Global Accolade for Queensland’s Groundbreaking Reef Campaigns
North Queensland’s innovative approach to tourism has won international recognition. Tourism Tropical North Queensland secured the prestigious Initiative of the Year title at the Regenerative Travel Impact Awards 2025. The award celebrates two world-leading campaigns designed to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The winning initiatives, Guardian of the Reef and The Lifetime of Greatness Project, have successfully fused tourism with conservation. They aim to transform visitor experiences into direct actions for reef protection. This global award validates their pioneering model for sustainable travel.
Transforming Visitors into Guardians
The Guardian of the Reef campaign launched in October 2024 with a powerful mission. It united reef tourism operators to link the act of visiting with the duty of protecting. The core belief is that seeing the reef inspires people to love and safeguard it.
To achieve this, TTNQ built a special booking and learning platform with Expedia Group. This platform directly connects travelers to eco-certified tourism products. The campaign has delivered impressive results, generating over $32 million in economic benefit for reef communities.
It also directed more than $75,000 straight into conservation programs. This proves that responsible tourism can be a direct financial force for environmental good.
A “Lifetime Achievement Award” for the Reef Itself
The second campaign, The Lifetime of Greatness Project, launched globally on Earth Day 2025. It pursued a unique and symbolic goal: nominating the Great Barrier Reef for a top UN environmental award. The Reef was put forward as the first-ever non-human recipient.
This creative campaign aimed to reframe global perception. It presented the Reef as a living entity worthy of the world’s highest environmental honor. The powerful idea resonated, drawing support from 1.3 million people worldwide.
Both campaigns were funded by the Australian government’s International Tourism Recovery Program. Their messages achieved an incredible 297 billion audience impressions through global media.
