MasterCard Worldwide recently announced the Merchant Champion Award winners for the MasterCard ?Find Your Way? program, launched last October. This program seeks to offer merchants the opportunity to give cardholders unique experiences and exclusive benefits.

Awarded monthly, the Merchant Champion Award is offered to all ?Find Your Way? participating merchants that report the most increase in MasterCard sales volumes. Taj Mahal restaurant, the Poop Deck restaurants, Effy Jewelers and Coin of the Realm have already received this award.

?We are pleased to see that the program is garnering great results for our merchant partners and look forward to announcing many more winners in the months ahead. During challenging economic times, this ongoing program aims at providing our merchant partners with the ability to maintain a healthy level of sales volume over time, while at the same time benefiting the Bahamian economy,? says Patricio Rubalcaba, Vice President, Commerce Development, Travel & Entertainment Industries for MasterCard Latin America and Caribbean.

?Its programs like MasterCard?s ?Find Your Way? that add a whole new dimension of fun and excitement to the tourist shopping experience, enabling us to capture more business and add value to our customers,? said Peter Pawar from the Taj Mahal, one of MasterCard?s monthly Merchant Champion Award winners.

Since last October, MasterCard cardholders visiting Nassau and Paradise Island continue to enjoy exclusive discounts and special offers when they use their MasterCard Card? to shop at select merchants throughout the island (i.e. restaurants, retail stores, car rentals, hotels, tours and entertainment).

As part of the ?Find Your Way? program, MasterCard is also hosting a sweepstake where any MasterCard cardholder that resides or visits the island can participate. Prizes are raffled every quarter and one grand prize is about to be delivered to a lucky winner, an all inclusive weekend stay for two at the Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant in Nassau/Paradise Island.

Rafael Fuentes, Commerce Development for MasterCard in the Caribbean said, ?The Bahamas is without a doubt a key tourist hotspot in the Caribbean and we are happy to partner with the Ministry of Tourism and local merchants on this very important initiative. We are confident this program will continue as successfully as it began.?

For more information on the program including the list of participating merchants and to have a chance to win, the cardholder can register their purchase or cash withdrawal receipts at www.findyourwaywithmastercard.com.

Photo: January & February Merchant Champion Award winners. (L-R): Poop Deck manager Elroy R. Roldan, (January winner); Terrence Strachan, Senior Officer, Reception Services Department, Ministry of Tourism and Effy Jewelers Manager David Mirchandi (February winner)