Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award - World Travel &
Tourism Council - April 2008
Think
'tourism destination' and the image that comes to mind is not
likely to be a place known for its polluted rivers, abandoned
businesses, high unemployment and disenfranchised local
communities. Yet, that is exactly what the Blackstone River
Valley was when local community members launched the Blackstone
Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) in 1985. Their goal was to
revitalize the nine communities along the Blackstone River
Valley in Rhode Island that formed the birthplace of the
American Industrial Revolution and then ultimately became a
victim of it when the Blackstone became the first polluted river
in the Western Hemisphere and its industrial economy collapsed.
Working with a wide range of multi-stakeholders, BVTC has shown
that tourism can play a key role in helping to revitalize a
downtrodden economy and bring back a river once declared "dead"
to the benefit of local people, business, and nature. Through a
destination stewardship approach to tourism development,
including the preservation of the area's natural, cultural and
historical heritage, BVTC has succeeded in uniting a community
and awakening it to its new economic potential. With innovative
projects like the Sustainable Tourism Development and Planning
Laboratory, the Council continues to grow and enhance its many
offerings, while sharing the lessons it has learned with other
tourism destinations.
More |
Providence Business News Story |
Travel Mole Interview with Bob Billington |
View videos (click on items in left column) |
Tourism for Tomorrow Website |
Providence Journal Article |
View Video on Flickr
SBEST Certifcation of Excellence - United Nations World
Tourism Organization - September 2006
The UNWTO•THEMIS Foundation and the
Education and Knowledge Management Department of UNWTO are
pleased to announce that six tourism governance organizations
from five UNWTO Member States have obtained the UNWTO.Sbest
Certification of Excellence in Tourism Governance. This
certification, which recognizes best practices in tourism
governance (T-Governance), is aimed at fostering the improvement
of service quality in tourism and reinforcing the well-being of
civil society.
More
Ulysses Award from the United Nations World Tourism
Organization - May 2006
North American Travel Personality of the Year - World Travel
Awards - Sept. 2008
Dr. Robert Billington, President of the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council was chosen as North American
Travel Personality of the year. He competed against two other
finalists who are: Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks &
Resorts; and Cheryl Hudak, President of the 20,000 member
American Society of Travel Agencies (ASTA).
Providence
Business News |
Valley Breeze
Providence Journal |
World Travel Awards
Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement - RI Council for
the Humanities - October 2008
This is the latest in a series of honors for
Billington, who earlier this year received the Pawtucket
Foundation’s 2008 Heritage Award and the World Travel Awards’
North American Travel Personality of the Year Award. And before
that, Billington received the United Nations World Tourism
Organization’s Ulysses Prize. Billington promotes tourism by
combining it with historic preservation, environmentalism and
commercial development. Providence
Journal |
Valley Breeze & Observer
View Tribute video on Google
Smithfield Resident Presented with the Mary Brennan Tourism
Award by Rhode Island Hospitality Association - December 8, 2008
Cranston, RI – December 8, 2008 – The Rhode
Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) recently honored Dr.
Robert Billington, Smithfield resident and President of the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, with the Mary Brennan Tourism
Award at its “Stars of the Industry” Annual Meeting and Awards
Ceremony. The Stars of the Industry Awards recognize the
outstanding achievements of members in the hospitality,
foodservice and tourism industries. Award recipients were chosen
not only for their dedication and contributions to their
careers, but for their involvement in their local communities.
“It is with great pleasure that I
congratulate and thank Bob for his contributions to our
industry, and the Blackstone Valley in particular,” said Dale J.
Venturini, President and CEO of RIHA. “His achievement goes far
in making the hospitality and tourism industry one of the most
successful, strengthening the industry’s position as the
cornerstone of the state’s economy and the community.”
More |
View on Google
Heritage Award - Pawtucket Foundation - April 2008
Developer Lance J. Robbins is a real estate
lawyer based in Los Angeles. Tourism director Robert D.
Billington is Blackstone Valley born and bred. The two men live
thousands of miles apart, but both have had a major impact on
the city and its redevelopment. In recognition of that
impact, the Pawtucket Foundation honored them at its fifth
annual awards celebration, which took place in the Pawtucket
Armory last night. Billington, 57, received the
foundation’s Heritage Award for his leadership of the Blackstone
Valley Tourism Council. Robbins, 60, was named the foundation’s
Person of the Year.
More
Other Awards
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National Park Foundation Environmental
Conservation Award 2000
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Rhode Island Coastal Cleanup
Institutional Award 1999
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Blackstone Valley Explorer is Yankee
Magazine Editor's Pick 1999
-
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Organization of the Year 1998
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Save the Bay Environmental Achievement
Award 1997
-
American Society of Landscape Architects
Honor Award 1997
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Awarded grant by National Trust for
Historic Preservation 1996
-
New England Foundation for the Arts
Cultural Programs Honor 1996
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Society of American Travel Writers
Phoenix Award 1995
