Pulaski County Wins Two State Tourism Awards

VADMO Awards
Erika M. Tolbert, Pulaski County Tourism Director

The Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations (VADMO), an association supporting destination marketing organizations and the development of tourism and travel professionals in Virginia, announced awards to the winners of the 2024 VIRGO Awards at their Annual Meeting and Spring Symposium recently in Richmond, Virginia.

Pulaski County was announced as a winner in two of this year’s seven categories. The County was awarded Destination Event of the Year with the Camping World SRX Race Series. The SRX Race brought more than 10,000 people to the Pulaski County Motorsports Park. In addition to those sitting in the stands, 391 thousand viewers tuned in to watch the race live on ESPN.

Pulaski County, in partnership with tourism offices in the counties of Floyd, Giles, and Montgomery, and the City of Radford, also received the award for Regional Marketing Initiative, for the VisitNRV Trail Guide. VisitNRV was formed in 2020 with the creating of social media platforms to drive visitors to the New River Valley.

The VIRGO Awards, now in their fourteenth year, celebrate the success of destination marketing organizations along with their respective staff members and volunteers. Theresa Earles, Tourism Development Manager with Suffolk Tourism, manages the VIRGO Awards on behalf of VADMO, and said “Each year, VADMO honors the best and brightest in Virginia’s tourism industry. Whether it is an innovative marketing campaign, a wildly successful destination event, or a top-notch tourism professional; the VIRGO Awards showcase the immense talent and dedication of VADMO’s members.”

Judges for the awards were industry peers. Submissions were evaluated on the quality of the submission, economic efficiency, and the economic or community impact. The awards were for projects, campaigns, and efforts completed between January through December 2023.