Vacay.ca Wins Multiple Awards at National Showcase in Nova Scotia

Each year, the Travel Media Association of Canada recognizes the nation’s leading content creators and industry professionals at an awards ceremony that wraps up its annual convention. For 2022, Vacay.ca was nominated for more writing awards than any other publication, earning second-place accolades in two categories and an honourable mention in a third. 

In addition, Deputy Editor Rod Charles was one of two TMAC Volunteer of the Year award winners, along with Jami Savage, known for her coverage of family travel and eco-tourism. 

“Rod Charles is terrific in his ‘official’ capacity as long-time chair of the Ontario Chapter,” TMAC Board member Paul Knowles said as he presented the award at the Rodd Grand Yarmouth Hotel’s convention centre. “But his influence goes way beyond ‘official’ — he is a source of encouragement, support, and inspiration to dozens, or more, TMAC members. He is supremely dedicated to the health and success of TMAC and its members, and will, without doubt, continue to bring that positivity to the National Board, as he has stepped forward to become a director at that level.”

In the writing awards categories, Vacay.ca Managing Editor and Co-founder Adrian Brijbassi won second place for Best Travel Blog Posts or Column for a series of pandemic-related articles, including:

• “Finding Inspiration in a Laundromat and Other Reasons I Miss Travel”
• “Yukon’s Gurdeep Pandher and the Relentlessness of Joy”

About the entry, judges’ comments said: “The joy of travel is so well described in this blog that one could draw the portrait of each person crossed on the author’s way. The pandemic has shown us the privilege of packing our bags and exploring the world. However, the author brings us back to basics by reminding us that the presence of our loved ones is also a form of escape.”

Contributing writer Jennifer Bain earned two writing awards:

• Second place in the Best Outdoor Adventure, Sport or Recreation category for “In Yellowknife, an Action-Packed Chase for the Northern Lights”, an article about aurora borealis viewing in the Northwest Territories.
• Honourable mention in the Best Nature or Environmental/Responsible Tourism Story category for “On a Desolate Yukon Island, a Story of Nature and Culture Unfolds”.

“Vacay.ca was created as a digital magazine to celebrate Canadian culture and destinations through thoughtful, passionate storytelling that features the diversity of the nation. We have always sought to publish high-quality travel journalism and photography, and are always pleased when our content creators receive recognition for their hard work and exceptional talent,” Brijbassi said. “We know our work over the years has inspired our audience to initiate the journey toward the destinations we profile, which is always a goal for tourism and hospitality organizations when they engage with travel media.”

Frequent Vacay.ca contributors who also earned recognition for content produced for other magazines included:

• Editor Claudia Laroye, who took third place in the Best Travel Blog Posts or Column for her ClaudiaTravels.com publication.
• Contributing writer Linda Barnard won first place for her “Indigenous Retreat” article published in Getaway magazine.

Tourism Nova Scotia Media Specialist Pam Wamback was named Industry Member of the Year. Wamback was instrumental in organizing the TMAC Conference, which featured approximately 200 delegates and was the first in-person meeting of the association in two years. Awards were judged by an independent three-person panel. For a list of all winners, visit the TMAC website.

Vacay.ca partner Trippzy, the travel-trivia app that inspires players to visit partner destinations, was an event sponsor and created TMAC-focused quizzes for the conference.