, Regional Manager for Western NSW, Vicki Seccombe said the awards are an opportunity to reward regions for their work.

"It has been great to see so many Western NSW towns as finalists in the Top Tourism Town Awards. Enormous work is done by our region's towns to attract visitors, all in support of our local businesses and economies, and this has been a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and reward that work," she said.

"The Top Tourism Town Awards celebrate the unwavering spirit of these communities and demonstrates the true value of tourism and the visitor economy to these towns," NSW Tourism Industry Council Executive Manager, Greg Binskin said.

"It's a real testament to the resilience of these towns that in this first year, we have an incredible 42 finalists in two categories: those with populations over 5,000 residents and those under 5,000.

"These Awards are all about community collaboration, groups such as Local Chambers of Commerce, Tourism Associations, Councils and Visitor Information Centres have come together to showcase their town as a tourism destination worthy of celebrating".