Visit Mississippi has won a top honor from the U.S. Travel Association for its commercials highlighting the state’s culinary, arts, outdoors, and historic attractions.
The state’s “Wanderers Welcome” campaign earned the 2023 Mercury Award for Broadcast Advertising from the association’s Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) on Tuesday in Savannah, Ga., during its annual forum.
The ESTO Awards recognize tourism offices and travel destinations in the U.S. for their achievements in destination marketing and promotion.
The awards are intended to inspire creativity in the field of destination marketing by highlighting the accomplishments of states and territories with promotional campaigns.
“Visit Mississippi is doing an excellent job telling our state’s story, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they won this award,” Governor Tate Reeves stated. “Mississippi has something for everyone. More and more people are discovering and falling in love with our great state.”
The “Wanderers Welcome” campaign was one of nearly 70 throughout the nation submitted for a variety of categories in the field.
“There is a great deal of work that goes into a campaign like this, and the recognition of those efforts is a great honor for Mississippi and our team,” Visit Mississippi Director Rochelle Hicks explained. “We are privileged to have such a diversity of experiences and communities in this state, and this award is a testament to all the hard work that tourism professionals in Mississippi do every day.”
The ETSO Awards cover two programs — the Destiny Awards and Mercury Awards — in categories including Broadcast Advertising, Community Engagement, and Public Relations, as well as other marketing topics.
