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Queenstown helicopter operator Over The Top is in the running for two international luxury tourism awards.

Louisa ‘Choppy’ Patterson, owner and chief pilot of Over The Top, is one of five finalists nominated for a PURE 2016 award in the ‘Contribution to Experiential Travel’ category which recognises an individual whose commitment, curiosity and daring sets new standards for the luxury tourism industry.

The award will be announced this month at PURE 2016, a luxury travel conference held in Marrakech, Morocco.

Meanwhile the company has also been judged one of only three finalists for the Luxperience Inspiring Award, which recognises excellence in the planning and development of innovative products.

The nomination is for the Over The Top Golf product, which was developed together with The Golf Warehouse and Srixon. It acknowledges entrepreneurial vision, market leadership and uniqueness. The winner will be announced at the Luxperience Gala Award Dinner on 20th September in Sydney’s Darling Harbour.

Patterson said being recognised in these two very different nominations was “an immense honour and a tribute to the dedication of the Over The Top crew”.

The Queenstown-based company has been operating for 30 years and has carved a niche in the luxury tourism segment.

Patterson stated “right from the beginning, our vision was to be more than a helicopter company. It’s about providing interpretive excursions not only to beautiful places, but to meet genuine people and showcase authentic experiences, showing our ‘backyard’ in a way that we’d want to experience it.

“The helicopter is purely a means to access those experiences.”

Throughout its three decades of operation, multi-award-winning Over The Top has been a leader in creating iconic experiences utilising helicopters, and the Over The Top Golf, a par 3 golf hole set on a craggy mountain top overlooking Queenstown, is a perfect example.

Both PURE Life Experiences and Luxperience are annual travel conferences that unite media, buyers and exhibitors who cater for high net-worth travellers from around the world.

Patterson said recognition of what Over The Top has to offer helps not only raise the profile of the company, but also New Zealand’s luxury proposition for premium travellers.

Images: The Over The Top Golf hole, nestled high above Queenstown, courtesy Fredrik Larsson (top) and Louisa ‘Choppy’ Patterson of Over The Top - The Helicopter Company has been nominated for an international luxury travel award, courtesy Trey Ratcliff (below).

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