Tourism Award of Excellence winner Frank O’Connor with Dan Hollingsworth, Executive Director of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.
Sean Ruppel, President of Superfly Racing, host of Crank the Shield cycling race.
Entomica President John Dedes with Lindsey Ackland, Coordinator of Visitor & Media Relations for Tourism Sault Ste. Marie.
Customer Service Award winner Erroll “Bud” Stewart with fellow team members of Quattro Hotel & Conference Centre.

 

Supplied by the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation…

Sault Ste. Marie, ON (November 8, 2019) – The envelope, please! Tourism Sault Ste. Marie hosted its 17th annual Tourism Awards last night. Held at the Water Tower Inn, the ceremony recognized the people, organizations and businesses that go above and beyond to welcome visitors to the community. The 2019 winners are:

 

  • Tourism Award of Excellence: Frank O’Connor, a longtime tourism advocate and owner of the Voyageurs’ Lodge & Cookhouse.

 

  • Business of the Year: John Giuliani’s Fishing Adventures, a company that provides guided fishing tours on the St. Mary’s River and area lakes to visitors from around the world.

 

  • Event of the Year: 2019 Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games, which was hosted by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service from January 31 to February 3.

 

  • Customer Service Award: Erroll “Bud” Stewart, Maintenance Lead at Quattro Hotel & Conference Centre.

 

  • Tourism Ambassador Award: Entomica, Sault Ste. Marie’s only insectarium, which offers hands-on experience with creepy crawlers in a fun, safe and educational capacity.

 

  • Tourism Choice Award: Crank the Shield, a multi-day cycling odyssey that took place on Algoma region trails in August 2018 and August 2019.

 

“From major events and cruise ship visits, to new cycling trails and other infrastructure projects, it has been a solid year for the local tourism sector,” said Jennifer King-Callon, Director of Travel & Tourism for Tourism Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s great to honour the people, businesses and organizations for their role in fostering the Sault’s visitor-friendly reputation. I thank the 2019 Tourism Award winners and nominees for all that they do to support our industry and our entire community.”

 

Tourism Sault Ste. Marie is a division of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation. Its staff works with industry partners to draw visitors to the community by securing and supporting major events, attracting group tours and cruise ships, creating and selling vacation packages, undertaking marketing activity, and developing new tourism infrastructure. To learn more, go to www.sault-canada.com.