Twenty-five finalists to vie for the 2019 Tourism Service Excellence Awards

Twenty-five finalists are set to contend for the major award of national champions in the Tourism Service Excellence Awards (TSEA) come March 14th. The announcement of the 2019 finalists was conducted today at the TSEA finalists’ announcement at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

The finalists, twelve of which represent organizations, ten from the individual category, three from Craft and one from the Raft Captain category were selected from the six resort areas of Jamaica. 207 nominations were received this year, a dramatic increase from last year’s 107. The nominations came from the major sub-sectors of the tourism industry, from which 87 semi-finalists were shortlisted and further narrowed to decide the twenty-five contenders for the major awards and prizes.

Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett, who was unavoidably absent, brought his message via video recording.

“Sixty percent of the value of experience of the visitor in the destination is service. Its you who have made the connection between heart and heart in tourism. What we offer is larger than they can take back home, that only their hearts can contain it. The service Excellence Awards therefore is when we pause to celebrate and show appreciation for your service. It is the totality of your interaction that makes it possible for our sector to be performing so well.”

According to Dr. Andrew Spencer, Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company “I am excited about the TSEA 2019 because we have a record number of applications this year and new categories which are important as we focus on all areas of the sector which in the past have been underrepresented. Secondly the programme has become institutionalized and is now a staple that players in the industry look forward to.”

The finalists for the 2019 TSEA in the individual category are Celia Steele and Kenard Swaby from Kingston, Leroy Miller and Akeem Miller from Port Antonio, Giselle Bradshaw and Maxine Henry from Negril, Angelita McDonald and Sherritta Savage from Montego Bay, Paul Norman and Marsha Wiles from Ocho Rios.

From the organization category are Courtleigh Hotel and VIP Attractions - Kingston, Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours – Port Antonio, The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Experience and Jakes Hotel Treasure Beach – South Coast, Sunset at the Palms, Sandals Negril beach Resort and Spa and Beaches Negril Resort and Spa – Negril, Club Mobay and Chukka Caribbean Adventures – Montego Bay and Golden Eye Resort and Spa, Mystic Mountain – Ocho Rios.

At the awards ceremony later in March two finalists from the organization and individual categories will be named National Champions for the 2019 Tourism Service Excellence Awards. The initiative, which is in its eighth iteration was created by the Ministry of Tourism and implemented annually by the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo). The awards seek to recognize and reward tourism entities and individuals that have consistently provided exemplary service within the tourism industry.