MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Jamaica’s first-ever Tourism “Oscars”, the Tourism Service Excellence Awards, created to honour the “best of the best” in hospitality, will take place on Friday, April 24 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort in Montego Bay. Known worldwide for its reputation of outstanding service and its top quality employee training program, the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall was chosen as the venue to host the inaugural awards presentation.
A host of attractive prizes will be up for grabs during the gala event which will see thirteen individuals and nine organizations, representing the island’s resort areas of Kingston, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast, vying for the top service award for each region.
Each resort winner will be presented with the Resort Area Champion Trophy plus J$50,000. In addition, Resort Area Champions will participate in a 4-day group trip to Nassau Bahamas. Accommodations will be provided through the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism at the Atlantic Resort and flights will be provided by Air Jamaica.
The National Champion will walk away with an additional cash prize of J$100,000 and an all expenses paid week-long trip for two to the islands of St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados, staying at top resorts in the islands, courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism in each island. The winner will fly first class, courtesy of Caribbean Airlines.
Launched in July 2008, the Tourism Service Excellence Programme seeks to recognize outstanding service delivery in the hospitality sector by both individuals and organizations. Its aim is to reward the best in service and to motivate those individuals and organizations who consistently surpass standards and guest expectations. The awards recognize those organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service during 2008.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has repeatedly stressed the importance of service excellence in enhancing and improving the island’s tourism product. “It is imperative that we strengthen our total tourism product by diversifying our product offerings, enhancing the quality of the product offerings and by elevating the service level,” said Bartlett at a recent press conference.
Director of Tourism, John Lynch in congratulating all the finalists indicated that Jamaica prides herself on offering the highest quality of professional service and is dedicated to continually improving it in order to enhance visitors’ experiences. “As the industry continues to grow, and new hotels, new attractions continue to attract a global audience, we are committed to providing training and incentives to keep the level of service top-notch for all our visitors. Jamaica has been a leader in many areas of tourism and providing excellent service is just one important facet,” stated Lynch.
About the Programme
Dubbed the Oscar of Tourism, the event will feature the ‘best of the best’ from across the island, in the hospitality sector. The award distinguishes between individuals and organizations; as such, each has its own award. A total of 116 nominees were reviewed; those receiving the qualifying minimum number of points were shortlisted for mystery shopping. Mystery shoppers interacted with and observed these nominees, ensuring consistency of service, and selected 48 individuals and 18 organizations as semi-finalists.
Final judging, by an independent panel, was based on stipulated criteria; thirteen individuals and nine organizations were selected as finalists, organized by geographic region. From the finalists, six persons and six organizations representing the island’s resort areas of Kingston, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast, will be recognized and awarded for exceptional service.
