Tolhurst was named Journalist of the Year for outstanding trade and industry journalism by Air New Zealand and the Australian Society of Travel Writers, the co-sponsors of a new competition to promote excellence in tourism journalism.
His winning entry included a Travelnews Asia article, 'Asia emerges in cruise shake-up', published on March 11 1996, which looked at worldwide growth in the cruise industry. Entries in the competition were judged "blind", with authors' names and publication titles omitted.
Tolhurst, 36, has been Travelnews Asia's Australia correspondent since 1988. At an awards function at Sydney's ANA Hotel on October 26, he received two Air New Zealand business class tickets to Los Angeles and a cheque for A$1,000 from NZ regional manager, Australia, Garry Court.