Santos Tour Down Under Named Event Of The Year

The 2011 Santos Tour Down Under took out the most prestigious award at the Australian Event Awards in Sydney, being named the 2011 Australian Event of the Year.
 

The Santos Tour Down Under, the first race each year on the UCI World Tour calendar, also received the Best Tourism Event award for a third consecutive year – further recognition of South Australia’s unique world-class cycling festival.

The Santos Tour Down Under was recognised ahead of outstanding finalists, Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure and the 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix in the Best Tourism Event category.

The 2011 Tour achieved record crowds, with over 780,000 people lining the streets, more than 7500 recreational riders in the Mutual Community Challenge Tour and around 2000 people at the annual Legends’ Night dinner.

More than 37,000 people from interstate and overseas travelled to South Australia to watch the 2011 Tour, injecting $43 million into the State’s economy.

General Manager, Events South Australia, Hitaf Rasheed, said the event was one that required great collaboration and that the awards were a mark of the event’s growing success.

“This recognition and the success of the Santos Tour Down Under can only be achieved with the fantastic support of the South Australian Government, the teams, riders, sponsors, local councils, emergency services, volunteers, fans and spectators and the hard working staff and volunteers,” said Ms Rasheed.

The event garnered more than 280 hours of television coverage, ensuring South Australia’s beautiful city, spectacular coastlines and world-renowned wine regions made their way into homes right across the world.”

Santos Chief Executive David Knox congratulated the State Government and Events South Australia on the Tour’s third year of being honoured at the awards.

“The Santos Tour Down Under is a world-class event attended by hundreds of thousands of people from across Australia and overseas, with a significant positive economic impact on the local economy,” Mr Knox said.

“The calibre of athlete the event attracts, the global coverage that it receives, its immense and growing popularity and the exceptional manner with which it is executed are all hallmarks of its success.”  

The Santos Tour Down Under is owned and managed by the South Australian Government through Events South Australia, the major events division of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

The 2011 Australian Event Awards is the national awards program to reward innovation, recognise excellence and unite the entire Australian events industry. For more information about the awards visit www.eventawards.com.au

The 2012 Santos Tour Down Under will be held in South Australia from 15-22 January. For more information, visit www.tourdownunder.com.au