OCALA/MARION COUNTY, Fla. — This week, VISIT FLORIDA awarded the Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau (OMCVCB) “Best of Show” — the most prestigious tourism marketing award for the state — for the 2022 Flagler Awards at the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
The award recognizes the OMCVCB’s marketing efforts through a video production project capturing the beauty and wonder of the Ocala National Forest. The OMCVCB submitted the winning project in the Niche Marketing Category, but came out on top of every other submission across all categories for the entire state of Florida in the destination’s budget level.
To watch the video from the winning project, click here.
“We are beyond honored to be recognized statewide with this top distinction for this media effort and thrilled by the incredible success of the project highlighting our one-of-a-kind natural environment,” said Loretta Shaffer, Tourism Development Director for Marion County. “The Ocala National Forest takes up more than a quarter of Marion County as a whole and plays an important role in attracting outdoor enthusiasts to visit our great destination. We are proud to be bringing the 'Best of Show' award home with us to Marion County and grateful to our county leadership, the Tourist Development Council, our hospitality industry and media partners for the continued support of our efforts to promote tourism.”
The Ocala National Forest is a very significant part of the tourism story in Marion County; however, its vastness makes it difficult to capture in a way that can be conveyed to visitors. To garner visually stunning graphics with access to remote parts of the Forest, the OMCVCB partnered with “More Than Just Parks.”
The production team, with the help of the OMCVCB, generated a full itinerary for locations and activities to capture in the Ocala National Forest over six days. The resulting article is posted on the filmmakers’ website to help inspire people to plan a trip to the national forest and surrounding area. This article, “Ocala National Forest: An (Epic) Guide to Florida’s Hidden Gem,” had a total publication reach of 208,266. Coverage also included a publication on Outside Online, “This Florida National Forest Is Just the Place to Enjoy Serenity and Beauty,” with a reach of 1,886,155.
About the Awards: VISIT FLORIDA created the annual Flagler Awards to honor the countless individuals and organizations that help position Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world. Each year, the Flagler Awards pay tribute to the determined efforts of those who use their skill, resourcefulness, creativity and innovative spirit to market Florida on an international scale. As in previous years, the 2022 Flagler Awards drew entries from Florida’s tourism partners, large and small. Working independently, a panel of 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 2022 Flagler Award features winners in 18 categories, plus a "Best in Show" award at three budget levels. For more information about the Flagler Awards, click here.
Original source can be found here.
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