Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas — Connect Travel, owner and producer of eTourism Summit, has announced the winners of the 5th Annual Excellence “eTSY” Awards in partnership with Expedia Group Media Solutions and Zartico. The Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau – also known as Visit Laredo – is thrilled to announce it has won the award in the category of “Innovation in Influencer Marketing” for its campaign, “Welcome Back to Laredo.”
This recognition goes to destination marketing organizations and their media partners to applaud the best of 2021-2022 campaigns and programs with awards in categories that include innovation in brand refresh, viral campaign, influencer marketing, podcast, social media, video, and website. The audience used a QR code to pull up a new category on the spot, entering their votes for “Best of the Best.”
“We are extremely proud of the ‘Welcome Back to Laredo’ campaign deployed in November 2021, when the border restrictions were lifted, that showcased Laredo to our Mexican market and spread the message that we’re ready and excited to finally be able to welcome them back,” said Aileen Ramos, Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau Director. “Being recognized by the eTourism Summit Excellence Awards is a testament to the extraordinary work that the Visit Laredo team executes every day.”
Visit Laredo also saw one of its staff members recognized during the summit, with Ana Reyna Arzate, Marketing Coordinator at Visit Laredo, named an Emerging Tourism Star for 2022. The eTourism Summit launched the Emerging Tourism Stars program in 2021, in partnership with MMGY Global, to recognize astute individuals from the nationwide tourism industry who excel within the digital travel space.
Arzate is one of nine winners selected from across the United States to bear this distinction, and the only tourism representative from Texas to receive the honor. The other eight honorees hail from Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York and Puerto Rico.
“I’m honored to be selected as one of the 2022 eTourism Summit Emerging Tourism Stars among talented individuals in the travel and tourism industry,” said Arzate. “I am proud to represent Laredo, Texas, serving my local community and learning from my peers across the country while sharing my passion about tourism and digital marketing!”
To learn more, please visit etourismsummit.com and click here for the complete list of winners.
For more information on the Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau or Laredo as a travel destination, go to visitlaredo.com or download the Visit Laredo, TX app in the Apple and Google Play Stores.
