And the 2022 Oxford Tourism Award goes to…

Awards of Excellence recognize Oxford’s exceptional tourism businesses, organizations and individuals

The inaugural winners of the Oxford Tourism Awards of Excellence were announced yesterday recognizing Oxford’s exceptional tourism businesses, organizations and individuals.

The 2022 Oxford Tourism Awards of Excellence winners are:

• Responsible Tourism Award: Kelly Spencer, Indigo Lounge Wellness Centre and Eatery. Indigo Lounge Wellness Centre and Eatery was chosen for being a leader in environmental consciousness, energy conservation, local sourcing and low impact activities. They celebrate diversity and inclusivity with Indigenous workshops, South Asian cooking classes, and hanging of progress pride flags. They are active in the community supporting numerous local charities including the “Kids Empowerment Camp” where they encourage youth to give back to the community.
• Tourism Partnership Award – Tami Murray, Oxford County Pride. The Oxford County Pride committee has been striving to make Oxford County a more inclusive place to live for the past seven years. In that time they have hosted seven Pride Family Day events, numerous “Drag Story Times with the Queens,” plus several other social, recreational and leisure activities throughout Oxford County. Oxford County Pride has partnered with several local agencies to make all of this hard work possible, including local municipalities, libraries, 100 Women Who Care and the Rainbow Optimist Club.
• Best New Tourism Product Award - Cheryl Haskett, Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life. Originally starting out as a food production facility, Udderly Ridiculous transformed their business into a premier tourism destination by launching eight tourism experiences and a farm market store in the summer of 2021. The Taste of Farm Life Experience has been designated a Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation (SWOTC) Signature Experience and Alpaca Picnics are a unique offering that is regularly sold out, acting as a key driver for visitation to the county.

The 2022 Oxford Tourism Award program recognizes the region’s tourism businesses, organizations, and individuals who have displayed excellence in product development, partnerships/collaborations, innovation, inclusiveness, leadership, sustainability, and attraction to the region. The program also recognizes partners who are working collaboratively with Tourism Oxford to grow regional tourism and offer exceptional visitor experiences.

Winners were chosen following a call for nominations in March, by a panel of external judges with representatives from Ontario’s Southwest, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, and Culinary Tourism Alliance.

For more information about the categories and the award winners, visit https://www.oxfordcounty.ca/Business-in-Oxford/Tourism/Tourism-Awards

Comments

Carol Greenwood, VP, Membership & Business Development, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

“The pandemic has shown our industry how collaboration is the key to success. Congratulations to the winners, and recognize that this was well deserved as your competition for this award, made it a challenging choice, and are now your allies in elevating Oxford as a tourism region of excellence.”

Rebecca Mackenzie, President and CEO, Culinary and Tourism Alliance

“Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners of the Oxford Tourism Awards! Establishing and celebrating partnerships can truly set your tourism experience apart from your competitors. This year’s winners are great examples of the power of partnerships!”

Meredith Maywood, Tourism Specialist, Oxford County

“Tourism Oxford makes it a priority to acknowledge excellence among our regional tourism operators. Oxford County is rich with talent and we had a hard time choosing with so many innovative tourism operators nominated for these awards. Congratulations to the three award winners, and we look forward to seeing what comes forward next year!”

About Tourism Oxford

Tourism Oxford, a service of Oxford County, works with local businesses and organizations to manage, develop and foster sustainable tourism growth in Oxford County. This includes strategic planning, product development, and fostering business collaboration on product development and marketing. Work is completed in alignment with Oxford Counties Strategic Plan and Future Oxford.