3 vie for county tourism award; you make the call

Three local organizations are competing for Palm Beach County’s top tourism prize, and the public will decide which one ultimately receives the coveted award.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, The Brazilian Court hotel and the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society are all in the running for the county’s annual Providencia Award given by Discover The Palm Beaches, the county’s official tourism marketing organization.

The public can vote for the winner from now until April 30 at pbpost. secondstreetapp.com/27th-Annual-Providencia-Awards.

“These entities all embody excellence in our tourism community,” said Jorge Pesquera, Discover’s president and CEO. “This coveted award celebrates individual and business success within our tourism industry, and these three finalists for the 27th annual Providencia Award join a long line of prestigious nominees from previous years.”

The winner will be announced May 11 during a Travel Rally Day at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum.

“This is our sixth year supporting the Providencia Award, and we’re thrilled with the partnership,” said Tim Burke, publisher of The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News. “It’s exciting to be part of the interactive process that gives our audience and the local community a voice in the vote.”

Nominations for the award are based on contributing to the growth of the local tourism industry; implementing innovative sales, marketing, public relations and social media initiatives; and creating awareness of Palm Beach County as a premier tourist destination.

The award is named after a Spanish ship that sank off the coast in the 1880s. The crew sold its coconuts to people who planted them along the waterfront. That’s how Palm Beach got its name.