The Parkes Elvis Festival has added another award to its collection by winning the Festivals and Events category at the 2018 Regional Tourism Awards in Orange on Saturday. “This is a fantastic achievement for the Parkes Elvis Festival and is a credit to all of the hard work that our amazing committee, volunteers, and Council staff put into
the Festival,” said Festival Director Cathy Treasure.
The Regional Tourism Awards are held annually to acknowledge excellence in tourism across the Riverina Murray, North Coast and Country and Outback. Regional Tourism Awards Chair, Jane Barnes said finalists in this year’s program were of a high calibre with a number of first time entrants on the list.
Parkes Elvis Festival will automatically progress to the state tourism awards, and the finalists for the NSW Tourism Awards will be announced on 15th October. Parkes Shire Council picked up silver in the Destination Marketing category for its brand campaigns, while the Parkes Visitor Information Centre was a finalist in the Visitor Information Services category for its quality service for 26,000 visitors annually.
The Parkes Elvis Festival last week also welcomed leading rail freight operator Pacific National on board as a major sponsor for next year’s event. The largest rail freight operator in Australia has not only committed $35 million to develop a freight logistics terminal in Parkes, but is supporting the local community by becoming a major sponsor to deliver a spectacular feature concert series starring US Elvis tribute artist Ted Torres Martin.
“Parkes is quickly becoming an epicentre for rail freight and Pacific National is very pleased to be a major sponsor of this iconic event,” said Pacific National CEO Dean Dalla Valle.
The 2019 feature concert series includes four performances by Ted Torres Martin at the Parkes Leagues Club. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, 10th September.