Harlem Valley Appalachian Trail Community & Millbrook Vineyards & Winery win
Dutchess Tourism Awards of Distinction at National Travel Rally Day Celebration
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY– Dutchess Tourism, Inc. (DTI) celebrated National Travel Rally Day with the announcement of the winners of the 2017 Dutchess Tourism Awards of Distinction. Three finalists in each of seven categories were highlighted at a special breakfast on Tuesday, May 9th at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum.
Winners in each category are in bold:
- Culinary Award of Distinction: Oliver Kita Fine Chocolates
- Finalists were: Sprout Creek Farm and Taconic Distillery
- Arts Award of Distinction: Dia: Beacon
- Finalists were: County Players and Jazz in the Valley Festival
- History Award of Distinction: Staatsburgh State Historic Site
- Finalists were: Bannerman’s Castle and Historic Red Hook
- Family Entertainment Award of Distinction: DC Sports
- Finalists were: Dutchess Stadium/Hudson Valley Renegades and Spins Bowl
- Outdoors Award of Distinction: Harlem Valley Appalachian Trail Community
- Finalists were: Ferncliff Forest and Interlake RV Park
- Hospitality Award of Distinction: Doris Mack, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
- Finalists were: Kisha Jones from the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel & Conference Center and Patty Polmateer from The Culinary Institute of America
- The Dutchess County Executive’s Award for Overall Distinction: Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
- Finalists were: Bardavon 1869 Opera House and the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.
National Travel Rally Day is a part of National Tourism week, which runs from May 7–13, 2017. The annual event, established by a congressional order in 1983, serves to champion the power of travel and the impactful contributions tourism makes to the US economy. Tourism continues to be a major economic driver for Dutchess County and has seen continuous growth since Dutchess Tourism began promoting the area in 1984. More than 4.5 million people visit Dutchess annually and in 2015, spent an average of $528 million on lodging, food, shopping, and area attractions. Tourism is New York’s fourth largest industry and employs almost 10,000 people within Dutchess County.
According to Dutchess Tourism President & CEO Mary Kay Vrba, “The Awards of Distinction are a way for us to celebrate the excellent work our tourism partners are doing to create a Distinctly Dutchess experience for the millions of visitors that travel to the Hudson Valley every year.” She added, “They are the reason we have been recognized by National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, and The National Travel Association’s Courier Magazine as one of the top destinations in the world!”
The presentations took place in front of a sold-out crowd who enjoyed a locally sourced breakfast catered by Simply Gourmet that included premier local products from Crown Maple Estate, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, and Harney & Sons Fine Teas among other outstanding providers. Central Hudson was the event’s Platinum Sponsor.
Following the Awards Breakfast, there was a Brochure Exchange outside the FDR Library & Museum. Almost 100 local tourism representatives exchanged information about their sites in order to gain a greater awareness of all the various activities happening at destinations throughout the county in order to then share that information with tourists.
ABOUT DUTCHESS TOURISM, INC.
The DTI office is located at 3 Neptune Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie with 18 Tourism Information Centers located around Dutchess County. Their website is www.DutchessTourism.com and they can be reached at 845-463-4000. Follow Dutchess Tourism on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Dutchess County Tourism was founded in 1984 under the umbrella of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation, became incorporated as Dutchess Tourism, Inc. in 2014 and is partially funded by monies received from the County of Dutchess.
