"Cooee!" St George calls to our mates around the globe

"Cooee!" St George in the Balonne Shire is calling out to its mates around the globe for help to become a Top Tourism Town.

St George has been named as a finalist in the Queensland Tourism Industry Council's Top Tourism Town awards in the Small Tourism Town category.

Now, it is down to a popular vote to decide the winner.

In a shire of fewer than 5,000 residents, St George is calling on all of it's international namesakes to help swell the polling numbers.

"There are at least 25 other places around the world called St George, and we are putting out the call for them to vote for us in this competition," Balonne Shire Mayor Samantha O'Toole said.

"Then, of course, as soon as international travel is open again, we would love the residents of those other St Georges to plan a trip and visit us here on the banks of the mighty Balonne."

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council is on the hunt for the Sunshine State's best tourism towns and has released a list of 37 towns for the public to vote on for Top Tourism Town and Small Tourism Town.

St George – which gained notoriety last year for its tongue-in-cheek parody of Tourism Australia’s Matesong ad featuring Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue – is among the finalists for the Small Tourism Town Award.

This is a part of the new national Top Tourism Town program, which aims to recognise diverse and outstanding destinations in Queensland, as determined by a panel of industry judges.

The public vote will factor in 70 per cent of the result with the remaining 30 per cent from judges, with a Voter's Choice award also to be presented.

Mayor O’Toole said some major towns are in the running for the awards but she believes St George has a unique tourism story to tell.

"One thing that sets us apart is our community spirit," Mayor O’Toole said.

“St George truly is a welcoming place where the community has come together to create out-of-the-box ideas to overcome any hardships thrown our way, including drought, flood and COVID-19 in the last year alone.

“And visitors wanting to escape the rush and bustle of big-city life can sit on the banks of the Balonne, under the shade of a coolabah tree, and feel all that stress just drift away.”

The Mayor said, with the public vote factoring heavily on the outcome, it is important for people to go online and vote.

Voting is open until April 26, with winners to be announced in May. The top two category winners will also go on to the national awards in August.

To vote, visit: www.QTIC.com.au/top-tourism-award/top-town-voting

Other towns called St George include at least 15 in the United States, two in Canada, and one each in Argentina, Bermuda, Ethiopia, Granada, Guernsey, Romania, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Council will contact them to encourage voting support and future visitation.