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Tourism Awards Categories
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.
Subcategories:
- Private Sector Entity
- DMOs, TPAs (county level) and other Tourism Marketing Organizations at the local level
- Regional or State Level Effort (Regional TPAs, Tourism Marketing Organizations/Associations, State Agencies, etc)
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.
Subategories:
- Public Relations Campaign: Public relations campaigns can be for general, niche travel audiences, represent special events, crisis/disaster management, or general/overall tourism promotion, but must focus on a single theme.
- Printed Collateral Materials: Materials considered for this award can include visitor guides, advertising pieces, brochures, postcards, etc. Additional metrics in the documentation should include print quantity, distribution and audience. Entries must include one (1) electronic version of the printed piece/s.
- Digital Marketing Campaign: Nominated projects for this award should demonstrate creativity, originality, innovation and results-driven planning and implementation for digital outreach including (but not limited to) websites, digital advertising, email marketing, social media usage, etc.
- Niche Marketing Campaign: Nominations may include programs or projects aimed at exposing unique or “niche" tourism offerings in New York State, including thematic tourism programs such as agri-tourism, cultural heritage, arts culinary/beverage tourism, outdoor recreation, etc. OR target marketing to a specific visitor audience.
- Best Use of Digital Tools and Outreach To Keep Tourism Top of Mind: Nominations for this category should reflect efforts to sustain awareness and share-of-mind during the pandemic, when restrictions and regulations discouraged would-be travelers and many travel consumers were homebound.
- Creative Use of Data to Drive Success: Nominations should demonstrate the innovative use of market intelligence in informing successful campaigns, projects and/or programs.
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:
- Program budget information required
- Project prospectus and/or photos
- Demonstrate project's vision, strategy and plan of execution.
- Identify key stakeholders, partners and their involvement in the project
- Provide qualitative or quantitative results.
- The attraction or destination should be at least partially operational and accessible to the public anytime between June 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
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:
- Innovations and adjustments to operate responsibly and address pandemic visitor health and safety
- Providing front-line staff or docent training
- Tourism readiness workshops or symposiums
- Informative and visitor friendly websites, and/or
- Interactive visitor centers focused on “going the extra mile" to serve the public.
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.
Categories:
- Private Sector
- Public Sector
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:
- Open to professionals of any age
- No self-nominations are permitted
- Include the following where applicable:
- Number of direct or indirect reporting staff
- Documentation and photos of programs or projects lead, testimonials from those individuals that were directly impacted by the nominee's leadership skills.
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:
- Young professionals (age 35 or under) who match the above attributes
- No self-nominations are permitted
- Nominees must have worked in the tourism industry for at least two years
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.
Subcategories:
- To Assist Community And Local Business Recovery & Resurgence
- Innovations & Strategies to Address New/Unique/Changing Markets Emerging in Recovery & Resurgence
- Excellence in Leadership: Moving Forward to Recovery & Resurgence
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