Industry Excellence Honoured at 9th Annual BC Tourism Industry Awards

Industry Excellence Honoured at 9th Annual BC Tourism Industry Awards

Held on February 21st at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, the BC Tourism Awards recognized innovation and excellence in the province's tourism industry. Presented by Tourism British Columbia and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia, a total of ten awards were handed out during the evening event to individuals and organizations representing a cross-section of the tourism industry.

The Foresight Sustainability Award was given to the Vancouver Aquarium, an industry leader in sustainable policies and programs. Operating with a dual mandate, the Vancouver Aquarium fulfills its vision of a sustainable world, where aquatic life is diverse and flourishing, while achieving success as one of British Columbia's most popular attractions.

Trudy Van Dop was recognized with the Best Tourism Marketing Campaign Award for the Van Dop Arts and Cultural Guide to BC and the Annual BC Cultural Crawl. The Cultural Crawl is a month-long celebration of the arts throughout the province with over 70 communities participating in 2007, the Van Dop Arts & Cultural Guide to British Columbia: a 128-page, full-colour, year-round guide to the arts, culture and heritage of BC is now celebrating its tenth year.

Kootenay Rockies Tourism was awarded the Technology in Tourism Award for developing KootenayRockies.mobi, a comprehensive, mobile-specific destination website, the first of its kind in Canada. The website was built entirely in Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), using simple navigation controls, featuring on-demand download of images and audio ensures visitors the ultimate mobile experience.

The Employees First Award was given to The Exploration Place, at The Fraser-Fort George Regional Museum. By developing a corporate culture that values employees and recognizing that work is only a portion of their lives, The Exploration Place has implemented major initiatives such as child care programs, expansion of health benefits, feedback oriented reviews, higher starting wages for entry level staff and flexible work hours.

Air New Zealand was recognized with the Tourism Media Award for their work in promoting a new direct flight from Auckland to Vancouver. A series of strategic media visits offered by Air New Zealand took journalists throughout the province, generating enormous media attention for British Columbia.

The Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre was recognized with the Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award for their active pursuit of an environmental agenda, which includes facility-wide programs, addressing key areas such as maximization of recycling and waste reduction, energy efficiency and conservation.

The Sport Tourism Community Legacy Award went to Initiatives Prince George for their "Train In Prince George" program. Through developing a comprehensive sport tourism plan, showcasing the unique attributes of their community, Initiatives Prince George has become an exceptional sport host destination.

The SuperHost® Customer Service Award was given to Sidney resident, Tamara Turcotte for her commitment to customer service in the face of challenging odds. On July 28, 2007, when BC Ferries experienced an unfortunate bomb hoax, Tamara came in to work at the Airport Travelodge on her night off and immediately began to help those who were stranded and in need of a place to stay for the night. In many ways for Tamara, it was just another day at work.

The William Van Horne Visionary Award was presented to Walter Smith, who for over 75 years, has been a visionary force for tourism in Northern British Columbia. He saw the potential that tourism could bring to his home community of Prince Rupert, and broadened that for his community, becoming Northern BC’s voice for tourism throughout a critical era in the development of the industry.

Lorne Whyte was recognized with the Tourism Industry Leader of the Year Award. Recently retired, Lorne served as President & CEO of Tourism Victoria since January, 1989. His 30 year tourism industry background includes owning and operating successful companies throughout the Pacific Northwest in both the publishing and distribution business. Under Lorne's 19 year tenure at Tourism Victoria, the 2% hotel tax was implemented, and the local tourism industry went from $500 million dollars in 1989 to more than 1.2 billion dollars.

For more information on the BC Tourism Industry Awards please visit the Tourism BC website.

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