hot springs enters hall of fame again at tourism awards

Peninsula Hot Springs is celebrating its third consecutive win in the Ecotourism category at the 2017 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards and enters the Hall of Fame. Some of Victoria’s most iconic tourist attractions and events were celebrated at the Gala Ceremony presented by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) on Thursday 23rd November at The Palladium at Crown.

Peninsula Hot Springs’ CEO Charles Davidson said “we are honoured to be recognised for our commitment to ecotourism as we continue to build and evolve experiences that connect people to nature and each other. This award has vindicated the work we have completed over the past few years to become more environmentally friendly and has energised us to continue to strive for excellence in this area.”

Receiving over 450,000 visitors per year, Peninsula Hot Springs has become a highly recognised health and wellness destination in Victoria. At the business’ core, the ancient geothermal mineral waters provide bathers with a rejuvenating experience with pools set in the natural surrounds of ‘The Cups’ coastal region on the Mornington Peninsula. The outdoor experience amid the indigenous landscape of over 60,000 Australian natives that have been planted, continues to provide visitors with a unique and educational experience.

A recent standout success for Peninsula Hot Springs has been the commitment to evolving the role of the pool attendants to include flora and fauna training through the Certificate II Conservation Land Management accreditation. Peninsula Hot Springs worked in partnership with Chisholm Institute and Holmesglen TAFE to create two tailored training courses which were carried out onsite at the Hot Springs. This investment resulted in excellent improvements for the visitor ecotourism experience, with pool attendants now equipped to answer local and international guest enquiries about the spectacular local fauna and fauna commonly encountered during a hot springs bathing visit.

Other notable ecotourism activities undertaken by Peninsula Hot Springs include:

• The expansion of an onsite indigenous plant nursery, where thousands of indigenous seeds have been collected, planted and begun to propagate;
• All café systems to collect all organic wastes and maximise compostable components, thus reducing landfill by more than 50%;
• Established a hot compost and worm farm system in the future food bowl area;
• Introduced solar powered lighting for car parks;
• Switched from conventional white office paper usage to 100% post-consumer waste office and copy paper;
• Introduced colour-coded bin system throughout back-of-house offices and staff rooms and;
• Inclusion of drinking fountains and bottle filling stations throughout the facility, enabling guests to choose tap drinking water over bottled water.

Prior to entering the Hall of Fame for ecotourism, Peninsula Hot Springs had already won Hall of Fame Status in the Health and Wellness Facility and Tourist Attraction categories, a total of nine annual wins.

Other Mornington Peninsula businesses to be awarded medals at the 2017 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards include: Gold – Arthurs Seat Eagle (new tourism business), Harmony Bed & Breakfast (hosted accommodation) ; silver – Crittenden Estate (tourism wineries, distilleries and breweries), Lakeside Villas at Crittenden Estate (self-contained accommodation), Bunyip Tours (major tour and transport operators); bronze – Mornington Peninsula Brewery (tourism wineries, distilleries and breweries), Aquabelle Apartments (self-contained accommodation).

The national awards will be held in February 2018 in Perth.