OTTAWA, November 26, 2014 - Fifteen organizations and individuals were honoured tonight by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) as recipients of the 2014 Canadian Tourism Awards, presented by The Toronto Star, Deloitte and HLT Advisory Inc.

The awards were presented earlier this evening in a gala ceremony at the Westin Ottawa Hotel. 

"Tonight was an excellent showcase of the amazing travel experiences, products and people that Canada has to offer. Coast to coast to coast, outstanding groups of individuals and organizations have demonstrated expertise, perseverance and determination on the path to success and are a testament to the quality of Canada's world-class tourism industry," said TIAC President and CEO (Interim) Rob Taylor.

The Canadian Tourism Awards are presented annually by TIAC to recognize success, leadership and innovation in Canada's tourism industry, and to reward those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer travellers superior tourism experiences in Canada.

The 2014 Winners are:

The Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada National Aboriginal Cultural Tourism Award

• Musee des Abénakis, Odanak, QC

Air Canada Business of the Year Award

• Fairmont le Château Frontenac, Québec City, QC

VIA Rail Canada Community Service Award

• Downtown BIZ, Winnipeg, MB

InterContinental Hotels Group Tourism Employee of the Year Award

• Guillaume Fortin, Harbour Air Ltd., Richmond, BC

Oxford Properties Tourism Employer of the Year Award

• Rocky Mountaineer, Vancouver, BC

Metro Toronto Convention Centre Event of the Year Award

• Jeux d'été du Canada - Sherbrooke 2013, Sherbrooke, QC

Brewster Travel Canada Innovator of the Year Award

• The Elgin Military Museum, St. Thomas, ON

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Marketing Campaign of the Year Award

• "Amazing Race Canada" Pan North Territorial Consortium,
  Whitehorse, YT

The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Culture/Heritage And Tourism Initiative National Cultural Tourism Award

• Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, Whitehorse, YT

Hilton Worldwide Small or Medium-Sized Business of the Year Award

• Cypress Hills Eco-Adventures Ltd., Maple Creek, SK

Parks Canada Youth Tourism Entrepreneur Award

• Parkbus - Boris Issaev & Alex Berlyand, Toronto, ON

WestJet Social Media Initiative of the Year Award

• "Augmented Reality App" Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Toronto, ON

Transat AT Sustainable Tourism Award

• Eagle Wing Tours Ltd., Victoria, BC

VISA Canada Traveller Experience of the Year Award

• Cabot Links, Inverness, NS

The 2014 Toronto Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award

• Lynda & Merv Gunter, Frontiers North, Winnipeg, MB  

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Leanne Czerwinski
Manager, Communications & Production
Tourism Industry Association of Canada

lczerwinski@tiac.travel 

t: 613-238-9400