Nominations due by Nov. 4 for Southern Delaware Tourism Awards

Southern Delaware Tourism is asking space residents and companies to appoint teams or people who’ve made important contributions to the tourism business in Sussex County between October 2021 and October 2022 for its annual awards. Nominations have to be accomplished and submitted by Friday, Nov. 4, to be thought of. The 2022 winners might be introduced in December.

Tourism is a $2.3+ billion (and rising!) business in Sussex County. In truth, greater than 16% of all jobs within the county – virtually 20,000 of them – are tourism associated. Tourism income saves every Delaware family practically $1,600 in taxes every year. That is due, largely, to the county’s lucky geographical location and exquisite five-star seashores, but it surely’s additionally the results of lots of initiative, creativity, planning and onerous work by the many individuals and organizations that attempt to maintain up with altering journey tendencies, and create and supply the sorts of points of interest, occasions, actions, and providers that drive guests to Sussex County.

“Tourism is a big financial engine for Sussex County,” mentioned Scott Thomas, government director of Southern Delaware Tourism. “That is our method of honoring those who have gone above and past to contribute to the tourism business in our space. We encourage everybody to contemplate who they suppose could also be worthy recipients of those awards, and to appoint them.”

Organizers encourage each new nominations and resubmission of earlier entries that haven’t but received an SDT award.

Classes and standards for every are:

Greatest Occasion
Standards: Visitation draw, uniqueness, out-of-area promotion, serving to highlight Sussex County as a vacation spot.

Greatest New Occasion (for first-time occasions held in Sussex County)
Standards: Visitation draw, uniqueness, out-of-area promotion, serving to to highlight Sussex County as a vacation spot.

Greatest Attraction
Standards: Visitation draw, tourism financial influence to the group, group friendliness, collaboration with lodging.

Pioneer Award 
Standards: New tourism product developed to satisfy altering shopper habits and calls for. Spotlight the progressive method or being the primary to use a brand new exercise or service that caters to Sussex County guests.

Perseverance Award 
Standards: Continued effort to beat obstacles leading to a profitable tourism enterprise. Spotlight obstacles encountered, work ethic, perseverance and outcomes achieved.

Pivot Award 
Standards: Changes introduced on by the COVID-19 pandemic to raised cater to guests and company. Spotlight modifications made and the way they helped the enterprise survive and even thrive throughout this dynamic, unprecedented interval.

Philanthropic Award 
Standards: Based mostly on contributing to and selling the group welfare that makes Sussex County a greater place to go to. Spotlight all related sources and help supplied to make the county a greater vacation spot.

Tourism Associate of the 12 months Award
Standards: Based mostly on collaborative efforts working with Southern Delaware Tourism and/or Sussex County chambers of commerce. Spotlight shared sources used to develop tourism merchandise, providers or points of interest.

2021 recipients of the annual awards embody: Pioneer Award – Winter Delmarva Dogfish BirdINNg Weekends; Perseverance Award –  Ashley Houdbert, Go to Rehoboth/Go to Lewes; Pivot Award – Freeman Arts Pavilion; Philanthropic Award – Rehoboth Seashore Principal Avenue Inc.; Tourism Associate of the 12 months – Delaware Sea Grant Faculty Program-College of Delaware.

Previous recipients of the annual awards additionally embody Vietnam Veterans Memorial Transferring Wall, American Legion Household of Submit 17, Lewes; Cinema Artwork Theater, Rehoboth Seashore Movie Society; Southern Delaware Wine, Meals & Music Pageant; Delaware Seashore Life journal; Mid Atlantic Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Pageant; Hearth & Ice Pageant; Ladybug Music Pageant; Freeman Stage; Delaware State Parks; Dogfish Sprint; Winter Wonderfest; Lefty’s Alley & Eats; Delaware Seashore Ebook; Return Day; BooBQue by the Sea; Cape Henlopen State Park’s Gordons Pond Path & Junction and Breakwater Path; Western Sussex Tourism Committee; The Freeman Stage at Bayside; Nassau Valley Vineyards; Apple Scrapple Pageant; Dogfish Head Brewery Excursions; Rehoboth Seashore Movie Pageant; Lewes Maritime Historical past Path; Ocean to Bay Bike Tour; Consuming Rehoboth Strolling Meals Excursions; and Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers’ Pageant.

Nomination types and directions for the 2022 Southern Delaware Tourism Awards could be discovered at VisitSouthernDelaware.com/tourism-award-nomination, or by calling 302-856-1818.