The American Bus Association (ABA) has released its exclusive list of the 1998 Top 100 Events in North America with each province and state represented in the collection. The PEI World Dance Festival in Abrams-Village, July 3-5, 1998, and the Festival of the Fathers in Charlottetown, September 4-6, 1998, were selected as the events from Prince Edward Island.
Officials of ABA and Destinations magazine, the association's travel trade publication, made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC on September 3.
The ABA announcement impressed Wes MacAleer, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "It is quite an honour to have two Island events included on such a prestigious list," said Minister MacAleer. "I congratulate the organizers of all the events surrounding the PEI Dance Festival and the Festival of the Fathers for their hard work."
Two events from the United States and Canada are singled out each year for top honours. Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, which takes place from October 9-17 in Kitchener, Ontario, was selected as the premier event in Canada. The "Splendors of Versailles" Exhibition, held in Jackson, Mississippi, from April 1 to August 31, was the choice from the US.
The trade association of the intercity motorcoach industry, ABA began the program in 1981 as a benefit for motorcoach tour and charter members, offering group tour organizers a concise reference for preparing itineraries. Today, the program attracts worldwide attention from the general public, as well as tour planners.
Events are nominated by provincial and state tourism offices. The selection committee of motorcoach and travel industry professionals from Canada and the United States considers an event's appeal and accessibility to motorcoach groups and other travellers when narrowing down the nominations to only 100 events.
The first copy of the ABA's brochure describing the events, listed by date and location, is complementary. Additional copies are $3 US. E-mail a request for ABA's 1998 Top 100 Events in North America to abainfo@buses.org. Or, send a postcard to 1100 New York Ave., NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC 20005-3934, or fax to
(202) 842-0850.