Twenty-one awards were given to destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and their employees as part of the U.S. Travel Association’s annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) conference, held last week in Boston.
Awards given were:
• Mercury and Destiny Awards:Mercury awards are given to state tourism offices by the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD). Destiny awards, on the other hand, are given to local and regional DMOs by the Destinations Council. Both awards recognize “excellence and creative accomplishment in tourism marketing and promotion.”
This year, 12 Mercury and six Destiny awards were presented. Among the winners were: the Montana Office of Tourism, which received a Mercury award for print advertising; Travel Michigan, which received Mercury awards for radio and TV broadcasting, as well as social media marketing and PR; the Virginia Tourism Corp., which received a Mercury award for the best tourism website; Visit Phoenix, which received a Destiny award for the best travel website; and the San Francisco Travel Association, which received a Destiny award for the best full marketing campaign.
• State Tourism Director of the Year: NCSTD honored Wyoming’s Diane Shober as the 2012 State Tourism Director of the Year, which annually recognizes a state tourism director who contributes to successfully raising the profile of their state as a travel and tourism destination.
• DMO Rising Star: The Destinations Council named Brandi Scott of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau as its 2012 DMO Rising Star of the Year, a new award that recognizes the achievements of an individual who has worked for a DMO for less than three years, but who has already made significant contributions to the destination marketing industry.
• Destinations Council Continuing Graduate Student Scholarship: George Washington University Masters of Tourism Administration candidate Yuri Horowitz received the 2012 Destinations Council Continuing Graduate Student Scholarship, awarded by the Destination & Travel Foundation to a graduate student in the field of travel and tourism based on goals and accomplishments in travel.