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November 22, 2006
Whistler wins big at British Travel Awards

Whistler took top prize at the prestigious British Travel Awards, winning "Favourite Ski Resort" as voted by consumers.

Both consumers and travel trade were invited to vote online for their favourite nominees in more than one hundred categories, ranging from travel agencies, airlines, and hotels to tourism destinations from across the globe. The winners were announced in a televised event at Battersea Park in London on November 9.

Tourism Whistler's Shawna Lang, Leisure Sales Manager UK & Europe, was in London to accept the award on behalf of Whistler while attending World Travel Market representing Whistler.

"It's brilliant," Lang said. "We are truly honoured to receive this award - even more so because it comes from travellers themselves. This award is about the incredible skiing and snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb, but it's also about Whistler's entire package - the incredible range of amenities, first rate accommodations, international restaurants and spas, and especially Whistler's warm hospitality. We have our community and employees to thank for that."

As any Whistler local or mountain employee can attest, British accents have long been a welcome and familiar sound on the chairlifts and hotel lobbies of Whistler. Visitors from the UK accounted for eight per cent of Whistler's overnight winter visitors in 2005.

The honour comes alongside Whistler Blackcomb's "Best in Mountain Environment" award, presented at the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards (FCRTA) in London.

Several honours have also been presented to Whistler's nenowned Fairmont Chateau Whistler hotel from UK-based tour operators. Neilson Active Holidays presented Fairmont with the "Marque of Excellence Award" for top ski hotel in North America, Virgin Holidays named the Fairmont "Best Hotel - Ski", and Elegant Resorts nominated the hotel for "Best Guest Service". Like the British Travel Awards, these were bestowed based on feedback from the passengers of these tour operators.

The British Travel Awards closes World Travel Market, Britain's largest travel trade show. This four-day event brought together a remarkable 48,211 travel industry professionals last year, representing 202 countries and top travel destinations around the world.

Whistler's ski season has kicked off to a fantastic start with record early season snowfalls. Back-to-back storm cycles have dumped 10 feet of snow since November 1, beating the past record of November 1994 when the mountains received nine feet. Whistler Mountain opened one week early on November 18, and Blackcomb Mountain will open Thursday, November 23, in time for what promises to be a spectacular US Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

As part of a Whistler Monday's Free promotion, guests can book a minimum four-night stay including a Monday, and the accommodation and ski passes are free for that day. More details and information is available at whistler.com or 1-800-WHISTLER.

Whistler is a year-round leisure and meeting destination located 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is site of the alpine, nordic, sliding and Paralympic venues for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Whistler has a range of accommodations totalling 3,200 hotel rooms, and more than 5,000 other tourist accommodation units including condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler offers a wide selection of restaurants, bars, spas, boutiques, galleries and activities ranging from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. Whistler Blackcomb mountains feature 3,036 hectares (8,171 acres) of terrain and receives an average of 9.14 metres (30 feet) of snow per year. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the TELUS Whistler Conference Centre, the Whistler Golf Club, in-resort Visitor Services centres, and tourismwhistler.com, as well as 1-800-WHISTLER and whistler.com - the official call to action for Whistler. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.