Visit Brookings presents annual tourism awards at celebration of travel

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BROOKINGS – As part of National Travel and Tourism Week, Visit Brookings celebrated individuals who have made an impact to the tourism industry. The tourism promotion office held a celebration on Wednesday, May 4, at its office and presented four awards.

Visit Brookings staff named Advance as the Volunteer of the Year. Advance has become a valued partner with Visit Brookings. Individuals involved with the Young Adult Transition (YAT) program assist with important tasks including assembling welcome bags for meetings and conventions and helping to prepare Brookings visitor guides for mailings. 

Over the last two years, YAT volunteers have assisted with the preparation of well over 1,000 pieces of promotional information, which is given out to visitors to the community.

Dakota State University Athletic Department, led by Athletic Director Jeff Dittman, received the Extra Mile Award, which recognizes major contributions to generating tourism in the community. Dittman capitalized on an opportunity to create a unique collaboration with Brookings and South Dakota State University by hosting the NAIA Indoor National Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships at SDSU in 2019, 2020 and 2022. The event brings over 1,500 athletes and coaches plus hundreds of fans to Brookings. Through hotel stays, restaurant visits and other spending in the community, the event generates over $1.5 million in economic impact each year.

The Tourism Organization of the Year award was presented to the Brookings Arts Council, led by Executive Director Ashley Ragsdale. In addition to recognizing the recent renovations at the BAC, the Visit Brookings board of directors pointed to the BAC’s many programs and events which help define the community as an outstanding destination for art lovers of all kinds.

Lynn Darnall was presented with the Larson Family Tourism Champion Award which is the highest honor and recognizes individuals who work tirelessly to spread the message and garner support for tourism. Darnall is a past member of the Visit Brookings (formerly know as Brookings Convention & Visitors Bureau) board of directors and has a reputation of being an outstanding advocate for the community in both business and personal dealings.

National Travel and Tourism Week is celebrated the first full week in May and brings travel and tourism professionals from across the country together to celebrate the value of travel in terms of economy, business, community and personal well-being.