There is no shortage of southwest representation in the finalists for Tourism Saskatchewan’s 2017 Awards of Excellence.

Four businesses in the southwest, as well as one resident, are among the 33 finalists.

Three Maple Creek businesses pick up the nominations as the Ghostown Blues Bed & Breakfast was nominated for the Service Excellence Award. Both Grotto Gardens and the Historic Reesor Ranch received nominations for the Fred Heal Tourism Ambassador Award. The Historic Reesor Ranch was also nominated for the Business of the Year Award as a business with fewer than 20 full-time employees.

Elsewhere in the southwest, the Town of Eastend was nominated for the Gil Carduner Marketing Award and Swift Current resident Craig Hilts was nominated for the Travel Media Award.

Gail Kesslar is the executive director of Cypress Hills Destination Area and says receiving the nominations shows off what the southwest can offer.

"I think it speaks to the great services and products that we have in this area," she said. "It's good to have something in an area, but for it to be recognized by the provincial body that oversees tourism really means that they're doing it well.

"For their peers to nominate them and for their peers to narrow them down with all the experiences that are amazing in Saskatchewan, and to say these are one of the top three experiences you'll find in Saskatchewan I think that says so much for the southwest."

There were over 100 nominations for the awards, but they were narrowed down to 33 finalists that best acknowledge quality in marketing, service, business practices, human resource development and other areas.

All finalists will be honoured at the 29th-annual Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala in April.