The Strathmerton-based attraction took out the golden gong for top tourist attraction at the 2019 Destination Country and Outback and Destination Riverina Murray Regional Tourism Awards, beating out the likes of Outback Astronomy in Broken Hill and the Old Dubbo Gaol.
John Hall, along with his parents Jim and Julie, are the owners and operators of Cactus Country which has been a prominent feature in the region for three decades. He believes the award is a massive boost for the family-run business.
``It’s really exciting for us and the region,'' he said.
``I think it opens up new avenues for us as it is a real stamp of approval since an authority has put us through the wringer.
``It allows us to say, `hey, we are doing something good here' which gives us a bit of confidence.
``We see Cactus Country as the gateway to the Moira Shire and we like to share this economic impact with everyone.''
    View this post on Instagram        Feeling very honoured to win Gold in the Tourist Attractions category for the combined Country & Outback and Riverina Murray region at the Regional Tourism Awards Saturday night. Well done to everyone who entered, it was inspiring to see so many people doing incredible things in regional Australia. What a great night for cacti 🌵 #cactuscountry (@cactuscountry) on Jul 28, 2019 at 6:06pm PDT A post shared by
According to John, Cactus Country has experienced a 500 per cent increase in visitation during the past five years with 25,000 people coming through its doors in 2018. John believes increased exposure has been a key driver of this growth and he is confident the attraction's steady rise in visitation numbers will continue during the next few years.
``Social media has played a huge part in the increase in visitation,'' he said.
``I think we are doing a pretty good job using social media, especially Instagram, but a lot of our visitors are going even better and they’re posting and bragging all about their journey to Cactus Country.
``We were 67 per cent up (in visitor numbers) last year and we hope for a similar figure this year. We know this (rate of) growth can’t go on forever, but we are aiming for 100,000 a year.
``We keep changing the experience so whenever people come through they are experiencing something new.''
Regional Tourism Awards chair Jane Barnes congratulated all winners and finalists on their contribution to regional tourism.
``Finalists in this year’s program were of a high calibre with a number of first-time entrants on the list,'' she said.
``We are thrilled to recognise the best of the region’s tourism industry today."
The recognition came days after Cactus Country was at the forefront of the Moira Shire Discovery Weekend.
``It was an absolutely incredible weekend,'' John said.
``While it was only $1 to come in, people were buying things which has a great economic impact at this time of year.
``We had 400 people come through (across the weekend) when usually we would expect 50 to 60 each day (at this time of year).
``We won’t see the economic impact of the weekend until 12 months' time when these people (and/or) their friends and relatives come back.''