Currituck County’s Department of Travel & Tourism has received seven awards for tourism marketing projects and programs.
The department was recognized recently by the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina (DMANC), receiving four first-place awards and two second-place awards. In addition, the department earned a 2010 American Inhouse Design Award for its internet website.
The Destination Marketing Achievement Awards honor and showcase innovative, best practices, creativity and outstanding efforts in tourism marketing. The awards earned by Currituck’s Tourism Department were presented in the Large Budget division, meaning that the Currituck bureau competed against other North Carolina destinations such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville and Durham.
Currituck was awarded Platinum Awards (first place) in the categories of: Destination Marketing Initiative (website and internet marketing); Destination Constitutes Communications (business electronic-newsletter); Destination Print Advertising – Leisure; and Destination Constituents Communications – Annual Report.
The Department received Gold Awards (second place) in the categories of Destination Publications – Visitor’s Guide and Destination Marketing Initiative, for the 2009 Economic Boost Campaign, a promotion that was conducted in response to concerns expressed by Currituck County accommodation providers that vacation rentals and hotel room bookings were down due to the poor economy.
The awards were presented at the DMANC annual awards banquet, held on June 7 at Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach, NC. Award entries were submitted by tourism departments/visitors bureaus across North Carolina. There were 32 awards presented in the Large Budget division; Currituck won six of those awards, receiving more awards than any other bureau in that division. The judges were national and international tourism professionals including advertising agency representatives and marketing specialists.
The 2010 American Inhouse Design Award was presented by Graphic Design USA. The competition is held exclusively for corporations and other institutions with in-house design departments. It showcases outstanding work by in-house designers and marketing departments and recognizes them for their contributions to local businesses and institutions. Currituck won for its internet website,
www.visitcurrituck.com.
Tourism staff members who were involved in the projects were: Diane Nordstrom, Director; Irina Coccetti, Marketing Program Manager; Stuart Chamberlain, E-marketing and Web Development Specialist; Michele Ellis, PR Coordinator; Leeann Walton, Manager of Information Centers; and Veronica Brown, former Marketing Program Manager.