Tallahassee, Fla. – TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Yesterday, VISIT FLORIDA announced the recipients of the 2019 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame and Flagler Awards during the annual Chairman’s Dinner. Each year, leaders in Florida tourism are chosen by selection committees to receive these prestigious awards. This year’s event was held during the 2019 Florida Tourism Forum at the Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf & Spa Resort.
Florida Tourism Hall of Fame
Since 2001, individuals have been chosen annually to be inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame. This honor, presented by the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, recognizes contemporary and historic figures whose vision, creativity and drive have had a positive and significant impact on the development of Florida as a desirable visitor destination.
The 2019 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductee is Alan Maltz, the Official Fine Art Photographer of Florida and Official Wildlife Photographer of Florida. Through partnerships and creative projects, Maltz has helped numerous hotels, resorts, convention centers, restaurants and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) throughout the state promote the vibrancy and authentic natural beauty only Florida can offer. Maltz uses his growing collection of images to showcase the state's most stunning natural assets, which continue to attract millions of nature-loving travelers from across the globe.
For more information about the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame, click here.
Flagler Awards
Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards were established in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida. Annually, the Flagler Awards honor many of the countless individuals and organizations that help maintain and improve Florida’s position as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. The awards are open to all individuals, private businesses and not-for-profit organizations offering a product or service that promotes tourism to or within the state of Florida.
As in previous years, the 2019 Flagler Awards drew entries from Florida’s tourism partners, large and small. Working independently, seven judges evaluated the creativity, innovation, production quality and effectiveness of each entry. Based on the judges’ cumulative scores, awards were presented to the top three entries in each category: the Bronze Award for the third highest scoring entry, the Silver Award for the second highest scoring entry, and for the highest scoring entry in each category, the Henry Award. The 2019 Flagler Award winners in 17 categories, plus Best in Show at three budget levels, are listed below.
Creativity in Public Relations
Bronze: Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) for Creating BUZZ with Destination Spotlights
Silver: Canaveral Port Authority for Port Canaveral 65th Anniversary Celebration
Henry: Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau for Post-Red Tide Response
Direct Marketing
Bronze: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Vacation Date Email Campaign
Silver: Destination Panama City for Postcards From Panama City
Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for "Rejuvenated" E-Newsletter Campaign
Internet Advertising
Bronze: Visit South Walton for South Walton's Stages of Travel Campaign
Silver: Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office for Navarre Beach Content Videos
Henry: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County for Where Culture Always Shines - Brand Videos and Rich Media
Mixed Media Campaign
Bronze: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Augmented Reality Experience
Silver: Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau for Summer Families Campaign
Henry: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater for Experience Central Ave
Mobile Marketing
Bronze: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Augmented Reality Mobile App
Silver: The Florida Keys & Key West for Key West 3D Map
Henry: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Island Hopper Songwriter Fest Mobile App
Niche Marketing
Bronze: Visit South Walton for South Walton Meetings Discovery Box
Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for Weddings - Niche Marketing
Silver: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Shrimp Days of Summer
Henry: Visit Tampa Bay for The Many Layers of Tampa Bay
Out-of-Home
Bronze: Visit South Walton for South Walton's Dallas and Charlotte Airport Advertising
Silver: Visit Sarasota County for The Polar Vortex Challenge: Visit Sarasota County Brings the Beach to Midwest Cities
Henry: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Winter Transit
Print Advertising
Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for "Generations" Print
Silver: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Advertorial Series
Henry: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Meetings Campaign Print: Inspire Innovation
Radio Advertising
Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for ValuCation Savings Program - Radio
Silver: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Beach Babble
Henry: Visit Tampa Bay for Daydream to Tampa Bay - Make it Tampa Bay
Resource/Promotional Material – Consumer
Bronze Award: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Brew Trail Map
Silver Award: Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau for Visitor Guide
Henry: Visit Panama City Beach for Decor by The Shore
Resource/Promotional Material – Trade
Bronze Award: Town of Surfside for Town of Surfside's Trade Kit
Silver Award: Orlando North, Seminole County Sports for Sports Toolkit
Henry: Visit Tampa Bay for 600,000 Reasons to Meet in Tampa Bay
Rural County Marketing
Bronze Award: Explore Northwest Florida for Choose Your Adventure
Silver Award: Suwannee County Tourist Development for Suwannee County / Discover the Nature of Things
Henry: Gulf County Tourist Development Council for Hurricane Michael ReBuild, ReVisit, ReDiscover Gulf County Campaign
Social Media Marketing
Bronze Award: Visit Panama City Beach for We Are Thankful: Panama City Beach's Hurricane Michael Recovery Story
Silver Award: Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa for Hilton Sandestin Beach Personalized Social Media Strategy
Henry: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Documentary Social Video
Henry: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County for Cultural Tourism in The Palm Beaches - Travel Blog
Special Event
Bronze: Florida Seafood Festival for 55th Annual Florida Seafood Festival
Silver: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County for Beyond the Beach: Attracting Drive Market with the Arts
Henry: Gulf County Tourist Development Council for Brothers Osborne Port St Joe Album Release Concert
Henry: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Shellebrate National Seashell Day
Sustainable Tourism Marketing
Bronze Award: West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority for Wings of the West Mural Trail
Silver Award: The Florida Keys & Key West for "Keys Traveler" Connect and Protect Edition
Henry: New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau for Tourism Touches You Campaign
Television Advertising
Bronze Award: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for The Fort Myers Tip Off :30 spot
Silver Award: Visit Panama City Beach for Make It Yours!
Henry: Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau for ABC National
Tourism Advocacy
Bronze Award: Visit Tampa Bay for 2018 NTW Lunch - A Celebration of Success for the Tampa Tourism Community
Silver Award: Visit Pensacola for Pensacola Tourism Works for You
Henry: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Industry Leadership
Websites
Bronze Award: Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau for OcalaMarion.com
Silver Award: VERB Interactive for South Seas Island Resort
Henry: Town of Surfside for Town of Surfside's Booking Portal
Best of Show
Annual marketing budget less than $500,000: Martin County Office of Tourism & Marketing for Martin County Like a Local Campaign
Annual marketing budget between $500,000 ‐ $2 million: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County for Where Culture Always Shines - Brand Videos and Rich Media
Annual marketing budget greater than $2 million: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Industry Leadership
For more information about the Flagler Awards, click here.