Yosemite National Park, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2020) – Visit California honored tourism destinations and attractions across California for excellence in tourism marketing at the organization's biennial Poppy Awards, held Feb. 11 in San Diego.

Yosemite National Park along with Yosemite Gateway Counties- Mono, Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Madera are proud to announce that they were selected as the winner in a surprise inaugural category. The Excellence in Destination Stewardship recognized the destinations for their collaborative digital influencer campaign. The funding for the campaign was a grant from Yosemite National Park for the purpose of encouraging travelers to visit the region on off-peak days or seasons, take public transportation into the valley, and to arrive early if taking their own vehicle.

"We are extremely honored to collectively receive this award," stated Scott Gediman, Chief of Public & Legislative Affairs at Yosemite National Park. "Our gateway partners have been instrumental in working closely with us in getting the message out about how to visit the park responsibly. We are so grateful for their efforts and couldn't do it without the support of these great partners."

“The Poppy Awards celebrate the best and brightest in California tourism promotion and inspire the industry to continue on a path of innovation and creativity,” said Caroline Beteta, president, and CEO of Visit California. “This year's finalists inspired travelers from around the world to live their biggest dreams in California.” 

Beteta, alongside Visit California's board officers, presented the 2020 Poppy Awards during the 12th Annual Visit California Outlook Forum, held Feb. 10-11 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and attended by nearly 800 tourism industry leaders.

More about the Poppy Awards:

Made by California artisan Nicholson Blown Glass in Auburn, Poppy Awards are given every two years to acknowledge the best of California's tourism promotion. The eligibility period for programs submitted for the 2020 Poppy Awards was Jan 1, 2018 – Oct 1, 2019. Submissions were reviewed by Visit California staff, and blind judged by industry committee leadership. The hosts for the 2020 Poppy Awards were Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley, star of the Visit California series “Jonny Moseley's Wildest Dreams,” and Chase Ramsey, the face of the organization's “California Dream Eater” series, both found on YouTube and at VisitCalfornia.com/Dream365. 

To view the campaign:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBpXS-DNxLg&t=33s

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjkTnjDnutQ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjppclHHzw-/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjnHMr5H_hK/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjr_0j1nnWM/

For more information on Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Gateway Counties:

Yosemite National Park- (209) 372-0200. https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Visit Yosemite | Madera County - (559) 683-4636. https://www.yosemitethisyear.com/

Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau - (209) 742-4567. https://www.yosemite.com/

Mono County Tourism Bureau - (800) 845-792. https://www.monocounty.org/

Visit Tuolumne County- (209) 533-4420. https://www.visittuolumne.com/