The Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau’s website is one of five finalists for the United States Travel Association’s award for best destination website this year.
U.S. Travel published its list of finalists for the ESTO 2024 Destiny and Mercury Awards on Thursday.
In the category of best destination website, the Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau is nominated along with four other cities, including one other from the Sunshine State (Destin-Fort Walton Beach).
The competition highlights the changes made to the local website, which underwent a complete creative overhaul in 2023.
That new website went live this past February. In the three months after it went live, the website had over 316,000 visits, which was a “54.1% increase compared to the same time period last year,” according to U.S. Travel.
The organization says the new website caters to “all potential users” and offers a “state-of-the-art search” feature that makes it very easy for users to navigate.
The ESTO Awards recognize U.S. Travel destination and state tourism office members for excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion at the local and regional levels. The awards are open to all members of the U.S. Travel Association.
Judging for the competition began in late June and ended last month. The winners for each of the 18 categories will be announced on Tuesday, August 13 in Columbus, Ohio.
Read the complete list of finalists at the U.S. Travel Association’s ESTO 2024 Destiny and Mercury Awards webpage.