City of Darwin’s leadership in international relations activities has been formally recognised as the council was awarded two prestigious accolades from Sister Cities Australia and the 2023 Chief Minister’s Export Awards.
The 2022 Darwin International Virtual Trade Show was awarded the National Tourism and Trade Award from Sister Cities Australia, an association of cities, towns, shires, ports and states that have a Sister City relationship.
The Virtual Trade Show was a two-day online program hosted by City of Darwin in June 2022 that encouraged businesses and organisations from Darwin and its Sister and Friendship Cities to create relationships, connections and opportunities worldwide.
The Darwin International Dragon Boat Festival was nominated for the 2023 Chief Minister’s Export Awards and won the ‘Excellence in events/international trade delegation in supporting NT export activities and businesses’ award, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.
The Dragon Boat Festival was joined by more than 100 delegates from Darwin’s Sister and Friendship Cities, as well as 4,000 local participants, and was broadcast locally, nationally and internationally to millions of viewers across the globe.
Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said he was thrilled to see City of Darwin recognised across the country.
“International relations are very important to us, and I am proud of the strong relationships we maintain with our Sister and Friendship Cities,” Mr Vatskalis said.
“To see the hard work of the team recognised and awarded is such a thrill, and I would like to personally thank everyone who was involved in Trade Show and the Dragon Boat Festival for their hard work and commitment,” he said.
The International Virtual Trade Show attracted more than 100 businesses and organisations from the tourism, education, and trade sectors and was delivered across multiple time zones and in numerous languages while borders were closed.
The International Dragon Boat Festival saw more than 88 million people from home and abroad actively reacting to the event before, during and post event and included a number of key events, such as the International Trade Show and a number of business networking events.
“We would like to thank all sponsors, volunteers, and key stakeholders who helped us deliver both these events, making Darwin a great place to live, work, and visit,” Mr Vatskalis said.
“I would also like to thank and acknowledge the National Foundation for China-Australia Relations, Australia Government for their support of the Dragon Boat Festival as well as NT Government Major Events,” he said.
