Wildwire Wanaka won the Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand Experience Award at a ceremony at the Christchurch Art Centre on Wednesday night.
Owner and founder Mark Morrison said in the current climate the award meant a lot for them, and their small team, but it was only the beginning of their big dream.
Wildwire Wanaka offered the world’s highest waterfall cable climb, a 450m cascade twin waterfall surrounded by towering peaks near Treble Cone skifield.
Mr Morrison said the Covid-19 pandemic had decimated the tourism industry and what people knew and how they operated no longer existed.
‘‘We’ve taken the approach that out of crisis comes opportunity, and what this means for Wildwire is the chance to lead the way into forming a regenerative tourism model not just for themselves but for other small businesses,’’ Mr Morrison said,
Qualmark is New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance organisation, providing travellers with a trusted guide to quality travel experiences in New Zealand.
All operators who have achieved Qualmark status were invited to enter the awards.
There were 12 national winners.
