2022 NYS Tourism Excellence Awards Categories & Subcategories
Excellence in Overall Tourism Marketing
Nominations for organizations and entities in this category should include all aspects of their tourism marketing programs and initiatives, regardless if there is a unifying project theme. Nominated project information shall include details of a nominee's planning and implementation of marketing strategies that are creative and innovative, and resulted in increased attendance, public and private partnerships, media exposure, website activity and/or consumer response. Eligible entities include organizations/entities of all kinds - attractions, shops, events, hotels, restaurants, associations, government agencies. destinations or regions.
Requirements: Documentation of an organization's current marketing plan, implementation examples and quantitative or qualitative results. Implementation examples may include social media, website, print advertising, familiarization tours, packaged itineraries, tourism impact surveys, and television and radio spots.
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Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects & Programs
Nominated projects for each award are specific components of an entity's overall marketing initiatives. Nominated project information shall include details of a nominee's planning and implementation of marketing strategies that are creative, innovative, and resulted in increased attendance, public and private partnerships, media exposure, website activity and/or consumer response. Eligible entities include attractions, events, hotels, restaurants, shops, organizations, destinations or regions.
Requirements: Documentation of an organization's current marketing plan, implementation examples and quantitative or qualitative results should be included.
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Excellence in Tourism Stewardship: Economic Development & Destination Improvement
Nominees are those individuals, communities, or organizations that have fostered economic development and/or enhance a destination. Examples include revitalizing a downtown, adaptive reuse of a historic structure (e.g. to be used as visitor center, museum, restaurant or lodging facility), and/or, encouraged development of a tourism attraction or trail. Also, may include legislative advocacy, environmental protection or social causes, training programs (not related to visitor service), special events.
Category Requirements:
Excellence in Visitor Service
This award goes to a destination marketing organization, community, association, agency or attraction that has worked strategically to welcome visitors more effectively, including COVID adjustments to address safety and health issues. Projects/Programs may include, but are not limited to:
Requirements:
Submissions may include brochures, pictures, copy of tourism strategies, docent training guides, customer evaluations and letters, links to websites and/or publicity clips, and when appropriate, a list of the partnering organizations.
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Excellence in Leadership: Career Achievement
This award honors career achievement for a tourism professional demonstrating excellence in leadership through outstanding initiative, impact of their work, and inspiration of others.
Requirements:
Excellence in Young Professional Leadership
This award recognizes the brightest rising star in New York State Tourism. These young colleagues are the ones that have captured your attention because of their outstanding abilities, shown a strong commitment to increasing their expertise in the travel and tourism industry, and have demonstrated a capacity to become a future leader in our industry. Tell us about them.
Requirements:
We Are All In This Together: Extraordinary Efforts to Move Forward – Recovery & Resurgence!
This special category is intended to recognize the extraordinary efforts put forth by New York State's tourism community that demonstrated creativity, innovation, stewardship and compassion in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Submissions should consider including links to online features, qualitative and quantitative documentation where available, anecdotal feedback/endorsements, etc.
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