This release was issued under a previous government.

2017 Ammy Awards

2017 AMMY Awards recipients

The AMMYs open the annual Alberta Visitor Information Providers (AVIP) conference and honour innovation and professional excellence demonstrated by individuals and groups working in more than 100 community and regional Visitor Information Centres across the province.

Since 2011, Culture and Tourism has hosted the AMMY awards, named in honour of Alberta’s official gemstone – Ammolite. This year’s AVIP conference is in Brooks Sept. 26-27.

The conference coincides with World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on Sept. 27. The goal of World Tourism Day, established by the United Nations in 1980, is to foster greater awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.

“World Tourism Day and the AMMY awards offer the opportunity to acknowledge tourism’s importance to Alberta and the province’s industry professionals who are vital to the sector’s success and continued growth. Congratulations to the finalists and award recipients for their outstanding achievements and assistance in helping tourism in Alberta reach its potential for economic diversification and job creation.”

Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism

The 2017 AMMY awards categories and recipients are:

  • Individual Excellence – Leader in Visitor Services:

Melissa Williamson, Travel Alberta Hinton Visitor Information Centre, for demonstrating leadership and building strong relationships with the local community to produce a supportive, efficient and productive work environment.

  • Individual Excellence – Travel Counselling:

Suzanne Goyetche, Town of Cochrane / Historic Downtown Cochrane Visitor Information Centre, for going above and beyond with visitors to make sure their experience is a memorable one. Whether it’s helping tired bikers or assisting stranded travellers, Suzanne provides outstanding support.

  • Visitor Service Excellence — Visitor Services:

Tourism Calgary for its successful multi-channel approach to visitor services that reached people in the Calgary and surrounding area to help enhance their local travel experiences through multi-channel information, real-time counselling and inspiring frontline ambassadors.

In 2015, more than 34 million visitors to Alberta spent $8.1 billion (Statistics Canada).