The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) was last week announced as the winner of the Specialised Tourism Services Award at the 2010 Canberra and Capital Region Tourism Awards.

AIS Tours also took out the Specialised Tourism Services Award in 2009.

With over 130,000 tourists visiting the AIS every year, AIS Tours was recognised for their contribution to educating visitors about the world of sport and enhancing their experience.

Elliot Zwangobani, Australian Sports Commission Director for Commercial and Facilities, congratulated the AIS Tours team on their success.

‘To win such an important tourism award for a second year running recognises the value of AIS tours,’ Zwangobani said.

‘An AIS tour is so much more than visiting our facilities. AIS tours are educational and offer the public – including school children – an interactive and important opportunity to learn about sport and get up close and personal with our elite athletes.’

The Tourism Awards encourage and celebrate excellence, quality, professionalism and innovation within the Canberra region tourism industry and provide a benchmark for best practice within the tourism industry.

AIS Tours will now contest the national 2010 QANTAS Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Perth, Western Australia in March 2011.

AIS tours run daily at 10.00am, 11.30am, 1.00pm and 2.30pm, with additional times available for schools and other groups.