Ecotourism Australia has announced six new inductees into its prestigious Hall of Fame, each recognised for achieving 20 years of continuous ECO Certification – Townsville City Council Eco Catchment Tours, Heron Island Resort, APT Kimberley Wilderness Adventures, Odyssey Expeditions, Cape York Motorcycle Adventures, and Explore Group Australia. The inductees join 70 other tourism businesses across Australia, all of whom have demonstrated long-term, genuine commitment to sustainability.
Eight operators have also been named as Green Travel Leaders this year, marking a decade of ECO Certification and cementing their place among Australia’s most consistent contributors to responsible tourism.
The announcements come at a significant moment for Ecotourism Australia, as the organisation celebrates 30 years of ECO Certification and 35 years of leadership in sustainable tourism in Australia.
Ecotourism Australia CEO Elissa Keenan said recognising these operators alongside the organisation’s own milestone year made the occasion all the more special.
“As we celebrate 30 years since we developed the world’s first national ECO certification program, we feel even more honoured to recognise the operators who have been championing sustainability with us in lockstep since our early days,” Ms. Keenan said.
“Hall of Fame induction is the highest honour awarded to our certified operators. These six businesses have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to global best practice sustainability standards across two decades, and their ongoing innovation and leadership continues to set the benchmark for what world-class ecotourism looks like in Australia,” said Keenan.
Mladen Vukic, Chief Product Officer of APT Travel Group, said that for APT Kimberley Wilderness Adventures, operating in one of Australia’s most culturally and environmentally significant regions makes the Hall of Fame recognition particularly meaningful.
“Being certified by Ecotourism Australia provides a strong mark of credibility, giving guests confidence that their journey is genuinely sustainable and independently verified. For APT Travel Group’s Kimberley Wilderness Adventures, it creates a clear point of difference in a competitive market, helping attract environmentally conscious travellers and build trust with trade and industry partners,” Mr Vukic said.
For Cape York Motorcycle Adventures, the recognition carries significant weight. As the world’s first motorcycle tour company to achieve ECO Certification back in 2006, Director Renae Kunda said reaching the Hall of Fame milestone was a proud moment for the whole team.
“Reaching 20 years of certification reflects two decades of consistently backing up our values with action, caring for Country, operating responsibly, and proving that adventure tourism and sustainability can go hand in hand. For us, Hall of Fame recognition means our long-term commitment has stood the test of time,” Ms. Kunda said.
Ecotourism Australia’s Green Travel Leaders have demonstrated a decade of passion and consistency in delivering tourism experiences that are environmentally responsible, culturally respectful and community minded, Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours, Down Under Cruise & Dive and The Adventure Company, Whitsunday Jetski Tours, Sunrover Tours, Pacific Whale Foundation Australia, Mungalla Station, Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari and Brisbane Whale Watching recognised this year.
“Our Green Travel Leaders have demonstrated exactly what sustained commitment to responsible tourism looks like, and their contribution to raising the standard of sustainable tourism in Australia should not go unrecognised,” said Ms. Keenan.
Our team were honoured to present Hall of Fame plaques in person to Heron Island Resort and APT Kimberley Wilderness Adventures at the recent Global Sustainable Tourism Summit on the Gold Coast in early June. The Summit also marked the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards to Peter Gash OAM and former Ecotourism Australia Chair Dr Claire Ellis, honoured for their extraordinary contribution to ecotourism in Australia.
All certified operators are featured on the Green Travel Guide, where travellers can find and book from more than 2,700 certified sustainable experiences across Australia.
Hall of Fame 2026
- Townsville City Council – Eco Catchment Tours
- Heron Island Resort
- APT Kimberley Wilderness Adventures
- Odyssey Expeditions
- Cape York Motorcycle Adventures
- Explore Group Australia (formerly Explore Hamilton Island)
Green Travel Leaders 2026
- Whitsunday Jetski Tours
- Sunrover Tours
- Pacific Whale Foundation Australia
- Mungalla Station
- Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours
- Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari
- Down Under Cruise & Dive and The Adventure Company
- Brisbane Whale Watching
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Media contact:
Ecotourism Australia – Myv Costelloe, Stakeholder Engagement Manager e: myv@ecotourism.org.au
ph: (07) 3256 6777
About Ecotourism Australia
Ecotourism Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, established in 1991, that promotes and supports Australia’s visitor economy through building capacity and actively promoting sustainable tourism operations and systems. Our legacy program – ECO Certification – was the world’s first national ecotourism certification program and the Sustainable Tourism Certification, launched in 2022 supports non-nature based businesses achieve global best-practice. Today there are some 2700 accommodation, tours and attractions certified by Ecotourism Australia.
Ecotourism Australia is also a founding member of the Tourism Sustainability Certifications Alliance (TSCA), a global association for sustainable tourism established in January 2025. TSCA members are responsible for certifying more than 19,000 travel and tourism enterprises, organisations, and destinations across the globe – representing the largest cohort of certified operators worldwide.