The NTA member tour operators named the winners of its second annual Distinguished Dozen awards: 12 categories of destinations, attractions, hotels and restaurants selected as the favorites of NTA tour operators. The winners were named on the final day of Travel Exchange, NTA’s annual convention, held this year in conjunction with the United Motorcoach Association.
The awards recognize product quality and partnerships, the NTA said. The winners were honored with gold, silver or bronze awards. (Because of tie votes in several categories, there are more than a dozen winners of each gold and silver, and in some cases, no bronze award was given.)
The NTA winners:
Favorite Big City Destination
Gold: NYC & Company; Silver (tie): Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, New Orleans CVB; Bronze: Destination DC
Favorite Group-friendly Hotel
Gold (three-way tie): Drury Hotels, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Hilton Chicago; Silver (three-way tie): Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Canada’s Western Mountain Region , Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver, Novotel Times Square
Favorite Destination for an Adventure Experience
Gold: Travel Alberta; Silver (three-way tie): New York State Division of Tourism, South African Tourism, Wyoming Office of Tourism
Favorite Theater/Show Venue
Gold: Grand Ole Opry; Silver (two-way tie): Boston Symphony Orchestra-Boston Pops Orchestra-Tanglewood , the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies; Bronze: Blue Man Group
Favorite Scenic Railroad
Gold: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad; Silver: VIA Rail Canada; Bronze (two-way tie): Napa Valley Wine Train, White Pass & Yukon Gold Route Railroad
Favorite Group-friendly Restaurant
Gold: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store; Silver: The Court of Two Sisters; Bronze (three-way tie): Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Pier Restaurants, Planet Hollywood/Buca di Beppo
Favorite Museum for Groups
Gold (four-way tie): American Museum of Natural History, California Academy of Sciences, The Henry Ford, Smithsonian Institution; Silver (two-way tie): Newseum, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Favorite Cruise Experience (Sightseeing, River or Big Ship)
Gold: Holland America Line Inc.; Silver (two-way tie): Entertainment Cruises, Maid of the Mist; Bronze (three-way tie): Jackson Hole Whitewater/Teton Expeditions Scenic Floats, Norwegian Cruise Line, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry
Favorite Destination for Sun & Sand
Gold: VISIT FLORIDA; Silver: Mexico Tourism Board; Bronze: Visit California
Favorite Culinary Destination
Gold: New Orleans CVB; Silver (three-way tie): Visit California, New York State Division of Tourism, Travel Portland; Bronze (three-way tie): Japan National Tourism Organization, Rhode Island Tourism Division, Tourisme Québec
Favorite Faith-based Destination
Gold: Israel Ministry of Tourism; Silver: Tourisme Québec; Bronze (three-way tie): Amish Country of Northern Indiana, Destination DC, Jordan Tourism Board North America
Favorite Casino/Gaming Property
Gold: Beau Rivage by MGM Resorts International; Silver: Mohegan Sun; Bronze (two-way tie): Golden Nugget Hotel, Northern Quest Resort & Casino
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