�Shining Example Awards highlight some of the best work in travel and tourism, and winners truly set examples that others in the industry can follow,� said STS chairman Mitch Bowman. �Showcasing great work is important because tourism is the largest, second-largest or third-largest industry in every Southeastern state.�

Shining Example Awards, presented since 1985, are in 11 categories.

• Travel Attraction of the Year�Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga. The museum, which reopened in March after a massive expansion, expects to double or triple its attendance to more than 70,000. The museum�s three permanent exhibits focus on the Civil War�s �Great Locomotive Chase,� the role railroads played in the Civil War and the importance of railroads in creating a new South. The museum is a member of the Smithsonian Affiliations program and is the site of traveling Smithsonian exhibitions.
• Governmental Tourism Leadership Award�U.S. Rep. Mark Foley from Florida. Foley, who is in his fifth term, is co-chair of the House Tourism Caucus. Long a proponent of tourism, he has supported efforts to preserve the Everglades, and he supported the American Tourism Promotion Act, designed to help the industry after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
• Private Sector Organization of the Year (state or regional)�Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association. This association promotes tourism across 42 of Kentucky�s most economically challenged counties. It developed a national marketing program, garnered significant media publicity and encouraged development of travel products.
• Public Sector Organization of the Year (state or region)�North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. North Carolina�s state tourism office was recognized for its brand awareness campaign that highlights the state�s three diverse tourism regions. North Carolina has become the sixth most-visited state (43 million visitors and almost $12 billion tourism revenues).
• Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Year ($1 million or more budget)�Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina. A chamber program called Operation Economic Recovery kept the area focused on its core tourism products, reinforced its brands with new collateral material and developed an Endless Summer campaign to boost August and September visitation, a period in which family travel has declined because of early school calendars.
• Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Year (less than $1 million budget)� Charleston, W.Va., CVB. The Charleston CVB positioned the city as the �doorway to West Virginia,� inviting visitors to enjoy its own activities and to explore the rest of the state. It has more than doubled its budget through programs not dependent on tax revenues.
• Festival of the Year (attendance of 100,000 or more)�Mardi Gras on Mississippi�s Gulf Coast. Mardi Gras promoters cite 1699 as the start of their festival, the year French explorers popped a cork and named their campsite �Bayou de Mardi Gras.� Today, there are six weeks of celebration and more than 30 parades that create a $10 million economic impact on the area.
• Festival of the Year (attendance less than 100,000)�Rock �n� Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va. The event, now three years old, was designed to guarantee visitation over the Labor Day weekend. The 2002 race and related festivities attracted more than 10,000 participants from outside the region, producing 32,000 room nights and $15 million in direct spending. The field of runners grew to 17,000 this year.
• Tourism Awareness�Kingsport (Tenn.) Convention and Visitors Bureau. This award is for the best program to promote National Tourism Week. The Kingsport CVB�s �Caught in the Act of Hospitality� program saluted front-line travel industry personnel, educated numerous broadcasters about tourism�s local impact and rewarded unsuspecting visitors with vacation packages.
• Visual Excellence in Photography�North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. Judges particularly applauded some of the state�s lighthearted print ads, such as a pristine beach scene that contained a doorway labeled �Relaxation Clinic.�
• Visual Excellence in Video�Chattanooga Area CVB. The video component of Chattanooga�s new branding campaign, �Chattanooga: The Attraction�s Only Natural,� has been a key component of showing the area�s scenic beauty and diverse attractions.

Outgoing board chair Helen Hill recognized three other STS members with Chairman of the Board Awards � Mitch Bowman, executive director of Virginia
Civil War Trails; Bill Hardman, president of STS; and Perrin Lawson, deputy director of the Charleston (S.C.) Area CVB.

The 2003 Shining Example Awards program was part of the 20th anniversary meeting of STS, held at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va.

Founded in 1983, the Southeast Tourism Society (southeasttourism.org) is dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism to its member states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The membership includes state travel offices, attractions, hotels, motels, resorts, convention & visitors bureaus, airlines, bus companies, car rental agencies, newspapers, magazines and other travel-related organizations as well as corporate partners American Express, Amtrak, Delta Air Lines, Morrison Printing Company, Smith Advertising, Southern Living Magazine, StateNets Radio Networks and TRIPSouth.

Contact:
Stephanie Brown-Newton
Southeast Tourism Society
404-364-9847
stephanie@southeasttourism.org

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