AUSTRALIA has won two prestigious awards at the World Travel Awards, known as the "Oscars of the travel industry'', in India overnight.
Australia.com was named the world's leading tourism website while Daintree Eco-Lodge was named world's leading eco-resort and spa.
The lodge, near Cairns in Far North Queensland, has tree-house style accommodation and authentic Aboriginal cultural experiences.
Daintree Eco-Lodge co-owner Terry Maloney said the award would bring the spotlight on Australia and Queensland at a time when those in the tourism industry were doing it tough.
"We don't have the budgets of the big hotels so it takes an award like this to bring it to the world,'' he said.
"We work in this little 38 acre of rainforest with waterfalls and plants that date back 650 million years - pre-dinosaur era.
"We work with the world's oldest rainforest and the world's oldest indigenous culture.''
Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said the organisation had a strong focus on tourism marketing and its website had been relaunched in March o make it cleaner and easier to navigate with new functions to help people research and plan a trip Down Under.
"We are lucky enough to have the job of promoting I'd argue the greatest brand in the world, Australia,'' he said.
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