Hungry Town Tours announced that it has received the 2018 TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Beaufort-based tour company has received this prestigious travel award. They are recognized as a top performing tour operator as reviewed by travelers on the world’s largest travel site.

Now in its eighth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience.

The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

The 2018 Certificate of Excellence Award is based on traveler reviews on TripAdvisor in 2017.

“We are particularly proud to win this award for the fourth year in a row,” stated David Cartier, co-owner of Hungry Town Tours.

Hungry Town Tours have won the award every year since they become eligible in 2014.

David and Betsy Cartier opened Hungry Town Tours in May 2013 with three different bicycle tours. Today, the sightseeing tour company offers sixteen different walking, bike, culinary, and history tours. They also offer private and group tours.

In June 2017, Our State Magazine featured Hungry Town Tours and Beaufort in a 22-page pictorial called “Beaufort by Bike.”

On the culinary tours, Hungry Town Tours promotes restaurants with locally-sourced food that allow for an enhanced guest experience for those visiting Beaufort. They pride themselves in working with restaurants offering fresh, local products that support local fishermen and farmers. The food tours include the Beaufort Culinary Bike Tour, Food by Foot Culinary Walking Tour, Sunday Brunch Walkabout, and Bike, Brunch & Bubbles. Specialty tours include North Carolina Shrimp Tour, the North Carolina Oyster Tour, and the Beaufort Lunchbox Tour.

One of the most popular tours with Hungry Town Tours is “A Ride to Remember.” The tour features the places in Beaufort that were inspired by Nicholas Sparks and referenced in his books, “The Choice” and “A Walk to Remember.” Hungry Town Tours works in partnership with the Nicholas Sparks Foundation.

In 2013, Hungry Town Tours became the first business in Carteret County to be accepted into the NC GreenTravel Initiative. They successfully promote green from “spoke to fork” by combining nature-based travel with culinary tourism through bicycle tours.

“Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for the Hungry Town Tours and we’d like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor,” said Betsy Cartier, co-owner at Hungry Town Tours. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by one’s customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.”

“TripAdvisor is excited to announce the recipients of the 2018 Certificate of Excellence, which celebrates hospitality businesses that have consistently received strong praise and ratings from travelers,” said Heather Leisman, Vice President of Industry Marketing, TripAdvisor. “This recognition allows us to publicly honor businesses that are actively engaging with customers and using feedback to help travelers identify and confidently book the perfect trip.”

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With more than 500 million reviews and opinions covering the world’s largest selection of travel listings worldwide — over 7 million accommodations, airlines, attractions, and restaurants — TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat. TripAdvisor also compares prices from more than 200 hotel booking sites so travelers can find the lowest price on the hotel that’s right for them. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in 49 markets, and are home to the world’s largest travel community of 390 million average unique monthly visitors,** all looking to get the most out of every trip. TripAdvisor. Know better. Book better. Go better.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 22 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, December 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2017