TORONTO — The winners of the 2018 Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence were recently announced at the Ontario Tourism Summit in Windsor, Ont.
The Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence celebrate success and recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to Ontario’s tourism industry. The awards, which are divided into four categories, are jointly presented by the Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), Destination Ontario, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and Attractions Ontario. The awards program’s four categories include the Tourism Industry Awards of Excellence, Tourism Marketing & Travel Media Awards of Excellence, Culinary Tourism Awards of Excellence and Ontario’s Choice Awards.
This year’s award winners are as follows:
Tourism Industry Awards of Excellence
Tourism Innovator of the Year — Tourism Excellence North (TEN)
Tourism Event of the Year (Small Event) — The Polar Express Train Ride – Waterloo Central Railway
Tourism Event of the Year (Large Event) — Ontario 150 Tour – Water’s Edge Festivals and Events
Tourism Champion of the Year — Gord Brown
Tourism Employer of the Year — Tourism Toronto
Accessible Tourism Award — St. Lawrence Parks Commission
Sustainable Tourism Award — Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve
Indigenous Tourism Award — Wikwemikong Tourism
Lifetime Achievement Award — J.J. Hilsinger
Tourism Marketing & Travel Media Awards of Excellence
Tourism Marketing Campaign Award UNDER $50K — Tourism Hamilton – #MyHamilton User-Generated Campaign
Tourism Marketing Campaign Award OVER $50K — Tourism Toronto, The Views Are Different Here
Tourism Marketing Partnership Award — Brewery Discovery Routes, Brewery Discovery Routes 2017
Tourism Digital Marketing Award — Kingston Accommodation Partners, Fresh Made Daily Digital Campaign
Tourism Print Collateral Award — Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board, Bay of Quinte Discovery Guide
Travel Media Photography Award — Colin Field – Mountain Life Magazine Fall 2017 Snow Biker
Travel Media Story Award — Karon Liu, A Pilgrimage to Cheese County
Culinary Tourism Awards of Excellence
Culinary Tourism Experience Award — Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery
Culinary Tourism Event of the Year — Funkfest by Sawdust City Brewing
Culinary Tourism Leadership Award — Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island
Ontario’s Choice Awards
2018 Attraction of the Year — Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
