Twenty-five finalists to vie for 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) comes March 14.

The announcement of the 2019 finalists took place last week at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

The finalists, 12 which represent organisations, 10 from the ­individual category, three from craft, and one from the raft captain category, were selected from the six resort areas.

Some 207 nominations were received this year, a dramatic increase from last year’s 107. The nominations came from the major subsectors of the tourism industry, from which 87 semi-finalists were shortlisted and further narrowed to decide the 25 contenders for the major awards and prizes.

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

He stated that 60 per cent of the value of experience of the visitor in the destination was service.

“It’s you who have made the connection between hearts 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 (TPDCo), his excitement of TSEA 2019 stems from the record number of applications this year and the new categories, which are important, “as we focus on all areas of the sector which in the past have been under-represented. Second, the programme has become institutionalised 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 organisation 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 Organisation and individual categories will be named national champions for the 2019 TSEA.

The initiative, which is in its eighth iteration, was created by the Ministry of Tourism and ­implemented annually by the TPDCo. The awards seek to ­recognise and reward tourism entities and individuals that have consistently provided exemplary service within the tourism industry.