Visit Idaho Wins Top Marketing Honor From US Travel Association

Now with Labor Day weekend in the books, our work on Visit Idaho’s 18 Summers campaign winds down for another season. Now in its 4th year, the campaign continues to reach and inspire travelers across the country about spending family downtime in Idaho.

Much like the Watty Piper’s (aka Arnold Munk) children’s classic “The Little Engine That Could,” 18 Summers carries Idaho’s message up up up the mountain top. We reached the pinnacle last month by earning the Judges’ Choice Mercury Award at the US Travel Association’s annual ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) conference, held this year in Minneapolis.

What an incredible honor. To be recognized as a finalist out of hundreds of submissions, then to take top honors by national peers was an amazing moment during this journey. Like the Little Engine before us, we “thought we could” compete and reach the summit and now with the award in hand, we’re enjoying the view before getting back to work.

The team behind this achievement spans the entire state, so the shout-outs are many.

First to our client team at Idaho Tourism – thank you for your trust, courage, and vision. To the Idaho Travel Council – thank you for your guidance and counsel. To our grantees, local and regional colleagues – thank you for finding that extra gear in sharing Idaho’s message far and wide. To our tourism industry and the thousands of hospitality employees – thank you for bringing Idaho to life and providing countless lifelong memories. To the Drake Cooper family and our outreach partners – thank you for the time, energy and passion in lifting 18 Summers to where it is today. And finally, to the Idahoans and vacationers who spent one of your 18 summers with us this year – thank you for taking time away and spending it in the Gem State. We hope to see you again next summer.

Learn more and watch the docu-memories yourself in our 18 Summer case study.