Visit Owensboro wins state tourism awards after success of marketing plans

November 22, 2021 | 12:06 am

Updated November 21, 2021 | 5:18 pm

Visit Owensboro | Photo provided

Visit Owensboro earned three state tourism awards for their innovative efforts in 2021, including a silver award for its Burger Week campaign. Officials said Burger Week was responsible for driving sales for local businesses up by an average of 245%. 

The Traverse Awards for Excellence in Kentucky marketing were presented during the annual Kentucky Travel Industry Association’s Gala. 

The Burger Week campaign for Visit Owensboro was second place in the COVID-19 Community Support & Engagement category.  

“Burger Week was an incredible boost for the restaurant industry here in Daviess County,” said Greg Floyd, Ole South BBQ owner and Visit Owensboro board member.

Visit Owensboro took home bronze in the category of Marketing Campaign for their “Play in Holiday World, Stay in Owensboro.” The marketing plan involved partnering with the Holiday World marketing team to create a series of videos to visually demonstrate the proximity of the two destinations and why visitors should choose Owensboro as the place to stay when they visit the theme park.  

The team also took home bronze in the Specialty Items field with “Cards with an impression,” creating business cards that are unique. The business card for each staff member shows them participating in something that Owensboro is known for, such as the river, bluegrass music and sports.

“We are competing against successful cities including Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky region, all with significantly larger marketing budgets,” said Mark Calitri, Visit Owensboro President & CEO. “Earning these awards demonstrates that we’ve been able to take our organization to the next level. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve put together and the results our CVB board and staff are creating. The good news is that the more our local CVB is successful, it means Owensboro and Daviess County is successful.”

Since they were not presented last year because of the pandemic, this year’s Traverse Awards span a two-year period.

“Whether before or during the pandemic, the entries reflected the enormous creativity and marketing savvy that has propelled tourism to being a premier driver of the Kentucky economy and the source of jobs and enhanced quality of life for Kentucky families,” said KTIA president & CEO Hank Phillips.

Kentucky travel and tourism businesses and marketing organizations vie for Traverse Awards in 10 categories. The Traverse Awards are judged by a panel of out-of-state travel and tourism industry experts. Award criteria include concept, creativity, results, and impact. More than  110 entries were submitted from throughout Kentucky for the competition.

November 22, 2021 | 12:06 am

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