4:41 p.m.
VISIT FLORIDA, the state's official source for travel planning, announced today the winners for the 2006 Flagler Awards, the organization's statewide hospitality awards program. The program is designed to recognize the outstanding tourism marketing achievements of Florida's innumerable travel businesses, destinations and attractions.
The Alachua County Visitor & Convention Bureau was awarded the VISIT FLORIDA Flagler Award for excellence in tourism marketing in the "newspaper" medium at Florida's Annual Governor's Conference on Tourism. More than 900 travel and tourism industry leaders gathered at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate for the conference.
The award was for "The Gainesville Sun Newspaper Wrap" marketing program that partnered the Alachua County Visitor & Convention Bureau, City of Gainesville Department of Cultural Affairs, the Gainesville Sun and local hoteliers. The program delivered newspapers every weekend to the doorstep of every occupied hotel and B&B room in the County. The newspaper was wrapped in a 4 page "look alike" cover that featured stories on things to see and do in Alachua County.
This year's award went to the smallest destination to ever win. "We are pleased that a tourism market our size has captured an award that historically has gone to areas such as Key West and Fort Myers/Sanibel," said Roland Loog, Executive Director of Alachua County Visitor & Convention Bureau. "This reflects well on the efforts of the VCB staff who tirelessly promote the natural and cultural assets of the Gainesville area."
For more information, contact the Alachua County Visitor & Convention Bureau, 30 East University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601; visit
www.visitgainesville.com; or call 1-866-778-5002.
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