County tourism campaigns awarded for excellence

Promotion campaigns for Orange County Tourism received two awards for excellence by The New York State Tourism Industry Association. The 2025 honorees were announced in early July. The annual honors recognize exceptional achievements by New York’s destination marketing organizations, attractions, and tourism professionals across categories that include marketing, destination stewardship, and leadership.

Focus Media on behalf of Orange County Tourism won both for Inclusive Campaign (for Excellence in Tourism Equity and Inclusion) and Four Season Campaign (for Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects & Programs: Digital Marketing). Both categories were for departments with an annual tourism operating budget of $500,000 or more.

The New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation won the category of We’ll See You Out There for Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects & Programs: The Great Outdoors of New York State.

“The New York State Tourism Excellence Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of those who help shape and elevate New York State as a world-class travel destination,” said Greg LaDuca, Board Chair of the New York State Tourism Industry Association. “These professionals and organizations play a vital role in strengthening our state’s economy and enhancing the visitor experience. We applaud this year’s honorees for their innovation, dedication, and impact.”

Open to all tourism professionals and organizations throughout the state, awardees are determined through a competitive evaluation process led by a panel of industry experts. The entries represented every region of the state.

“Once again, both the quality and the quantity of the campaigns, initiatives, and projects nominated for the 2025 New York State Tourism Excellence Awards surpassed expectations,” said Bob Provost, President of the New York State Tourism Industry Association. “The world-class work being done by New York’s tourism professionals contributes significantly to the trajectory of growth in New York’s visitor economy and deserves to be recognized.”

The New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation won the category of We’ll See You Out There for Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects & Programs: The Great Outdoors of New York State.

The honorees will be celebrated at a special ceremony and reception on Sept. 11, 2025, in Lake George, N.Y.

The New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA) is a nonprofit organization that assists members in advancing responsible economic growth, creating jobs, revitalizing communities, supporting small business success, and increasing state and local tax revenues in order to improve the standard of living, quality of life and pride of place for New York State communities and residents. For more information, log onto www.nystia.org.