VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - June 12, 2015) - British Columbia was voted the 'Best Destination for Adventure, Canada' at the TravelAge West WAVE Awards yesterday in Marina del Rey, California.
Vancouver was also recognized at the Awards, taking home the 'Best Destination with the Highest Client Satisfaction, Canada.' The Rocky Mountaineer was honoured with the 'Best North American Rail Vacation Provider' Award -- the fourth time the company has won this award.
The WAVE Awards, now in its tenth year, recognize quality and service excellence in travel operators and destinations around the world. The Awards are hosted by TravelAge West, a leading trade magazine for more than 40,000 travel agents in the 14 Western U.S. states, with California as its largest market for readership.
Award nominees were selected by the editorial team at TravelAge West and voted on by its magazine and web travel agent readers.
Awards such as these support efforts to build awareness of the many remarkable experiences British Columbia has to offer. Destination BC works with travel agents in its key markets, including California, to promote and sell British Columbia. Recently, Destination BC launched its Spring-Summer marketing initiatives in California and Washington using a digital hub to promote the province's iconic experiences through storytelling.
Tourism is a critical part of BC's economy. The industry is showing excellent growth and has huge opportunity ahead. BC's international overnight visitors grew by 5.3% in 2014. Tourism employed more than 132,000 people in British Columbia in 2013, generating an additional 3,800 new jobs from the previous year.
Quotes:
Marsha Walden, CEO, Destination BC
"These are extraordinary accolades for British Columbia. They affirm the remarkable experiences, customer satisfaction and overall excellence our province has to offer. To be selected by travel influencers in one of our key markets will help boost British Columbia's profile. I want to congratulate Vancouver, the Rocky Mountaineer and BC's tourism industry as a whole on these well-deserved awards."
Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business
"Tourism is an important economic driver in our province, so it's very exciting to have BC, Vancouver and the Rocky Mountaineer recognized with top honours at the WAVE Awards in California. These awards will help spread the news that BC is a world-class travel and tourism destination that delivers a wide range of outstanding experiences, adventures and service to those who visit."
Ty Speer, President & CEO, Tourism Vancouver
"Thank you to the readers of TravelAge West for recognizing Vancouver as 'Best Destination with the Highest Client Satisfaction' at the recent WAVE awards. This award is a testament to the passionate professionals in our tourism industry who strive to exceed visitor and client expectations every day."
Karen Hardie, Vice President Global Sales, Rocky Mountaineer
"We are thrilled with this endorsement from our valued agency partners. To be recognized once again as 'Best North American Rail Vacation Provider,' by the top travel trade publication in the West makes us proud to be an ambassador for the great province of British Columbia. Our mission is to be creators of life changing experiences; we do that in partnership with our travel agents across the West and will continue to invest in those relationships well into the future. Congratulations to all of the winners."
About Destination BC:
Destination BC is an industry-led Crown corporation that works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders across the province to coordinate marketing at the international, provincial, regional and local levels. For more information about Destination BC's programs and services, please visit: http://www.DestinationBC.ca/
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Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Destination BC
Media Relations
Tel: 604.660.0424