August 30, 2007

CONTACTS: Nancy Hamilton, Lee Rose (239) 338-3500

The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

merit Florida's top tourism marketing honors

LEE COUNTY, FL – The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) has earned a "Henry Award," the highest award for imaginative destination marketing at the 40^th Annual Governor's Conference on Tourism Flagler Awards Competition presented Aug. 26 -28 in Boca Raton. The VCB has the distinction of acquiring 20 Henry Awards since the competition began in 1999.

Sponsored by Visit Florida, the official marketing organization for Florida tourism, and the Florida Commission on Tourism, the Flagler Awards program is designed to acknowledge the outstanding marketing achievements of the state's tourism-related businesses, destinations, attractions, and other entities. Four out-of-state tourism-marketing authorities judged the competition's nearly 200 entries in 15 categories.

In the competition's newspaper category, the VCB was recognized for its official printed destination newspaper, Tradewinds. Experiential editorial and photography is specifically aimed at consumers having the highest propensity for visitation to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. A core component in the VCB's marketing plan, the 4-color newspaper reached highly researched and qualified consumers through inserts into key newspapers in major tourist feeder markets.

In the category of Resource/Promotional Material, Consumer, the VCB was a finalist for its Traveler's Guide to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. The guide delivers expert, no-nonsense, opinion-based advice, helpful hints, and easy-to-use tools for every style of travel, from budget-minded tent camping to luxury spa weekend adventures.

"We are grateful for organizations of the caliber of Visit Florida and the Florida Commission on Tourism to have acknowledged our bureau's marketing efforts over the years," said VCB Executive Director Suya Davenport. "We commend the outstanding work of our staff; the VCB's advertising agency, BVK of Fort Myers; and Miles Media."

Printable Version