BATAVIA, OH- The Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau recently received recognition for its response to the global pandemic during the Ohio Travel Association’s Spirit of Ohio Travel state tourism conference held in mid-October.
Historically, the Ohio Travel Association’s Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance Yearly (RUBY) Awards recognize excellence in Ohio’s travel industry for efforts in advertising, marketing, and public relations. This year, the awards focused on two categories – how the industry has served others and how businesses have pivoted during the crisis. The awards are sponsored by Ohio Magazine.
Discover Clermont took home two awards during the RUBY Award presentation including the RUBY Award in the Spirit of Innovation category for the Discover Clermont Post Card Project and the Certificate of Excellence in Spirit of Innovation for the newly launched Clermont County Tail Trail.
1q
“We at Ohio Magazine could not be more proud of how Ohio’s tourism industry has stepped up to support their local communities while at the same time being faced with incredible hardships of its own,” said Lute Harmon, Jr., president of Great Lakes Publishing. “It is a remarkable and resilient group.”
The RUBY award-winning post card project is an initiative to engage with Clermont County residents as to how they can take an active role in helping Clermont County hotels, restaurants, retail shops and attractions recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visiting friends and family is the number one reason people travel. This ongoing initiative is an opportunity for Clermont County residents to invite their friends and family members, old school style, to come visit them. The postcards encourage small family gatherings and socially distant outdoor recreation. There are four different postcards, each depicting a various scene or activity in Clermont County. Ten thousand postcards were printed for this project and are free to the public. Each postcard includes an instruction card with simple directions: Write a quick message. Place a stamp on it. Drop it in the mail.
“We are honored to receive a RUBY Award and a Certificate of Excellence for our tourism marketing,” said Jeff Blom, President of the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This has been a challenging year where we have all had to pivot and change plans due to the coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
“The leisure and hospitality industry were among the first to close its doors, among the last to open, and is subsequently the hardest hit in the Ohio economy. And yet, our businesses stepped up despite the hardships and lent a hand to those living in our communities,” said Melinda Huntley, Executive Director of the Ohio Travel Association. “Businesses in the travel industry responded to the crisis through not only shifting focus to supporting local businesses, but also through serving others. The stories collected through the RUBY Award process demonstrate the importance and impact of Ohio’s travel industry during this time.”
The newly launched Clermont County Tail Trail is a mobile passport that features 13 stops showcasing Clermont County’s outdoor recreation, restaurants, breweries, wineries, entertainment and more. This trail includes dog-friendly patios, parks, and paths throughout Clermont County. The pass is free, and you and your four-legged friend will unlock discounts and deals you can enjoy at stops along the trail.
This passport is designed to give visitors, or local residents an incentive to get out and discover the flavors, sights and sounds that makes Clermont County a unique destination. This trail also provides a great opportunity to travel while still maintaining social distancing and safety protocols with outdoor recreation, outdoor patio seating and more.
“Sarah Gleason, our Marketing Manager, did an excellent job with the new mobile passport for the Tail Trail. It took a lot of time to assemble all the pieces in order to launch this project,” stated Blom.
For more information about The Discover Clermont Postcard Project or the Clermont County Tail Trail, please visit www.discoverclermont.com/postcardproject or www.discoverclermont.com/tailtrail
###
About the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau:
The Clermont County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a professional destination marketing and sales organization, whose mission is to strengthen the community by generating economic growth and vitality through tourism, overnight stays, and encouraging visitor spending in the local tourism economy. For our visitors, the CVB is the key to our county. As a balanced resource, the CVB serves as a broker or an official point of contact for convention and meeting planners, tour operators, visitors, and sports organizations.
About the Ohio Travel Association:
The Ohio Travel Association is the non-profit association representing attractions, destination marketing organizations, hotels, museums, suppliers, restaurants, campgrounds, and other businesses who make up Ohio’s $48 billion travel industry. For more information about the Ohio Travel Association and how to get involved with colleagues in the travel economy, visit OhioTravel.org.
