Bucks Tourism Agency Wins Social Media Award

, the county’s official tourism promotion agency, is doing social media the right way, according to a prominent travel magazine.

The agency was honored by Travel + Leisure in New York City in its first-ever Social Media in Travel + Tourism Awards (SMITTYS).

According to a Travel + Leisure press release, “Visit Bucks County came out on top as the U.S. tourism board with the best single social-media promotion for its social media scavenger hunt.”

"Pinterest, Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, Instagram, and a myriad of other social media sites have become powerful tools for sharing and recording our travels," said Nancy Novogrod, editor in chief of Travel + Leisure. “The winners of the first-ever SMITTYS are companies that are using social media creatively to enhance the travel experience for their customers and clients.”

The magazine implemented the SMITTY Awards this year to highlight the companies in the travel and tourism industry that are innovating with social media. The SMITTY Awards winners were selected by a panel of social media and travel industry experts, including Jonathan Crowley, director of business development for Foursquare and Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. The panel of judges reviewed hundreds of submissions across three categories, ultimately selecting 28 winners.

“We’re thrilled to have won a Travel + Leisure Social Media in Travel + Tourism award,” said Paul Bencivengo, director of marketing and communications for Visit Bucks County.

“It’s an honor to be included in the company of national and international tourism brands such as Walt Disney Company, VisitSweden, Expedia, Jet Blue, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and more. Building on the success of our 2011 social game, we are excited to announce a new and improved 2012 UNFORGETAWAYS campaign, running now until Labor Day.”

Visit Bucks County’s 2011 UNFORGETAWAYS  social gaming campaign utilized Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Foodspotting, Google Places and TripAdvisor to encourage locals and visitors to interact with the tourism office and Bucks County attractions on these platforms. For more details on the UNFORGETAWAYS  social gaming campaign, please click here.

Visit Bucks and the other SMITTY Awards winners will be featured in the Travel + Leisure July Strategies section “How Social Media Will Change the Way You Travel,” available on newsstands Friday and in the July digital editions on iPad®, NOOK Color™, and Kindle Fire™.  The winners and their campaigns can currently be seen on Travel + Leisure’s website here.