(Painesville, OH) – For the third consecutive year, Tour Lake County, the official Destination Marketing Organization for Lake County, Ohio, has earned the most statewide marketing awards from the Ohio Travel Association (OTA).
The seven awards from this year’s OTA Conference include four first-place RUBY awards and three Citation of Excellence second-place awards recognizing various marketing campaigns executed by Tour Lake County in 2026.
Tour Lake County won ten statewide awards in 2024, seven in 2025 and another seven in 2026 making the Tour Lake County team the most decorated organization for three years running. A record number of entries were received by OTA this year with nearly 400 submissions across 16 categories.
The four, first-place RUBY Awards were received in the following categories:
Travel Guides & Planners – for Tour Lake County’s 2026 Travel & Tourism Guide. Designed largely in-house, with assistance from The News-Herald, the guide competed in the category with the most entries and within a budget category that included organizations with annual budgets as much as 20 times larger than Lake County's. The award highlights the creativity and resourcefulness of Tour Lake County's small and mighty staff!
America 250 Ohio – In 2026 Tour Lake County worked alongside the Lake County America 250 Committee and created a bobblehead that was given out at the Lake County Fair featuring Women’s Rights and Suffrage Activist, Frances Jennings Casement. In addition, a limited-edition, commemorative America 250/Lake County Coin was created and given out at the countywide America 250 Celebration held at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake on July 4 along with many other activities celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday.
Digital Campaign – for a bold, new digital marketing initiative to draw more visitors to Downtown Willoughby. This was a joint partnership with the City of Willoughby, Downtown Willoughby Bar & Restaurant Association and the Downtown Willoughby Merchants Association.
Print Media – for the seasonal “Bucket Lists” printed and distributed by Tour Lake County. This initiative began as an online feature but was turned into a quarterly series of rack cards highlighting seasonal things to do throughout Lake County.
The three (3) Citation of Excellence Awards, second place in each category, were received for Spirit of Community (Lake County Museum Improvement Projects), Event Campaign (Lake Erie Sand Sculpture Tour) and Social Media Campaign (Holidays and Hot Chocolate Trail).
“Winning seven statewide awards is amazing, but what makes this more meaningful is that we've been recognized as Ohio's top organization in these awards for three consecutive years,” said Neil Stein, Executive Director of Tour Lake County. “We're a small team competing with organizations that often have significantly greater resources, and our staff continues to find creative ways to put Lake County on the map. Our team of Trista Wright, Katie Montz and Elyse Downie, are second-to-none and deserve so much credit for this recognition as do our Board of Directors and the many community partners who help bring these ideas to life.”
The Ohio Travel Association is a statewide organization that serves as the leading voice advocating for Destination Marketing Organizations across the state to emphasize the vital role tourism plays in economic development. Nine marketing professionals representing academia, consulting firms and ad agencies judged each entry based on overall concept, results and creativity.
This year’s conference was hosted by the Clinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Wilmington, Ohio.
About Tour Lake County
The Lake County Visitors Bureau, Tour Lake County, is a 501c6 nonprofit and is the official destination marketing organization for Lake County, Ohio. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for the latest on travel and tourism in Lake County.