DISCOVER LONG ISLAND WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Discover Long Island’s Social Media Strategy Has Been Recognized by US Travel Association as an Industry Leader

 

August 30, 2021 LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK—Discover Long Island received U.S. Travel Association’s Destiny Award for Best Social Media Campaign last week at the annual ESTO conference in Los Angeles, California.

 

“Discover Long Island is leading destination marketing organizations across the globe with its innovative marketing initiatives. It’s no surprise the organization took home the win for its specialized utilization of social channels in promoting our world class destination,” said Chairman of the organization, Bryan Deluca. The Destiny Awards recognize U.S. Travel destination marketing organization (DMO) members for excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion.

 

The Destiny Awards celebrate the development of imaginative and innovative destination marketing promotion programs and activities.

 

“The Discover Long Island team has worked tirelessly throughout the crisis of the pandemic and has utilized social media channels to reinvent our organization to assist our local businesses and communities,” said Kristen Reynolds, President and CEO of Discover Long Island. “Receiving the U.S. Travel Association’s Destiny Award for Best Social Media Campaign and being lauded as an industry leader for the innovative use of YouTube, TikTok, Podcast and other channels is an incredible honor and positions Discover Long Island amongst the best DMOs in the nation.”

 

When the Travel & Tourism industry was devastated by COVID-19 and traditional marketing efforts ceased, Discover Long Island adopted a new social media content strategy designed to reach local, national, and global audiences on the channels where content is being consumed in record numbers. In less than a year, Discover Long Island launched a new YouTube video series “Long Island TV”, a weekly Podcast “Long Island Tea” and two new TikTok channels “Discover Long Island” and “Long Island, NY” where the team generates original content with an educational but entertaining tone coined ‘edutainment’.

 

“Discover Long Island has been the pioneer of destination marketing organizations during one of the most tumultuous years for tourism on a local and global level,” said Suffolk County

 

Executive Steve Bellone. “The organization took to storytelling through social media content, in a fresh new lens, utilizing things like TikTok, Podcasts, and YouTube. With world-class destinations, we are proud to have them as our leading marketing organization for Suffolk County’s tourism industry.”

 

This innovative new social strategy not only raises awareness of Long Island’s countless local and small businesses with engaging video and audio content, but also provides partnering businesses the ability to reach mass audiences at no additional cost. The DiscoverLongIslandNY YouTube channel featuring Long Island TV has garnered more than 800,000 views and the two new TikTok channels have more than 80,000 followers with more than 800,000 likes and thousands of comments and shares. The Long Island Tea podcast, which is sponsored by Long Island Wine Country and features local wines each episode, has been downloaded more than 5,000 times and has a global audience of listeners from more than six countries.

 

“From our beautiful beaches to our prestigious golf courses, Long Island attracts more than 9.6 million visitors annually. Tourism is an important component of our local economy and is crucial to our pandemic recovery as we continue to build a county that is a fantastic place to live, work and of course, play. Kudos to Discover Long Island for receiving this award and showcasing all our region has to offer,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

 

The addition of these new channels to already established Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest content, provides Discover Long Island the platform for destination storytelling and positions the organization as the trusted source to share why Long Island is the best place to live, work and visit.

 

“They've demonstrated a keen understanding of cutting-edge social media, and a willingness to focus on channels other DMOs won't yet,” noted the ESTO Destiny Award judges. “Oftentimes, when DMOs adopt new social media strategies, they are performative at best. They may get industry press, but they don't move the needle in tangible ways. Discover Long Island's social media campaign is an excellent case study for the opposite—a strategic, meaningful, and innovative approach to helping the local tourism and hospitality industry recover from the pandemic's impact.”

 

A full list of the Destiny and Mercury Award recipients is available online.

 

Destiny and Mercury Awards

The Destiny Awards recognize excellence in destination marketing on the local and regional level, while the Mercury Awards recognize this achievement on the state level. A judging panel of marketing experts from organizations including HarperCollins Publishers, Hylink North America, Hilton Worldwide, Tourism Cares and the University of South Carolina, Beaufort selected honorees in these two award categories.

 

About Discover Long Island

Discover Long Island is the region’s official destination marketing and leadership organization charged with furthering the destination’s thriving visitor economy, which saw record-breaking highs in 2019 generating $6.3 billion in visitor spending. The organization ensures Long Island’s coveted quality of life, thriving industries, and dynamic destination offerings are promoted on a global level, furthering economic development and spurring visitation to this world-class destination. For more information, please call 631- 951-3900 or visit www.DiscoverLongIsland.com.

 

Contact:

Marisa Losciale, Media Relations Manager

mlosciale@discoverlongisland.com

(631) 951-3900 ext. 307