Aug 19, 2026
2026 NYS Tourism Excellence Awards Honoree: Creative for Tourism Marketing
Stewarding Harriet Tubman's Legacy: A Culturally Conscious Marketing Initiative
Join us Thursday morning at the 2026 NYS Tourism Excellence Summit in Corning for a workshop session presented by Courtney Rae Kasper, Executive Director at Tour Cayuga. Courtney will share how Tour Cayuga collaborated with The Culturist Group to craft a destination messaging and creative strategy to honor Harriet Tubman's legacy, engage the community, attract investors, and invite visitors to experience the transformative energy embedded in Tubman's chosen home. The Where You Go Matters, Make It Count campaign's hyper-targeted approach surpassed expectations and resonated with Black heritage seekers, effectively conveying Tubman's significance to the community today. In this session, learn the strategy of how a culturally conscious creative campaign can honor history, strengthen destination identity, and produce measurable tourism engagement.
Why You Should Attend This Session:
- Authentic tourism marketing depends on cultural understanding, community context, and creative execution that respects the story being told. Where You Go Matters, Make It Count stands out because it transformed a nationally significant legacy into a thoughtful, effective, and repeatable tourism marketing platform for Cayuga County.
- Learn the power of creating culturally relevant opportunities for those seeking transformative cultural experiences from original concept development, strategic creative execution, and measurable effectiveness
- Rather than promoting a destination only through attractions or itinerary points, create a campaign that asks travelers to consider the meaning behind their trip and connect that message to what makes your destination competitively standout
Key Takeaways:
- Choosing the right partner to navigate community dialogue to assess how the interests and desires of these investors run parallel to the emotional and cultural values of multicultural audiences
- Transforming a destination message into a visitor invitation placed in front of audiences with a clear connection
- Pairing emotionally resonant creative with targeted media execution across formats in moving audiences from awareness to interest to website engagement
- Balance reverence and relevance: transform the idea of a static historical attraction into a tangible sense of place and authentic connection
About Courtney Rae Kasper:
Courtney Rae Kasper is the Executive Director of Tour Cayuga, the Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She brings extensive experience in tourism, cultural heritage, publishing, and community engagement. An Alabama native, Kasper has called Auburn, New York, home for 15 years. Most recently, she served as Visitor Experience Manager at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, where she oversaw operations and managed more than $1 million in funding to support regional tourism. Her efforts helped elevate events like the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial and the Brave Brews Festival, both of which gained national attention and boosted the local economy. Kasper holds degrees from Syracuse University and Florida State University and was the 2023 recipient of the Terri Bridenbecker Young Professional Award for her contributions to Cayuga County. As Executive Director, she is leading Tour Cayuga's transition from a destination marketing organization toward a destination stewardship model, working to promote Cayuga County while championing sustainable tourism that benefits both visitors and residents.
About The Cayuga County Convention & Visitors Bureau:
The Cayuga County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (CCCVB) is Cayuga County’s tourism promotion agency. We increase tourism and related revenues through promotion and research-based targeted marketing, and we improve the visitor experience by providing data and training to local hospitality industry providers. We continuously work to increase tourism and improve the visitor experience, which in turn stimulates economic growth and sustains recreational and cultural opportunities in Cayuga County.