Persons and Organisations to be Recognised for Exceptional Service

Thirteen persons and nine organisations within the tourism industry have been selected as finalists for the inaugural staging of the Tourism Service Excellence awards, slated for March 28, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in Montego Bay, St. James.
The finalists include: House Keeping Attendant at Beaches Boscobel, Fiona Hartley; Grounds Supervisor, Royal Plantation, Kirkland Johnson; Public Relations Manager, Sandals Grande, Lyndsay Isaacs; Bell Man, Breezes Montego Bay, Leroy Kirton; Entertainment Manager, Breezes Montego Bay, Dean Moriah; Tour Operator, Glistening Waters, Shane Dwayne Lewis; Entertainment Manager, Hedonism II, Winston Bartley; Water Sports Manager, Sandals Negril, Francis McKenzie; Tour Guide, YS Falls, Sancie Whyte; Tour Operator, Reliable Adventure Jamaica, Wolde Kristof; Hotel Manager, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Nancy McLean; Customer Service Representative, Norman Manley International Airport, Patrice Wiggan and Transportation Representative, Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA), Barrington Steer.
The organisations are: Beaches Boscobel; Dolphin Cove; Sandals Dunns River; Outameni; Gee Jam; Jakes; Island Car Rentals; Hilton Kingston Hotel and Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
From the finalists, six persons and six organisations representing the island’s resort areas of Kingston, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast will be recognised and awarded for exceptional service in the tourism sector.
Speaking at a presentation ceremony at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, on March 6, Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Earl Patrick, explained that the finalists exemplify service and the enhancement of the visitor experience that results in a high degree of visitor satisfaction.
He pointed out that the awards are part of the overall Tourism Service Excellence Programme (TSEP), which “seeks to recognise and reward our workers and organisations that are at the heart of the industry and are consistently giving delightful experiences, which will help to distinguish this Destination Jamaica from the competition.”
“One of the most important components of the visitor experience is the quality of the interface between the visitor and the tourism worker and their experience with tourism services,” Mr. Patrick highlighted, adding that “quality customer service delivery at every entity is integral to the continued growth in the tourism sector.”
The major objectives of the TSEP are to recognise and reward tourism entities that continually train and motivate staff to achieve excellence in customer service delivery; recognise individual workers who have and continue to surpass customer service delivery standards; and to select, showcase and award the best of the best in service excellence.
Outlining the various categories of awards and prizes, Mr. Patrick revealed that each resort winner would be presented with the Resort Area Champion Trophy and $50,000.
Additionally, top individual and organisation champions will be selected from the awardees and will receive the National Champion Individual and National Champion Organisation Trophies.
The national champion individual will also receive a cash prize of $100,000 and a week-long trip for two to St. Maarten, Antigua and Barbados. The winner will fly first class, courtesy of Caribbean Airlines and will stay at top resorts in the islands.
Accommodation, meals and VIP ground itineraries will be provided, courtesy of St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, the Ministry of Tourism in Antigua and the Barbados Tourism Authority.
The TSEP is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, TPDCo, Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), and falls under the umbrella of the Ministry’s popular ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ campaign.