SECAUCUS, New Jersey — The winners of The 2008 Magellan Awards have been announced by Travel Weekly. With entries from across the US and around the world, the Magellan Awards is the premier awards program honoring the best in the travel industry. Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont has been named a winner in the ‘Overall Destinations’ category for their innovative ‘I Found It’ online marketing campaign.

“This year’s Magellan Award Winners represent the best in travel from design to marketing to services,” noted Arnie Weissmann, editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly. He added, “On behalf of Travel Weekly, we’re proud to honor this year’s winners and are excited to recognize those at the forefront of the travel industry.”

The ‘I Found It’ campaign focused on Stowe’s customer experiences by telling ‘Stowe Stories’ and maximizing online opportunities. The campaign utilized dynamic and flash banners showing Stowe Stories in video and allowing people to pass-it-on and put-themselves-in the banner. The pass-it-on feature provided a fun and relevant customization tool that let people upload headshots of themselves, place them on skier or snowboarder figures, and send them to friends. The banners also provided users with vacation planning tools, a contest entry and up-to-the-minute ski conditions. “The design and ad language was consistent with the personalized word-of-mouth tone of the entire integrated marketing campaign,” added Jeff Wise, Stowe Mountain Resort’s communications director.

About The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards:
The Magellan Awards is the premier award for the travel industry. From design to marketing to services, the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honors the best in travel and salutes the outstanding travel professionals behind it all. Honoring a broad range of industry segments including Hotels and Resorts, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, and Car Rental Companies, the Magellan is the award to win if you are in the business of travel. The Magellan Awards are judged and overseen by a one-of-a-kind panel of top travel professionals representing the best names and most accomplished leaders from the industry. In determining winners, entries do not compete with one another, instead they are judged against a standard of excellence based on the long experience of Travel Weekly. To uphold this high standard of excellence, a category may have multiple winners, or may have no winners at all.
www.travelweeklyawards.com

About Stowe Mountain Resort:
Stowe Mountain Resort, a member company of American International Group (AIG), is enjoying a dramatic resurgence, fueled by a 400 million dollar resort-wide revitalization project centered on Spruce Peak at Stowe. Enhancements to the resort encompass legendary Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, unquestionably the most authentic four-season alpine resort in the east. For over one hundred years, Mount Mansfield and the quintessentially New England village of Stowe have attracted the world’s most discerning travelers, who have cherished the beauty and mystique of its natural surroundings and timeless amenities.
www.stowe.com