Kununurra was named Western Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2026 at the Perth Airport WA Tourism Conference Dinner in Carnarvon last night, edging out Geraldton (silver) and Kalgoorlie-Boulder (bronze) in the state’s flagship tourism category. The win comes with a $20,000 airtime package on 7 Regional WA to spruik the East Kimberley town to the rest of the country.
The 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards have been running for 37 years, and they remain one of the more closely watched events on the WA tourism calendar. Visitor Centres and Local Governments enter on behalf of their destinations, submitting a short video, itinerary, and editorial article, which then go before an industry judging panel. The public also gets a say, and more than 6,000 people voted across the three categories this year.
In the Small Tourism Town category, Jurien Bay took gold. Carnarvon, the host town for the night, claimed silver, and York rounded out the medals with bronze.
Kalbarri’s win in the Tiny Tourism Town category was its third in a row, earning the Mid West town a place in the Top Tourism Town Hall of Fame. Pemberton took silver and Walpole bronze in the same category.
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Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said the three gold medallists had all impressed both the judging panel and the voting public. “Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Top Tourism Town Awards. Kununurra, Jurien Bay, and Kalbarri have all displayed an exceptional commitment to delivering high-quality visitor experiences,” he said.
“All medallists have impressed both an industry panel of judges and the public through consumer voting. The winners will now go on to represent Western Australia on a national level in the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards in September.”
