Last night Sydney Festival was presented with the Gold Award for Major Festival and Event at the 2009 Tourism NSW Award Ceremony.

Minister for Tourism Jodi McKay stated "The NSW Tourism Awards are the State’s most prestigious tourism accolade. I congratulate each winner and thank them for their continued contribution to tourism in NSW. The NSW Government has worked hard with industry to ensure NSW maintains the lion’s share of international and domestic visitors. I look forward to continuing to work with industry to ensure we maintain our position as Australia’s premier destination."

Ms McKay said that the NSW Tourism Awards are about recognising the importance of tourism to the State’s economy and rewarding the tourism operators who have helped to enhance our reputation as a destination, both domestically and internationally. Ken Corbett, Chairman of the Tourism Industry Council NSW said that the Awards play a critical role in driving product innovation and quality throughout the NSW tourism industry.

The winners were chosen from 30 categories including attractions, festivals and events, ecotourism, tour and transport operators, marketing, a range of accommodation styles, contributions from individuals and the Young Achiever Award.

For more information and a full list of winners, click here.