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Visit California Honors Innovations in Tourism Marketing with 2020 Poppy Awards

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk named recipient of biannual California Dreamer Award

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Feb. 12, 2020) – Last night, Visit California honored tourism destinations and attractions across California for excellence in tourism marketing at the organization’s biennial Poppy Awards.

“The Poppy Awards celebrate the best and brightest in California tourism promotion and inspire the industry to continue on a path of innovation and creativity,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. “This year’s finalists inspired travelers from around the world to live their biggest dreams in California.” 

Beteta, alongside Visit California’s board officers, presented the 2020 Poppy Awards during the 12th annual Visit California Outlook Forum, held Feb. 10-11 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and attended by nearly 800 tourism industry leaders.

To round out the evening, Beteta awarded the California Dreamer Award, which recognizes an individual who embodies California’s pioneering spirit, to skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

“Tony Hawk not only epitomizes the California Dream, he also encourages the next generation to Dream Big,” Beteta said. “He became a household name for being a pioneer in his sport, but beyond that, his generosity is an inspiration to us all.”

“I am honored to receive the California Dreamer Award,” said Tony Hawk. “So much of my career can be attributed to being born and raised in California; the weather, the beach culture, and the encouragement to create my own path by those that came before me. I hope this recognition will encourage others to visit our great state more often.”

The hosts for the nights’ event were Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley, star of the Visit California series “Jonny Moseley’s Wildest Dreams,” and Chase Ramsey, face of “California Dream Eater,” both found on YouTube and at VisitCalfornia.com/Dream365

A panel of industry marketing experts selected the winners of the Poppy Awards in 11 categories.

The winners are:

  • Best Overall Brand Identity – less than $1 million: Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
  • Best Overall Brand Identity - $1 million to $8 million: Visit Laguna Beach
  • Best Overall Brand Identity - $8 million and up: Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau
  • Best Content Marketing Initiative (tie):
    • North Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureau
    • San Francisco Travel Association
  • Best Cooperative Marketing (tie):
    • San Diego Tourism Authority and San Francisco Travel Association
    • Mono County Tourism, Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Explore Inyo County and Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
  • Best Digital Campaign: North Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureaus
  • Best Social Media Campaign: Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
  • Best Influencer Campaign: San Francisco Travel Association
  • Best Public Relations Campaign – Destination: Humboldt County Visitors Bureau
  • Best Public Relations Campaign – Business: San Francisco International Airport

 

New this year, a surprise category – Excellence in Destination Stewardship – was introduced to recognize organizations that act as stewards of California. The winning campaign was a cooperation between the Yosemite Gateways – Mono County Tourism, Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Visit Yosemite Madera County, Visit Tuolumne County and Yosemite National Park.

More about the Poppy Awards:
Made by California artisan Nicholson Blown Glass in Auburn, Poppy Awards are given every two years to acknowledge the best of California’s tourism promotion. The eligibility period for programs submitted for the 2020 Poppy Awards was Jan 1, 2018 – Oct 1, 2019. Submissions were reviewed by Visit California staff, then blind judged by industry committee leadership.

More about Outlook Forum:
Outlook Forum is the premier travel industry conference for California, the No. 1 tourism destination in the United States. Outlook Forum brings together nearly 800 C-suite executives and industry decision-makers from California’s hotels, rental cars, attractions, restaurants, retailers and other travel businesses, as well as representatives from Visit California’s global network of offices. Outlook Forum 2020 was the first major event following the California tourism industry’s renewal of Visit California’s marketing program.

ABOUT VISIT CALIFORNIA:
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, spending by travelers totaled $140.6 billion in 2018 in California, generating nearly 1.2 million jobs in the state and $11.8 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor's Guide, go to www.visitcalifornia.com. For story ideas, media information, downloadable images, video and more, go to media.visitcalifornia.com.

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