VOTING for the 2016 Douglas Business & Tourism Awards will close this Friday with online votes topping 20,000.

The online voting opened in June and has been available on consumer travel site TourismPortDouglas.com, Newsport and directly via accommodation, tour, restaurant and retail sites around the region.

Businesses using any of the 10,000 printed voting forms need to get them into Newsport by Friday 4 November for their votes to be included in the customer voted awards.

"It's an amazing event, so many people are participating this year and the online voting from direct tourists is an amazing insight into how much they love Port Douglas, Mossman and Daintree,” says Event Coordinator Rohan Walsh.

Walsh, who recently joined the Newsport team to assist with this years program and gala evening, said the newly refurbished and iconic Sheraton Mirage Resort will host the town’s ‘night at the Oscars', as it has been dubbed in previous years.

Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree Executive Officer, Tara Bennett, said it was important to recognise operators in the region given Tourism directly contributes more than 80 per cent of the regions revenue.

“For customers to give direct recognition of our products and services is a powerful endorsement of the quality experiences on offer,” Bennett said.

"The awards night is a must do on the social calendar providing an opportunity for our hard working operators to come together and celebrate their success.”

Douglas Chamber of Commerce President, Helen De Ross, said the event continues to serve the business and tourism communities in a positive way.

"We take great pride in being involved in the program,” De Ross said.

“The Chamber has been a partner since its inception and recognises the importance of having our wonderful businesses and tourism operators recognised."

Entertainment will again be a feature of this year’s gala event, which has become one of the ‘must do’ nights on the Port Douglas events calendar.

The event will be held on Friday 25 November, and tickets can be booked direct through the Try Booking Website.