Princess Cruises has honored several tour guides and tour operators in the company's first Alaska shore excursion awards. Winners from Alaska and Canadian ports were chosen based on customer feedback during the season.
The cruise line started the program last year in the Caribbean and expanded it to Alaska in 2000. Tour guide of the season award winners receive $100, a tour of the ship and lunch onboard for their family. Operators of the shore excursion of the season receive a plaque and a letter of commendation.
Winners in Juneau were tour guide Dave Frederick of Alaska Travel Adventures and Ben Lyman from Gastineau Guiding. Princess Cruises honored three Juneau shore excursions: a helicopter glacier hike from NorthStar Trekking; a trip to Taku Lodge, Taku Glacier Lodge/Wings of Alaska; and wildlife sightseeing cruise, Allen Marine.
Tony Azure of Ketchikan Sportfishing was the winning tour guide, and top shore excursions were Ketchikan by horse-drawn trolley from Seahorse Ventures and Tatoosh Islands kayaking from Southeast Exposure.
In Seward, Whitey Van Deusen of Trails North was chosen the winning tour guide, and the favored shore tour was Resurrection Bay wildlife cruise from Fjords Tours.
In Sitka, Princess customers chose Dorrie Farrell of Sitka Tours as their favored tour guide, and a sea otter and wildlife quest from Allen Marine as top trip.
In Skagway, honored tour guides were Corey Rowles of Chilkat Guides and Wade Gruhl of Packer Expeditions. Top tours were White Pass Railway and heli-hike from Packer Expeditions, Temsco Helicopters and White Pass Railway.
Tour guides and trips in Vancouver and Victoria, both in British Columbia, also were honored.
Land managers honor Alaskans
The Alaska Land Managers Forum presented four annual tourism and recreation awards Dec. 14. The group is composed of federal, state and Native land managers.
Juneau-based Alaska Discovery and former owners and managers Ken Leghorn and Susan Warner received the outstanding long-term program award. The company specializes in eco-tourism.
The Fortymile Caribou Herd Management Planning Team garnered the best improvement or innovation award. The group was honored for its work in bringing together disparate interests to successfully work out a plan to restore the Fortymile caribou herd to healthier population levels and to its traditional range, benefiting hunters and wildlife watchers.
Three organizations received the outstanding public/private partnership award, Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association, Redtricycle.com and the state Department of Community and Economic Development. The groups were honored for working together to create a Web site clearinghouse to help small Alaska ecological and cultural tourism businesses market themselves via the Internet.
The community of Anaktuvuk Pass and the Northern Alaska Tour Co. gained the outstanding enhancement of cultural tourism award. The groups together provided a cultural experience for visitors involving about half of all community residents in Alaska's northern Brooks Range.
