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Discover The Palm Beaches, the countys tourism marketing arm, is accepting nominations for its annual Providencia Award, which is given to an individual or entity that has made a contribution to the county as a desirable tourist destination.

Nominations can be made online through March 17 at ThePalmBeaches.com/Providencia-Award.

Each nomination will be reviewed by a panel of local tourism leaders, who will ultimately narrow the list to three finalists. The public will be invited to select the 2016 Providencia Award winner by voting online at PalmBeachPost.com, beginning April 10 through May 1.

A juvenile loggerhead sea turtle named Shertz swims at Marinelife Center just before being released to the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday, October 25, 2016. (Bruce R. Bennett / The Palm Beach Post)

The winner will be announced on May 12 as local tourism leaders celebrate Travel Rally Day, an event heralding the economic impact of the industry, at the Lake Worth Casino Building & Beach Complex.

Tourism is the top non-agricultural economic driver for The Palm Beaches, and were able to deliver on our brand promise that this destination is the best way to experience Florida because of our tourism industry partners, said Jorge Pesquera, Discovers president and CEO. The prestigious Providencia Award helps us honor one of the outstanding leaders or entities contributing to the tremendous success of tourism in The Palm Beaches.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach won the prize last year.

Nominations for the award are based on several criteria: contributing to the growth of the local tourism industry; implementing innovative sales, marketing, public relations and social media initiatives; and creating awareness of Palm Beach County as a premier tourist destination.

Previous winners of the Providencia Award include Loggerhead Marinelife Center; The Honda Classic; International Polo Club Palm Beach; James Ponce; Delray Beach International Tennis Championships; The Colony Hotel Palm Beach; Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Marathon of the Palm Beaches; South Florida Fair; Patrick Rooney Sr.; and Norton Museum of Art.

The award is named after a Spanish ship that sank off the coast in the 1880s. The crew sold its coconuts to people who planted them along the waterfront. Ultimately, thats how Palm Beach got its name.

The award has been given out more than two dozen times since 1989.

Discover announced this month that a record-breaking 7.35 million visitors traveled to Palm Beach County in 2016 an increase of 5.8 percent above 2015s level.

The increase marks the eighth consecutive year of tourism growth in the county, according to Discover.

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Palm Beach County tourism leaders seek award nominations | Malled! - Palm Beach Post (blog)