Saint Lucia (May 11, 2016) – The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) announces its Piton Award winners for 2015 recognizing top booking travel agents and agencies as part of the Preferred Agent Saint Lucia Specialist (PASS)education and training program.

In honor and appreciation of the accomplishments of these select agents, the Tourist Board will host the winning agents and their guests for the second annual Piton Award Creole Carnival Gala from Thursday, June 9 through Monday, June 13, 2016.

“The Piton Awards are a welcome occasion to honor an elite category of travel partners,” said Tracey Warner Arnold, deputy director of tourism for the Saint Lucia Tourist Board. “We are so grateful to this group – and all the travel agent partners – who support Saint Lucia’s tourism and are happy to demonstrate our gratitude to the Piton Award winners personally on the island.”

Throughout the Piton Award celebrations, the top selling travel agents and Piton Award winners will experience Saint Lucia’s adventurous side through a variety of land and sea based excursions. The agents will also receive a real taste of the island through planned culinary activities at leading island resorts.

The distinguished Piton Award recipients for 2015 include:
NORTHEAST
Veronica KastukevichCustom Travel – WallingfordCT
Carolyn WaffleCarolyn Waffle Certified Travel – BinghamptonNY
Laura FelgateExclusively Honeymoons – MiddlefieldCT
Susan LangeTravel Solutions – WestboroMA
Janet SimicicShip to Shore Travel – East NorthportNY
MID-ATLANTIC
Mark HenniganDreamers Travel – HampsteadMD
Jennifer DoncseczVIP Vacations – BethlehemPA
Sally SmithTravel Smith – Point PleasantNJ
Thomas VargheseTom Varghese – RockvilleMD
Sue OschanskiHoneymoon Expo Center – Glen AllenVA
SOUTHEAST/SOUTHWEST
Steve SimmonsHoneymoons Inc. – BufordGA
Debra HelmsRoatan Charter – San AntonioFL
Lynn ThomasAlpha World Travel – CaryNC
Terry HeckTerrys Travel – CypressTX
Dawn Gray4 Moons Travel – Jamestown, NC
MIDWEST
Nancy FinnIsland Getaways LLC – BrookfieldWI
Niki RakowitzCARE Travel – ManhattanKS
Lisa HoppeLisa Hoppe Travel – MilwaukeeWI
Scott JonesEZTravel Pad – IndianapolisIN
Janis AnneJanis Anne Travel Inc. – Oak LawnIL
 
WESTERN
Kari MollanStellar Travel – BellevueWA
Molly Sumption, Mollys Caribbean LLC – SeattleWA
Penny SheldonPenny Sheldon Travel – BoiseID
 
The annual Piton Awards program continues to grow with new incentives that offer agents a chance to win monthly prizes. Agents must record monthly bookings in order to qualify for the following:
·         First prize of $1,000 cash each month ($500 to the agent and $500 to the agency with the highest monthly bookings)
·         Second prize of $300 Piton Dollars (marketing dollars towards a Saint Lucia event)
·         Third prize of $200 Piton Dollars (marketing dollars towards a Saint Lucia event)
·         Fourth prize of $100 Visa gift card
 
In addition to the monthly cash prizes, ten top selling agents per year will win a weekend for two in Saint Lucia.
 
For more information on PASS and the Piton Awards, travel agents can contact a North America-based Saint Lucia representative:
 
MidAtlanticHortensia Joseph
Phone: 908-486-2559
 
North East/West CoastLorine Charles-St. Jules Phone: 908-686-4164
 
Mid-WestIngrid Stewart
Phone: 708-922-0369
 
Southeast: Kelly Fontenelle- Clarke
Phone: 678-377-0170
 
For more information about the island of Saint Lucia, call 1-800-456-3984, 1-888-4STLUCIA or visit http://www.stlucia.org/.  
 
About Saint Lucia
One of the Windward Islands of the West Indies’ Lesser Antilles, Saint Lucia (pronounced Saint LOO-sha) is nestled halfway down the Eastern Caribbean archipelago. The “Helen of the West Indies,” Saint Lucia is known for its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including the signature Piton Mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a tropical rainforest and one of the world’s few drive-in volcanoes. Culturally rich offerings include the bustling marketplace in the capital of Castries, quaint fishing villages along the coastline, and the annual Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. Saint Lucia’s wide range of accommodations includes world-class five-star resorts, all-inclusive resorts, intimate inns and value-oriented properties. Saint Lucia also is home to world class cruise and yachting facilities. The island is continually recognized as one of the Leading Wedding and Honeymoon destinations worldwide.