Tourism Awards
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Current winners
The City of St. John's honours the very best in the tourism industry every year through three awards. Recipients this year include:
Tourism Excellence Award: St. John's Walking Tours
St. John’s Walking Tours began in 2022 as a single guided tour by friends Pierre Trowbridge and Melissa Hogan. Now entering its fourth season, the company offers four tours—including food and beer tastings—led by a team of seven. Born from a shared love of travel and storytelling, the tours highlight St. John’s culture and history while connecting visitors with local businesses and the downtown community. Pierre and Melissa are proud members of the city’s tourism industry.
Councillor Bruce presented the award to St. John's Walking Tours at the 2025 Applause Awards Gala.
The Legend Award: Sandy Andrews
Sandy is a strategic thinker with over 40 years in the hospitality industry, known for building lasting relationships and creating memorable experiences. Since 2008, she’s led the sales and catering team at the Delta St. John's, overseeing conferences and events at the Hotel and the St. John's Convention Centre. Her leadership, attention to detail, and focus on client satisfaction have made her a trusted figure in the industry and a strong ambassador for both the city and the hotel she represents.
Councillor Bruce presented Sandy Andrews with the award at the 2025 Applause Awards Gala.
The Destination St. John’s Award of Distinction: Canadian Institute of Forestry, Newfoundland and Labrador
Awarded for their role in hosting the 2024 Canadian Institute of Forestry National Conference and 116th Annual Meeting. The conference focused on providing national leadership in forestry and forest stewardship, while promoting professional competency among forest practitioners, and fostering public awareness and education of both Canadian and international forest and forestry issues. Hosted at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, delegates and their guests had every opportunity to enjoy and experience our city's restaurants, pubs, shops, historical and cultural attractions, and city tours. Many delegates also extended their stay, exploring both St. John’s and other parts of our province. The Canadian Institute of Forestry, Newfoundland and Labrador Section, along with their planning team and partners, provided exceptional support in organizing, planning, and executing this highly successful event.
Destination St. John's CEO Paul Bugge presented Sean Greene and Bruce Roberts with the award at the 2025 Applause Awards Gala.
Previous winners
2024 |
Tourism Excellence Award: HOLD FAST FestivalThe HOLD FAST Festival is a free, four-day celebration of local and regional performance and interdisciplinary arts. As the province’s longest-running contemporary arts festival, HOLD FAST seeks to engage community, facilitate meaningful exchange, increase public arts literacy, and create professional opportunities for artists. The festival takes art practices out of the gallery and into the community, where dynamic, interactive performances break down barriers and transform downtown St. John’s into a site of joyful curiosity, creative exploration, and engagement beyond our typical audience.Festival programming attracts a wide range of visitors, enlivening the downtown core and increases the visibility of the arts in downtown St. John’s. The Legend Award: Quidi Vidi BreweryQuidi Vidi Brewery has played a pivotal role in elevating the profile of St. John's both provincially and nationally. Through their award-winning craft beers, captivating brewery tours, and participation in prestigious industry events, they have effectively showcased the city's vibrant culture and rich heritage to audiences far and wide. Their innovative marketing strategies and partnerships have put St. John's on the map as a bucket list destination for beer enthusiasts and travelers alike. Quidi Vidi Brewery embodies a culture of excellence through their relentless pursuit of brewing mastery, unparalleled customer service, and dedication to community enrichment. Their team members exemplify professionalism, passion, and a shared commitment to delivering exceptional experiences. The Destination St. John’s Award of Distinction: 2023 Canadian Women in Ocean Industries Leadership (CWOIL) ConferenceSt. John’s is home to internationally recognized centres of excellence in ocean Industries, which made it the perfect choice for the 2023 CWOIL Conference. This conference, which focused on increasing women’s leadership in ocean industries, was attended by over 300 conference attendees. Hosted at the Delta St. John’s Hotel and Conference Centre by Marriott, delegates and their guests had every opportunity to patronized city restaurants and pubs, shops, historical and cultural attractions, and city tours. Many extended their stay, both St. John’s and across the province. Oceans Advance, the CWOIL conference core team, and all their partners, provided the support for the overall conference organization, planning and event execution. The event was, of course, a great success. |
2023 |
The Legend Award - The Tuckamore FestivalThe Tuckamore Festival has been a vibrant force in the St. John’s arts and culture community. This two-week chamber music festival presents world-renowned musicians in a nightly concert series, while offering educational experiences for talented young musicians and composers . The festival programming includes free lunchtime concerts and open rehearsals to ensure that residents and visitors can enjoy the music, regardless of their music knowledge or financial status. With its passion for and commitment to excellence over more than twenty years, The Tuckamore Festival has promoted and highlighted the unique cultural, historical and heritage of St. John’s while contributing to the growth and development of the City by etching its place on the global music map.
The Tourism Excellence Award - Mummers FestivalThe Mummers Festival is solidly woven into the cultural tapestry of our city as a beloved signature annual event. It has grown to become a completely new and definitely out-of-the-box tourism experience for an ever-increasing number of participants. This cultural gem offers two-weeks of completely free and accessible activities that encourages participants to engage in workshops, public lectures, forums, and concerts, all leading up to the signature Mummers Parade. |
2021 |
| The Legend Award was presented to The George Street Association, through their work to preserve the spirit of the world-famous George Street, has made downtown St. John's a "must see" travel destination. From rich history to "Screech Ins" to world class live music, George Street is on the bucket list of many a tourist traveling to the Avalon! Furthermore, the Annual George Street Festival is a major draw for music fans locally, nationally and internationally. |
2020 |
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Paul Pope was a leader in the film and television industry, and arts community, of St. John's for over forty years. His productions have created hundreds of jobs and has leveraged tens of millions of dollars of outside investment into our local economy. His current television series, Hudson and Rex is a hit for Canada and international audiences that brings unmeasurable promotion of our city. Paul has served on the boards of the national Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and of the Canada Media Fund (CMF). He has served on countless juries, advisory groups, and panels in the arts. Throughout, he has been a tireless advocate for Newfoundland and Labrador. |
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