Archived News Releases

April 23, 2004

Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Eric Robinson congratulated Manitoba's Tourism Award winners for 2003 at a special dinner tonight at Rural Forum.

The awards are presented annually to individuals and organizations for excellence in innovation and service in the tourism industry.

“Tourism is a $1.4 billion dollar industry in Manitoba. Directly and indirectly, small and large businesses employ more than 60,000 Manitobans in the tourism industry,” said Robinson. “I am proud to honour those who have excelled in providing tourist services to our guests in northern, rural and urban communities. I also extend a special thank you to all the members of our tourism industry for their dedication to making Manitoba a prime holiday and business destination.”

The minister said that legislation introduced in March, the Travel Manitoba Act, will build upon the positive relationship between members of the tourism industry and Manitoba.

“Tourism is a big business. And our new stand-alone agency, Travel Manitoba, will foster partnerships with owners and operators in the industry which are necessary in order to insure that Manitoba's tourism industry has the agility and flexibility to respond to constantly shifting market conditions.”

The minister pointed out that tourism in Manitoba supports more than 18,000 Manitobans working full-time in more than 4,700 hospitality businesses.

Awards in nine categories were presented to winners who were selected by an independent committee of tourism industry members.

The Manitoba Tourism Ambassador Awards are presented in three categories: the Long Service Award, the Service Award and the Volunteer Award.

This year, the Ambassador Long Service Award was presented to Erwin Olazo, a bellman at the Sheraton hotel. For 18 years, Olazo has provided exemplary customer service in the hotel industry.

The Ambassador Service Award was presented to Simone Neveux for her work in promoting French Manitoba as a vital part of the tourism industry. While working with the Conseil de développment économique des municipalitiés bilingues du Manitoba (CDEM) and the inter-provincial Corridor touristiqué francophone de l' ouest (CTFO), Neveux has encouraged many attractions to improve their operations to meet the needs of tourists seeking a francophone cultural experience.

Two recipients were presented with Ambassador Volunteer Awards. Jack Forsyth, former mayor of Snow Lake, was honoured for his dedication in promoting tourism opportunities in northern Manitoba. The Goldwing Ambassador Program at the Winnipeg International Airport was recognized for its promotion of Winnipeg and Manitoba through its volunteers who provide warm hospitality and quality customer service.

The Manitoba Tourism Marketing Award was presented to the CDEM for its Joie de Vivre campaign that promotes the many bilingual tourist attractions found in Manitoba.

Manitoba Tourism Community Partnership Awards were presented to the towns of Killarney, Deloraine and Boissevain. These communities formed an alliance to promote tourism in their region, a move that has had a positive impact on their economic growth.

Two Tourism Innovation Awards were presented this year. The first award honoured the Roblin Snowmobile Association for its annual Roblin Junkyard Wars event that enables teams to collect junk and build operable machines. Last year's event attracted over 2,000 visitors. The second award recognized the Foxwarren Memory Garden Committee for its development and maintenance of a flower garden that features over 600 memory stones commemorating deceased friends and relatives from the community. This project has received international attention.

The Manitoba Media Award was presented to Red River North Tourism Committee for its media campaign promoting the City of Selkirk and the rural municipalities of St. Clements and St. Andrews as highly desirable tourism destinations.

The Manitoba Tourism Service Excellence Award was presented to the Delta Winnipeg hotel for its dedication and commitment to training and ongoing learning opportunities which are supported by a superior employee recognition program.

The Manitoba Tourism Eco-Tourism Award was presented to Falcon Trails Resort for its environmentally friendly High Lake eco-cabin retreats. This development promotes eco‑conservation by educating clients on the preservation of the environment. The resort also uses revenues to ensure conservation of the area, maintain the integrity of natural ecosystems and maximize economic benefits for the community.

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