Celebrating Our Brightest Service Stars With the Naturally North Shore Awards!
No matter which direction you head on Vancouver’s North Shore, you’ll likely meet incredible hospitality workers who warmly welcome guests to treat the area like their home. Along with these stars of service, you’ll also meet the small businesses that make up the vibrant fabric of our community, supporting cultural initiatives and championing sustainability.
Recognizing and celebrating the outstanding work of these local ambassadors is what The Naturally North Shore Awards are all about!
Last year, we asked the public to nominate the people or businesses that wowed them with service or dedication to the community, and we were floored by the number of entries we received! It took a good amount of time to get through them all, but we’ve now tallied up the entries, reviewed the testimonials, and are ready to announce who took the top spots.
Tourism Business Award
We’re honoured to announce that Takaya Tours is the recipient of the Naturally Tourism Business Award!
Encouraging locals and visitors to experience the beauty of Vancouver’s North Shore from the water, Takaya Tours gives its guests a unique perspective on the culture, tradition, and history of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation.
True ambassadors to Vancouver’s North Shore, the staff at Takaya practice a ‘tread softly in nature’ philosophy, championing a sustainable business model and helping protect the delicate marine ecosystems they engage with. A well-deserved win for a small business that epitomizes what it means to “Learn Like a Local.“
It wasn’t easy settling on just ONE local business, so we also wanted to shout out a couple of honourable mentions as well! Krave Kulture Yogurt in Edgemont Village and Sushi MAHANA in Lower Lonsdale are two local businesses that never fail to impress with their high standard of service and their dedication to preserving what makes Vancouver’s North Shore so special: nature and community. If you’ve never visited either spot, we can’t speak more highly of them!
Customer Service Award
In a city full of service stars, how do you single out only one? This was another tall task that wasn’t easy to decide on! We gave each of the 12 nominated 2024 hospitality ambassadors careful consideration, but we’re thrilled to give top honours to Kenny Muir from the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA)!
Kenny is known for going above and beyond for his guests, with a genuine and infectious enthusiasm. He has an impressive knowledge of the North Shore’s history and Indigenous community and never fails to engage MONOVA’s visitors with rich stories of the past. While Kenny is a fantastic guide to Vancouver’s North Shore, he also listens to his guests, anticipating their needs, whether giving directions or recommendations.
Thank you Kenny, for giving visitors a friendly reason to come back, and locals countless reasons to continue telling stories! A wonderful example of how we can all learn to “Love It Like a Local.”
Phew! With 2025 already here, we’re looking forward to another spectacular year of hospitality, sustainability and community building. There’s no easier place than Vancouver’s North Shore to find something to cheer about, so if you meet a local ambassador who you think deserves a spotlight, be sure to nominate them for the 2025 Naturally North Shore Awards!