Door County 2015 CTA of the Year Nominations Being Accepted
The Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Door County Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) of the Year award, through April 6.
All nominees must be current Door County CTA’s and nominations from employers, co-workers or customers are welcome. Self-nominations are also encouraged. Any Door County CTA who has consistently gone above and beyond in their interactions with visitors in Door County are eligible. Nomination forms are available at the DCVB Welcome Center in Sturgeon Bay or by contacting Yvonne Torres at 414-231-0322 or yvonne@doorcounty.com.
This year will mark the fifth year the award will be presented to an area Certified Tourism Ambassador for their exemplary customer service to Door County’s visitors. Last year’s winners were CTA’s Joe and Sue Jarosh from the Jacksonport Craft Cottage, who went on to win the National CTA of the Year award, the first Door County CTAs to win the national competition.
Over 600 CTA’s have been trained in Door County since the DCVB began the local program back in 2009. The local CTA program is part of a national curriculum that trains front line tourism workers and volunteers on such things as customer service, local destination knowledge and area tourism resources with the ultimate goal of turning every visitor encounter into a positive experience.
“The Door County CTA of the Year is someone who exemplifies the spirit of Door County tourism, both on and off the job,” said Christine Salmon, the CTA program coordinator for the DCVB. “We have so many committed CTAs who go above and beyond to create a positive, memorable experience for our visitors, and this is our way of recognizing how important they are to our community,” she said.
Salmon said the winner will be announced on May 5 during the luncheon at the DCVB’s day-long Door County Travel and Tourism Summit at Stone Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay. The winner will receive an engraved Star Award in recognition of their accomplishment, a silver CTA pin and a $50 Door County gift certificate.
Additionally, the local winner will move on to the national competition where the Tourism Ambassador Institute will select a national CTA of the Year winner from up to 21 competing CTAs from across the country. The national winner will receive a trip for two anywhere that American Airlines flies in the continental U.S., including coach airfare for two and two nights’ lodging.
More than 13,000 CTA’s nationwide have completed the program since its inception in 2006. For more information about the national program, visit www.CTANetwork.com.
Previous Door County CTA of the year award winners include Yvonne Torres in 2011, Rachel Willems in 2012, Wally Vartanian in 2013 and Sue and Joe Jarosh in 2014.
The Door County Visitor Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization for Door County, whose mission is to generate incremental economic impact for the community by attracting visitors with strategies that ensure sustainable tourism.
