Alachua County is pleased to announce that the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau's (VCB) "Sippin' Seven Alachua County Ale Trail" digital passport marketing campaign has earned the state's highest honor, the "Henry Award," in the category of Niche Marketing at the 2024 Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism’s, Visit Florida Flagler Award ceremony.
Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida and honor individuals and organizations who help maintain and improve Florida's position as one of the world's most popular travel destinations. A panel of judges evaluated and scored nearly 260 entries submitted in 18 different categories. The highest-scoring entry in each category receives the coveted Henry Award.
"The Alachua County Ale Trail was designed to leverage a key tourism asset and elevate Alachua County's reputation as a top craft brewery destination,” said Tourism Development Director Jessica Hurov. “This award reflects the collective efforts of our team and the support of our Tourist Development Council in boosting the local economy through increased visitor spending while highlighting all that Alachua County has to offer.”
Liz Reyes, Alachua County’s tourism development manager and campaign manager, and Bailey McClellan, the tourism program coordinator, are pictured above at the Tampa event accepting the award from Visit Florida CEO Dana Young.
"The Sippin' Seven Alachua County Ale Trail digital passport campaign is a testament to the excellence of our area businesses and to the strong collaborative effort forged during the campaign between the VCB and our county's award-winning craft breweries," Reyes said.
The Sippin' Seven Alachua County Ale Trail digital passport campaign drove 15,600 documented visits to Alachua County craft breweries. Pass holders represented 18 different states and Canada, and approximately 53% of pass holders were from outside of Alachua County.
"It is an honor to have Florida's tourism industry leaders recognize the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureaus efforts," said Alachua County Commissioner and Chair of the Tourist Development Council Marihelen Wheeler. "I am so proud of Jessica, her talented staff, and all of our tourism partners for earning this prestigious recognition and for their creative celebration of local culture through their effective initiatives."
Learn more about the "Sippin' Seven Alachua County Ale Trail digital passport marketing campaign and Billy the Bison and the Brew Birds.
Learn more about the What's Good® guide of weekly events which offers information about festivals and community events at area craft breweries and much more.
For more information, contact Jessica Hurov at 352-363-8619 or jhurov@alachuacounty.us or visit www.visitgainesville.com.
