Melbourne Airport has been honoured by Travel + Leisure Australia magazine as one of Australia's top 20 tourism innovators in its inaugural tourism innovator awards.

Melbourne Airport's General Manager Corporate Affairs, Geoffrey Conaghan received the nod, announced in Travel + Leisure Australia's October edition, for the airport's Melbourne Direct website which allows travellers to reduce the time they spend in stopovers and connections.

MelbourneDirect.com.au allows inbound and outbound travellers to research flights that will get them between Melbourne and international destinations faster.

The website "minimises time spent in airports", according to Travel + Leisure Australia, providing inbound and outbound travellers with flight time comparisons and days of each flight's operation, as well as airline and stopover options for hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Melbourne Airport Communications Manager Thomas Perry said the airport was delighted to have been named in the awards list.

"Innovation is a priority in everything we do at Melbourne Airport, so it's wonderful to have been recognised by such an opinion leader in Australian travel," said Mr Perry.

"We're also continuing to innovate with the site. A raft of new functionality and an enhanced user interface is set to be launched as part of the Melbourne Direct site in the very near future."

MelbourneDirect.com.au impressed editors for its ease of use and 'just-the-facts' approach.

"Amazingly, there is nothing for sale on the site, not even Melbourne Airport," states Travel + Leisure Australia.