Three local groups have been acknowledged and announced as finalists for the 2018 Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence.

Close to 90 nominations from companies around the province were submitted throughout the 13 award categories which were narrowed down to the 39 finalists, three per category.

Watrous Manitou Marketing Group is a finalist for the Fred Heal Tourism Ambassador Award. Wheatland Express out of Cudworth/Wakaw is up for the Rookie of the Year Award, and Manitou Springs Resort and Mineral Spa is one of the three finalists for the Service Excellence Award. 

"It's a great honour for us to be a finalist again, To be a tourist ambassador on a provincial level it means not only are we representing our community and doing the best we can to attract visitors, but also doing what we can to attract people to this province, and that's the main goal. We have great products and services, so when people do come, it's a rewarding experience for them. We've seen some great visitation numbers the last few years and hopefully keep it going. On April 11th if were successful to win the award, that will be a nice feather in our cap for sure," said Brendan Manz with Watrous Manitou Marketing Group. 

The Fred Heal Tourism Ambassador Award is presented to the individual/committee/organization that has made a major contribution to the promotion and/or development of Saskatchewan as a tourism destination. This individual or group sees the value in teamwork and collaborates with their community and/or region to promote and support tourism.

The Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the Saskatchewan business, event or association that has demonstrated innovation, ingenuity, hard work and perseverance to establish a strong, viable and successful new business in the tourism sector. The recipient of this award will be an entity that was launched after June 1, 2017.

Finally, the Service Excellence Award is presented to the business, facility or attraction that has shown obvious commitment to customer service over a prolonged period and continually demonstrates high levels of customer satisfaction.

The winners will be announced at the 30th annual Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala taking place on April 11 in Saskatoon.