Vote Now to Select 32nd Providencia Award Winner

Public invited to vote for the winner online April 1 – April 29

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – April 1, 2024 – Discover The Palm Beaches (DTPB), the tourism marketing organization for Palm Beach County, announced today the start of the online public voting process to select the recipient of the esteemed 32^nd annual Providencia Award. The award recognizes a local business, organization, or individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary contribution to the vitality and prosperity of The Palm Beaches as a desirable tourist destination.

The community is invited to cast their vote for the winner of the Providencia Award beginning April 1, 2024 through April 29, 2024 by 4:59 p.m. through this link: Providencia 2024.  

This year’s three finalists are (in alphabetical order): PGA National Resort, Related Southeast: The Square & Hilton West Palm Beach, and Mr. Rick Rose.

“The public’s opinion matters in recognizing excellence in our local tourism industry and accolading those who tirelessly support our destination,” explained Milton Segarra, CDME, president and CEO of DTPB. “We invite everyone to vote on this prestigious honor, as the Providencia Award is one of our most visible ways of celebrating the phenomenal entities and individuals who contribute to our tourism community.”

This year’s Providencia Award winner will be announced during DTPB’s Travel Rally Day celebration, held at Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center® on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Travel Rally Day is part of National Travel & Tourism Week through the U.S. Travel Association.

The Providencia Award is named after the Spanish ship Providencia that sank off Palm Beach’s coast in 1878. Its crew salvaged the cargo of 20,000 coconuts and bartered them to local residents, who planted them along the waterfront. The lush tropical palm trees that sprang from the coconuts eventually inspired the town’s name.

Some highlights of the finalists’ exceptional contributions to The Palm Beaches’ tourism industry include:

PGA National Resort

Located in South Florida’s Palm Beach Gardens, PGA National Resort is a legendary golf, vacation, culinary, family, events, and spa destination. The resort has completed a stunning $100 million capital investment revitalization resulting in a dramatic transformation touching every aspect of the celebrated property. The resort has launched new culinary concepts including signature restaurants by Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford with The Butcher’s Club, multiple James Beard Award nominee Lindsay Autry with Honeybelle, and the soon-to-open unique omakase concept Sushi by Boū; a luxury spa redesigned by V Starr, tennis star Venus Williams’ design firm; innovative Andy Staples-designed layouts for golfers to complete the 99 holes of fantastic golf; a brand-new “Banyan Buddies” kid’s club experience; redesigned guest rooms and common areas; 21 two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottages redesigned by Serena & Lily; and more. The fastest-growing sport in America, pickleball, has arrived at PGA National Resort. Twelve brand-new pickleball courts complement the racquet sports offering on property – including the 33,000 square-foot health and racquet club with 16 Har-Tru tennis courts.

Related Companies: The Square & Hilton WPB

For more than 25 years, Related Companies has grown and expanded the tourism industry, and in recent years invested more than $2.5 billion in a place for people to live, work, stay, and play with The Square and Hilton West Palm Beach at its core. In 2023 alone, The Square and Hilton West Palm Beach welcomed more than 2.1 million visitors and generated nearly $2 million in bed tax. The 400 hotel rooms, meeting and event offerings, vibrant green public areas, dozens of thoughtfully curated shops and restaurants, plus more than 1,000 free events and cultural programs year-round are the reasons guests choose to visit The Palm Beaches and subsequently decide to return to the destination time and time again. This walkable downtown district with a direct connection from the Hilton to the Palm Beach County Convention Center is invaluable to the destination and offers unparalleled amenities for locals and visitors alike, with the easily accessible airport, beach, and transportation options.

Related’s mission is simple yet ambitious: creating well-connected and culturally enriched communities where creative and inspiring environments drive fulfillment and productivity. Their steadfast commitment has been at the helm of leading the transformation of the county’s largest city into one of the nation’s fastest-growing tourism destinations, with an increased opportunity for businesses to flourish and the community coming together over shared experiences.

Mr. Rick Rose

Best known as the local historian who leads the popular tours of Worth Avenue raising money for a different local non-profit each Season, Rick Rose is the co-founder/co-proprietor of Palm Beach Vacation Rentals® in West Palm Beach, one of the leading vacation rental agencies in South Florida. From 2004 to 2020, Rick also operated the highly rated Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast in West Palm Beach. In 2022, Rick released the 2nd edition of his bestselling book, “Palm Beach: The Essential Guide to America’s Legendary Resort Town”, which has become the leading curated guide to Palm Beach. Rick has had many articles published for numerous publications and regularly contributes to news reports about the Palm Beaches with media from around the world. In 2023, Rick was awarded the prestigious Judge James R. Knott Award by the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, which bestows the award each year to an individual or organization that has contributed to the preservation, promotion or enrichment of Palm Beach County history. In addition to leading 2,000 visitors a year on tours in the Palm Beaches (26,000 visitors since 2004) and conducting numerous lectures on the topic “Palm Beach: America’s First Resort Destination,” Rick has welcomed thousands of guests to his inn and vacation rentals, helping visitors experience the Palm Beaches to the fullest.

Following the initial application process, a committee of local tourism representatives selected the three finalists. Each nominee demonstrated excellence in contributing to the growth of the local tourism industry; implementing innovative marketing, public relations, and social media initiatives; and creating awareness of The Palm Beaches as a premier tourist destination.

As one of the leading industries in The Palm Beaches, tourism creates employment in all industry sectors beyond hospitality and provides tax savings for every household in the community. Tourism contributes to approximately 85,000 jobs in the local workforce and generates an annual economic impact of approximately $10 billion.

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About Discover The Palm Beaches
Discover The Palm Beaches is the tourism marketing corporation for the collection of 39 cities and towns known as The Palm Beaches in Southeast Florida, stretching from Boca Raton to Jupiter. Tasked with growing visitation and the local tourism economy, the organization works year-round to bring travelers to visit Palm Beach County. The Palm Beaches have a rich history as America’s First Resort Destination®, where genuine hospitality is a way of life among a vibrant and welcoming blend of people, cultures and coastal towns. Tourism is among the county’s major industries, generating an annual economic impact of approximately $10 billion and supporting more than 85,000 local jobs. For more information about The Palm Beaches, visit www.ThePalmBeaches.com or follow on social media on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, Threads, Pinterest and LinkedIn.