Jasper’s Visitor Information Centre (VIC) was recognized for its excellence in hiring and training during last month’s inaugural Ammy Awards.

The awards are named after Alberta’s official gemstone, Ammolite, and were created to recognize Alberta Visitor Information Centres for their outstanding achievements in enhancing the quality of their operations, service and the appearance and accessibility of their facilities.

There are four categories, with eight awards in total. Tourism Jasper won best-in-class for hiring and training in the category of operational excellence. 

Sarah Culley was part of Jasper’s winning team. She said Jasper’s VIC is deserving of the award.

“We had an awesome training week, just kind of going around visiting all of the sites and really bonding as a team.”

Part of the training included taking part in tours and sampling restaurants, so that VIC staff could share their personal experience with tourists who visited the centre. 

Culley said having that experience made it easier to make informed and thoughtful recommendations.

“Being able to relate a little bit of your personal experiences with each place was helpful,” she said.

“And people really appreciate having that local insider perspective.”

Culley was one of 10 travel counsellors recognized with the award. The others were: Mallory Ayers, Lauren Carter, Gregory Cogan, Nico Coughlin-Villeneuve, Evelyn Cranston, Julie Delisle, Dan Lamhonwah, Sarah Maludzinski and Leslie Tobin.

“This is only the second year of Tourism Jasper running the Visitor Information Centre, and I am really proud to have the spotlight shone on this team,” Maggie Davison, CEO of Tourism Jasper, stated in a press release. “We should all celebrate and recognize their importance to the Jasper travel experience. “The VIC team has received praise throughout the summer regarding the exceptional service they have provided visitors from around the world, and the knowledge they gained through product training with our shareholders has translated into valuable advice for so many travellers.” 

The award was announced during the 10th annual Alberta Visitor Information Providers (AVIP) conference in Red Deer late last month.

Other award winners were Tourism Camrose, Tourism Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association, Banff Lake Louise Tourism and the Valleyview and District Chamber of Commerce.