Newfoundland companies among finalists for national tourism awards

Newfoundland and Labrador companies are among 42 finalists named today by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada for the 2009 National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail.
Finalists are individuals and organizations from all 10 provinces, as well as Canada's north.
The awards allow Canada's tourism industry to recognize those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travellers in Canada.
Three finalists were named in each of the 14 award categories. The recipient of a 15th award, the Canadian Travel Press Lifetime Achievement Award, will be selected by TIAC's Board of Directors.
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner November 3, 2009 during Canada's Tourism Leadership Summit in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The finalists are:

AIR CANADA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD - SINGLE-UNIT
Folklorama Festival (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Shaw's Hotel & Cottages (Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island)
Wat'Chee Lodge (Churchill, Manitoba)

HILTON FAMILY OF HOTELS CANADA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD - MULTIPLE-UNIT
Accent Inns (Victoria, British Columbia)
Pacrim Hospitality Services (Bedford, Nova Scotia)
Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation (Regina, Saskatchewan)

DELTA HOTELS & RESORTS NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Beach Club Resort (Parksville, British Columbia)
Éco-odyssÉe (LaPÊche - Secteur Wakefield, QuÉbec)
Great River Journey Inc. (Whitehorse, Yukon)

DELOITTE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Bike Train Initiative (Ontario)
CapeRace Cultural Activities (St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador)
edVentures (Fredericton, New Brunswick)

STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE INC. CORPORATE PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD
APM Construction (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)
Saint John Port Authority (Saint John, New Brunswick)
The Organic Farm (St. Phillips, Newfoundland & Labrador)

TOURISM TORONTO TRAVEL MEDIA AWARD
Saltscapes Magazine (Bedford, Nova Scotia)
Sandra Phinney (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia)
Sasha Chapman (Toronto, Ontario)

VIA RAIL CANADA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Joanne Berube (Edmundston, New Brunswick)
Brian Clark (St. Martins, New Brunswick)
Joseph Hollick (Hamilton, Ontario)

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Find Yourself Here - Department of Tourism, Culture & Recreation (St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador)
L'eau chaude - c'est juste le dÉbut - New Brunswick Tourism & Parks (Fredericton, New Brunswick) & IG2 (QuÉbec)
Sunshine Guarantee - Tourism Victoria (Victoria, British Colombia)

METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
Festival Western de Saint-Quentin (Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick)
Folklorama (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Yukon Quest (Yukon)

WESTJET ONLINE MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Toronto for the Holidays -- Tourism Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)
Dave Does Montreal - Tourisme MontrÉal (MontrÉal, QuÉbec)
The Real Banff National Park - Radar DDB (Vancouver, British Columbia) & Banff Lake Louise Tourism (Banff, Alberta)

CTHRC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney (Sydney, Nova Scotia)
Great Wolf Lodge (Niagara Falls, Ontario)
D.P. Murphy Inc. (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Wilma Anderson, Elmhirst's Resort (Keene, Ontario)
Karl Doetsch, Delta Fredericton (Fredericton, New Brunswick)
Crystal Egan, Brookstreet Hotel (Ottawa, Ontario)

PARKS CANADA SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD
Cape Jourimain Nature Centre (Bayfield, New Brunswick)
Clear Lake Golf Course (Onanole, Manitoba)
Seascape Kayak Tours (Richardson, New Brunswick)

ONLINE INNOVATION AWARD
VacationsCanada.TV - Brewster Inc. (Banff, Alberta)
My Trip Planner - T4G Limited (Saint John, New Brunswick) & New Brunswick Tourism and Parks (Fredericton, New Brunswick)
www.tourisme-montreal.org - Tourisme MontrÉal (MontrÉal, QuÉbec)