The 2009 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games and Wanaka Helicopters Ltd are the only Southern Lakes representatives among 34 New Zealand companies and individuals announced this week as finalists in the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards (TIA).
Asked to comment about the absence of Queenstown operators on the short-list, Destination Queenstown marketing general manager Graham Budd said he had not heard anecdotally of any operator expressing interest in applying for the awards this year.
"Maybe we've had such a great season, everyone's been [so] busy with visitors they didn't have time to send in an application.
The Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust last year deferred the tourism awards until 2010, after discovering many tourism businesses found the criteria, categories and overall awards process too difficult and time-consuming in which to participate.
This year's TIA winners will be announced at an event attended by Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key, in Auckland on October 14.
