The Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) awarded Visit Lake Charles (VLC) with three Louey Awards during the associations’ annual Louey Award celebration in New Orleans. Visit Lake Charles was named 2022 Outstanding Convention and Visitors’ Bureau of the Year, as well as 2022 Tourism Campaign of the Year, and Major Event of the Year. The Louey Awards honors individuals and organizations who have made exceptional contributions to the Louisiana tourism industry.
“Winning three Louey Awards in one year is no small accomplishment,” said Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Visit Lake Charles. “This would not have been possible without the hard work and a dedicated team of talented professionals who are focused on showcasing all that Southwest Louisiana has to offer travelers year-round. All three of these awards were truly ‘team’ awards.”
Outstanding CVB of the Year:
This award recognizes exceptional efforts in tourism promotions through events, activities, or marketing initiatives, showing proof of return on investment through increased visitation. In 2022, Visit Lake Charles held the PGA Korn Ferry Lake Charles Championship, an international press conference for 300 journalists at US Travel Association’s IPW, the 19th Americas LNG & Gas Summit & Exhibition as well as the Louisiana Travel Summit. The team launched the first podcast, Louisiana’s Playground, by a destination marketing organization in the state with great success, and the organization was inducted in to the USSSA Hall of Honor. Visit Lake Charles claimed the award for overall budget revenue of $1 million and above.
Tourism Campaign/Promotion of the Year:
Visit Lake Charles’ Austin Integrated Marketing Campaign was selected as the winner for the Tourism Campaign Award for 2022 for the category of a budget of $30,000 and above. This campaign showcased Southwest Louisiana’s culinary stories through social media, digital advertising, out-of-home through wrapped vehicles, public relations, and leveraging an Austin influencer. Reports showed that this campaign created an uptick in engagement from the designated marketing area in a year-over-year comparison. Some of the results include an increase in website traffic by 65 percent, overnight stays by 8.5 percent, and food expenses by 8.5 percent.
Major Event of the Year:
This is presented to bid-based major events that have proven economic impact for its region. Visit Lake Charles claimed in honor of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Lake Charles Championship, which took place March 24-27, 2022, at Golden Nugget Casino & Hotel. Professional golfers traveled from across the nation and around the world for a chance to compete in this four-day tournament. As a result, the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Lake Charles Championship attendance and participation leveraged Southwest Louisiana as a prestigious golfing destination.
For more information about Southwest Louisiana, visit www.visitlakecharles.org. To learn about LTA, visit www.LouisianaTravelAssociation.org.
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About the Louisiana Travel Association, LTA
LTA is a trade association leading and strengthening Louisiana’s vibrant tourism industry through promotion, education and advocacy on behalf of our members. Tourism generated $1.9 billion for Louisiana in 2018 and employs more than 237,200 people throughout the state.
About Visit Lake Charles
Visit Lake Charles advocates for the tourism industry and promotes Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana as a dynamic destination serving our visitors and community. In 2021, tourism generated $682 million for Calcasieu Parish.
