Tourism Employee of the Year to be named

The St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau reported to Historic City News that they are seeking nominations for the coveted Tourism Employee of the Year awards to be presented during National Tourism Week, May 10-17.

More than 10,000 tourism industry employees in St. Johns County are eligible for the awards which will be presented in the “Accommodations” and “Attractions” categories.

Restaurant and retail shop employees are included in Attractions.

In 2008, the Tourism Employee of the Year for Accommodations was Reggie Bailey of the Hampton Inn and Suites, Vilano Beach.

The winner of the Attractions Tourism Employee of the Year award was Margarita Burgos, the bookkeeper for Tour St. Augustine, Ghost Tours of St. Augustine, Potter’s Wax Museum, and Old Florida Museum.

Nominations must be in writing and should simply include the name of the nominee, the name of the nominee’s employer, the name and contact information for the person making the nomination, and a 250-word (or less) narrative explaining why the nominee should be selected as a Tourism Employee of the Year.

Nominations should be e-mailed to Jay Humphreys at jhumphreys@Getaway4Florida.com or faxed to 829.6149. All nominations will be evaluated by the Visitors and Convention Bureau staff before selecting the employees of the year.

The deadline for submitting nominations is 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 5.