The American Bus Association (ABA) has released its exclusive list of the 1997 Top 100 Events in North America with each province and state represented in the collection. The Celtic Festival in Summerside, June 26 to September 27, was selected as the event 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 August 29.
The ABA announcement impressed Robert Morrissey, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "It is quite an honour to be included in a list of such prestigious events," said Minister Morrissey. "I congratulate the organizers of all the events surrounding Celtic Festival for their hard work."
Two events from the United States and Canada are singled out each year for top honours. Cabot 500 Celebrations - The Matthew Visit, which takes place from June 24 to August 9 in St. John's, Bonavista and 15 other ports in Newfoundland and Labrador, was selected as the premier event in Canada. The Portland Rose Festival, held in Portland, Oregon, from May 29 to June 22, 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.