Visit Sarasota County Earns Statewide Award for Tourism Advocacy

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During the 2025 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Orlando, Visit Sarasota County earned statewide acclaim for its efforts to advocate for the tourism industry and the hundreds of local businesses under its umbrella. The tourism bureau was recognized with a Silver Flagler Award for its rebranded annual meeting, the Indicators & Insights Summit, which brought together more than 100 hospitality leaders in Fall 2024 shortly after Hurricanes Helene and Milton to provide travel insights, recovery forecasts, and a moment to unite as a sector.

Named after Henry Flagler, the Father of Florida Tourism, the Flagler Awards is an annual statewide program hosted by VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing organization. Since 2000, the awards have celebrated the very best in destination marketing efforts that solidify Florida’s ranking as one of the world’s premier vacation destinations. Each award is selected by a panel of industry judges and evaluated based on the campaign’s quality, effectiveness, and creativity.

“We're grateful to our industry peers across the State – and especially within our community – for believing tourism matters and welcoming our Summit into this esteemed hall of fame,” said Erin Duggan, President & CEO of Visit Sarasota County. “Ensuring our more than 500 partners have the insights needed to tap into tourism, our community’s top industry, remains paramount to our mission – and this accolade from VISIT FLORIDA only further helps us advance our efforts and strengthen pride in place.”  

This Fall, Visit Sarasota’s now award-winning Indicators & Insights Summit returns on November 18, with a distinct focus on how Sarasota County’s top industry – tourism – works for local businesses.  Guest speakers include Jackie Reau, CEO of Game Day, Blair Bloomston, Founder/CEO of Leaders Uplifted, and Kristen Theisen, CEO of Amplify Connections Consulting. This year’s program will also include the tourism bureau’s Haley Hall of Fame Award, which will honor seven regional hospitality movers and shakers. The half-day Summit will be held at the Carlisle Inn from 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tickets are available for business leaders and residents alike at https://bit.ly/2025VSCsummit.

Photo: Visit Sarasota County leadership and staff with the bureau’s Silver Flagler Award (L-R: Erin Duggan, President & CEO; Hunter Carpenter, Director of Community Relations & Partnership; Jess Bertolini, Marketing Manager; Andrea Hunt, VP of Finance and Administration). Credit: Visit Sarasota County.

About Visit Sarasota County
Visit Sarasota County is the official tourism marketing entity and primary provider of visitor information for Sarasota County where tourism is the top industry. Through programs and partnerships, Visit Sarasota County makes Sarasota County a better place by promoting our community on the world stage. These efforts bring together over 500 partners to keep visitors coming, local businesses open and residents employed all year. Visit Sarasota County is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, a program of the Destination Management Association International (DMAI). To learn more, visit www.visitsarasota.com.

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Media Contact: 
Hunter Carpenter, Visit Sarasota County
941-893-0090
[email protected]