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 Kastukevich, Custom Travel – Wallingford, CT
Carolyn Waffle, Carolyn Waffle Certified Travel – Binghampton, NY
Laura Felgate, Exclusively Honeymoons – Middlefield, CT
Susan Lange, Travel Solutions – Westboro, MA
Janet Simicic, Ship to Shore Travel – East Northport, NY
MID-ATLANTIC
Mark Hennigan, Dreamers Travel – Hampstead, MD
Jennifer Doncsecz, VIP Vacations – Bethlehem, PA
Sally Smith, Travel Smith – Point Pleasant, NJ
Thomas Varghese, Tom Varghese – Rockville, MD
Sue Oschanski, Honeymoon Expo Center – Glen Allen, VA
SOUTHEAST/SOUTHWEST
Steve Simmons, Honeymoons Inc. – Buford, GA
Debra Helms, Roatan Charter – San Antonio, FL
Lynn Thomas, Alpha World Travel – Cary, NC
Terry Heck, Terrys Travel – Cypress, TX
Dawn Gray, 4 Moons Travel – Jamestown, NC
MIDWEST
Nancy Finn, Island Getaways LLC – Brookfield, WI
Niki Rakowitz, CARE Travel – Manhattan, KS
Lisa Hoppe, Lisa Hoppe Travel – Milwaukee, WI
Scott Jones, EZTravel Pad – Indianapolis, IN
Janis Anne, Janis Anne Travel Inc. – Oak Lawn, IL
WESTERN
Kari Mollan, Stellar Travel – Bellevue, WA
Molly Sumption, Mollys Caribbean LLC – Seattle, WA
Penny Sheldon, Penny Sheldon Travel – Boise, ID
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:
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Mid–Atlantic: Hortensia Joseph
Phone: 908-486-2559
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North East/West Coast: Lorine Charles-St. Jules Phone: 908-686-4164
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Mid-West: Ingrid Stewart
Phone: 708-922-0369
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Southeast: Kelly Fontenelle- Clarke
Phone: 678-377-0170
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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.
