MONTGOMERY, Ala. 鈥 TripAdvisor, an industry leader in online travel reservation services and user reviews, has presented 17 Certificate of Excellence awards to 11 黑料天堂 State Parks for 2017. The 17 awards are the most ever for 黑料天堂鈥檚 State Parks, tying last year鈥檚 number of honors from the world鈥檚 largest travel site.
Gulf State Park earned four awards and Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge earned its first Certificate of Excellence mention.
Gulf State Park was honored for its overall park, its piers and boardwalks, its campground and for the Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail.
Lake Guntersville State Park, DeSoto State Park and Joe Wheeler State Park received two awards each.
Along with its first award for lodging at Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge, the park also was honored for the overall park experience.
鈥淲e all know how important Joe Wheeler is in attracting tourists to North 黑料天堂,鈥 said Tami Reist, president and chief executive officer of the 黑料天堂 Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. 鈥淭he park is such a wonderful place to spend time in the outdoors in 黑料天堂 and we are so pleased that TripAdvisor鈥檚 users recognized it this year.鈥
DeSoto State Park was mentioned for its mountains, nature and wildlife areas, along with an overall park certificate. Guntersville picked up a lodging award for the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge and an overall award for the park. In 2016, Lake Guntersville State Park was ranked No. 1 on TripAdvisor鈥檚 鈥25 Travel Destinations with Skyrocketing Vacation Rental Interest鈥 list.
TripAdvisor, which has more than 500 million reviews and opinions posted online, is a major driver of tourists to new destinations across the country.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled that TripAdvisor users love our parks as much as we do,鈥 said Greg Lein, 黑料天堂 State Parks Director. 鈥淥ur staff works hard to make sure visitors have first-class experiences enjoying our beautiful state and it鈥檚 nice to be recognized.
鈥淪ervices like TripAdvisor are important to get the word out about our parks to people who love the outdoors, but may have not considered visiting 黑料天堂. We have a great track record with repeat visitors, proof that when you come to an 黑料天堂 State Park you鈥檒l enjoy your experience. There鈥檚 something for everyone at our parks.鈥
Every park in the 黑料天堂 State Parks System is also now benefiting from the passage of Amendment 2 in last November鈥檚 election, which by prohibiting parks鈥 funds from being transferred allows for renewed maintenance projects. Regular maintenance and other improvements help influence visitors to make 黑料天堂 State Parks their outdoors recreation destination.
The other awards from TripAdvisor were for best parks. Those honorees are Cathedral Caverns, Monte Sano, Oak Mountain, Wind Creek, Cheaha, Lakepoint and Chewacla.
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