Seattle Southside's Kristina Thorne Awarded for Outstanding Customer Service by the City of Tukwila

SEATTLE (May 30, 2011)– Seattle Southside Visitor Services, the official tourism department for the cities of Tukwila, SeaTac, Kent and Des Moines, announces Kristina Thorne, Visitor Information Specialist, as the recipient of the Outstanding Customer Service Award of 2010 from the Mayor of Tukwila. This award was created in 2010 to recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional skills in the areas of external and internal customer service. 

With her native knowledge of the area combined with her wonderful personality, Kristina has provided valuable assistance to visitors from various parts of the world. She helps the visitors via email, phone and in-person in order to make their vacation more affordable, comfortable and memorable. She is one of the best concierges in the area who can customize information to meet specific needs of visitors.

Kristina has also been playing a vital role in variety of projects to improve Visitor Services. She has actively contributed to enhance customer service as well as the business strategy. When she identified a problem with travelers who found it difficult to spot the Visitor Center location from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, she proactively worked with her fellow team members to design a Visitor Center directional “rack card” to be placed in the Airport and Sound Transit kiosks. This resulted in building more traffic to the Visitor Center and website.

“Once visitors return home many of them have reported their happiness and satisfaction in response to all the support Kristina gave them,” Katherine Kertzman, Executive Director, Seattle Southside Visitor Services . “We are so proud of her and we appreciate her dedication to our success. “

About Seattle Southside Visitor Service
Seattle Southside Visitor Services (SSVS) is the leading tourism and marketing organization in South King County. The program offered jointly by the Cities of Tukwila, SeaTac, Kent and Des Moines, is responsible for competitively marketing the area as an ideal travel destination for tourists who wish to explore Western Washington. For more information, please visit www.seattlesouthside.com.  

MEDIA CONTACTS:        
Ashley Comar
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Direct:  206-575-0627 / Main: 206-575-2489
Email: Ashley@seattlesouthside.com