SUNSHINE Coast’s Glasshouse Mountains Visitor & Interpretive Centre was named Visitor Information Centre of the Year at the annual Queensland Information Centre Association (QICA) annual conference last week.
QICA is the peak industry body for Visitor and Tourist Information Centres in Queensland, representing over 100 visitor centres across the State.
Glasshouse Mountains Visitor & Interpretive Centre is no ordinary visitor centre. The Centre, located in the heart of Glass House Mountains village, provides an invaluable first point of contact for many visitors driving from the south to the Sunshine Coast, and it also offers an interpretive display that tells the stories of both Indigenous and European settlement of the region in a highly informative way.
The accredited Visitor Information Centre is staffed by knowledgeable local volunteer Ambassadors, who offer a one stop shop for visitors providing maps, brochures and itineraries, along with personal recommendations based on the visitor’s interests.
A small selection of products and souvenirs are available for sale focusing on local products unique to the region. The Centre is managed by Visit Sunshine Coast, which also manages a visitor centre at Montville.
Volunteers also greet cruise arrivals from across the world and activate visitor ‘Pop Ups’ at major events such as the Queensland Garden Show.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO, Matt Stoeckel, congratulated the team at the Glasshouse Mountains Visitor & Interpretive Centre for their exemplary commitment and dedication. “The award is richly deserved by the Glasshouse team,” said Mr Stoeckel. “I’d like to thank all our volunteers for the dedication and enthusiasm they bring to the Sunny Coast visitor experience. We call our volunteers ‘Ambassadors’ for a very good reason: their knowledge, service and friendliness resonate very strongly with visitors.
The Glasshouse Mountains Visitor & Interpretive Centre is at the southern gateway to the Sunshine Coast and the team are often the first locals visitors talk to. Inevitably visitors leave with an incredible range of source material and ideas for creating Sunshine moments during their visit.”