Celebration of 35th anniversary, TravelHost of Greater Fort Lauderdale

TRAVELHOST OF GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE ACCEPTS HONORS, PAYS TRIBUTE TO DESTINATION ICONS AND CLASSICS IN TOURISM HALL OF FAME

Premier Visitor Magazine Honors Mainstays of Greater Fort Lauderdale Tourism, Accepts Two Prestigious Honors for 35 Years of Service

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—February 9, 2015—In celebration of its 35th anniversary, TravelHost of Greater Fort Lauderdale, the premier destination magazine for visitors and locals alike, paid tribute to area icons and classics in its Tourism Hall of Fame, Thursday, Feb. 5. Movers and shakers in Greater Fort Lauderdale tourism, including its founding families, elected officials and tourism bureau members came out to the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum to remember each honoree’s indelible contribution to the county over its 100 year history and to celebrate TravelHost’s evolution with it over the past 35.

In a tribute to the transformation of the destination from Spring Break central to a world-class destination over the magazine’s 35-year history, TravelHost and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled a symbolic check to the people of Broward County for $203 billion—signifying the economic impact of more than 312 million visitors over the last 100 years.

Icons honored during the Tourism Hall of Fame event were: The Seminole Tribe of Florida; the Wells Family (Las Olas Boulevard and Riverside Hotel); the Gill Family (The Escape Hotel, Jolly Roger, Yankee Clipper); the Banks Family (Lago Mar); the Ireland/Mitchell Family (hoteliers); Nicki E.Grossman (president, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau); and Ramola and Bob Motwani (hoteliers).

Destination Classics recognized as part of the Tourism Hall of Fame were: 15th Street Fisheries, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, The Galleria, Jungle Queen Riverboat, Mai-Kai, and Stranahan House.

ABOUT TRAVELHOST
TravelHost of Greater Fort Lauderdale is the area’s premier destination resource, placed in 16,000 hotel rooms daily across 100 upscale hotels, in addition to 95 prestigious condominiums, major marinas and other key locations. TravelHost began publishing in 1980, and since its inception, has served as the ultimate resource on Greater Fort Lauderdale for more than 25 million readers. TravelHost of Greater Fort Lauderdale is the longest running edition of the national TravelHost network, which was founded 48 years ago and includes 50 other editions. The magazine is recognized as the Best TravelHost in the Country and is the only TravelHost known as TravelHost Elite.

TravelHost’s publisher, Ina Lee, is a tourism icon in her own right. In addition to being the owner and publisher of TravelHost of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Lee was the founding chair of the Beach Council of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, for which she has served as an active member for more than 28 years and was named, “Small Business Person of the Year” and Citizen of the Year for the City of Fort Lauderdale. She is also the chair emeritus of the Winterfest Boat Parade. She currently serves as the vice chair of the Marketing Advisory Committee for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; is also vice chair of the Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board for the City of Fort Lauderdale and is on the board of the Broward Chapter of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.