Utah tourism honored for its travel marketing

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has honored the Utah Office of Tourism with three Gold Adrian Awards for marketing excellence for its winning entries in the 63rd annual Adrian Awards, the largest global travel marketing competition. The Utah Office of Tourism submitted three entries and all three submissions are taking home top awards for integrated marketing from among 1,100 total entries in the competition.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“It’s an honor to be recognized among so many talented marketers from across the country for telling the Utah story effectively,” said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. “Our goal is to encourage responsible visitation, and to help travelers understand how accessible a Utah adventure can be. Adrian honors affirm that we have created messages that resonate.”

The Utah Office of Tourism entered its travel marketing campaigns in the competition for the following:

The Voices of Bears Ears. Recognizing that visitors were finding Bears Ears information from other sources and that added media attention would elevate search traffic, the Utah Office of Tourism sought to get in front of prospective travelers with an inspirational and educational integrated campaign to cultivate responsible visitation. By following the lead of the San Juan County community, the Utah Office of Tourism produced a video series to build community pride in a shared place that had become a divisive issue due to politics and the spread of misinformation.

China Red Emerald Initiative. To address increased visitation and help mitigate crowding in Utah’s national parks, the Utah Office of Tourism launched an internal effort called the Red Emerald Initiative, which shifted focus toward greater tourism management and more strategic, targeted marketing efforts in China, The initiative and campaign focused on high-impact consumer marketing efforts targeting the frequent traveler.

More Mountain Time. The Utah Office of Tourism created the “More Mountain Time” campaign to highlight why skiing in Utah is unique and superior to other destinations.

“The Adrian Awards honor innovative travel marketing campaigns that lead the future of hospitality marketing, setting the standard for creativity and flawless execution,” said Robert A. Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI. “HSMAI is proud to recognize these award winners and celebrate their remarkable campaigns and the people behind them at the Adrian Awards Gala.”

The awards were presented at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala on Jan. 21 in New York City.{/mprestriction}