NEWARK — The Great Miami Riverway received two marketing and advertising awards on Oct. 7 from the Ohio Travel Association, a nonprofit trade association representing Ohio’stravel and tourism-related businesses. The ceremony took place during the state’s largest conference for tourism industry professionals, the Ohio Conference on Tourism, which was held this year at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio.

The Great Miami Riverway is a regional destination of river, paved trails, and connected communities that work together to encourage economic investment in southwest Ohio, and is home to Ohio’s only National Water Trail and the nation’s largest paved trail network . It took the Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance (RUBY) award for Innovation in Travel Marketing for the Riverway’s new mobile app, along with a Certificate of Excellence for its blog.

With 177 entries in 17 categories, “the competition this year was fierce,” said Melinda Huntley, Ohio Travel Association’s executive director. “Despite the hardships created by the pandemic, these professionals produced some amazing campaigns and projects that resulted in increased sales for businesses in their communities.”

Sponsored by Ohio Magazine, the awards recognize excellence in Ohio’s hospitality and tourism industry for efforts in advertising, marketing, and public relations. Nine marketing professionals from academia, consulting firms, and ad agencies served as judges, evaluating entries on their concept, results, and creativity.