Maryland Office of Tourism, along with Visit Annapolis and Visit Frederick participated in a CRUSA sales/media mission in the UK with other CRUSA partners. The media and sales teams met with more than 100 media and tour operators throughout the week-long mission which covered appointments in London, Dublin, and Glasgow. The UK market is one of the top travel markets for international visitation to our region. With the appointments, our goal was to sustain and build new relationships in hopes of bringing more international travelers to the Capital Region by pitching travel packages to operators, and pitching story ideas to travel editors and writers to inspire more travel to the region.

Pictured (left to right): Portia Conerly, Destination Sales Manager, Stay Arlington; Cara O'Donnell, Director of Public Relations, Arlington Economic Development ; Becky Bickerton, Director of Sales and Marketing, Tourism Council of Frederick County; and Leslie Troy, Communications Manager, OTD.

It’s a great time for Maryland movie lovers as Hagerstown hosts the eighth annual Maryland International Film Festival March 29-31, and the seventh annual Bethesda Film Festival runs April 5-6. Both festivals feature films from around the world, industry panels, and meet-and-greets with actors and filmmakers. This year the Maryland International Film Festival will be presenting the Mendez Award to Governor Larry Hogan.

This year’s award is being given to Governor Hogan in recognition of “his efforts in supporting the historic Maryland Theatre expansion, the expansion of the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, and the expansion of the University System of Maryland Hagerstown,” according to Tracie Hogan, Executive Director, Maryland International Film Festival. The award, named for CIA operative and Frederick resident Tony Mendez (whose story was made into the 2012 Ben Affleck film Argo) is presented to persons who support film and television production in Maryland. “He also signed into law the new Maryland Film Incentive Program which helps independent filmmaking and provides increased tax incentives for the film industry,” she continued. For more information and to purchase tickets, follow this link to the Maryland International Film Festival’s website, and this link for the Bethesda Film Festival.

Casey Keyfauver, Customer Contact Programs Manager, OTD, and Welcome Center staff members attended the Southeast Travel Counselors Alliance Conference 2019 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Keyfauver, who sits on the board of directors for the multi-state alliance, presented the keynote address and served as a facilitator for a discussion on emergency management procedures both in state and across state lines. Keyfauver’s presentation, "Industry Outreach and Customer Service Best Practices: The Maryland Method” was chosen to compliment the organization’s mission of improving visitor experience in welcome centers across the southeast region. Maureen Curry, Bay Country Welcome Center Supervisor, OTD, and Brandon Chan, Mason-Dixon Welcome Center Supervisor, OTD, also attended the conference.

Pictured (left to right): Brandon Chan, Mason-Dixon Welcome Center Supervisor; Casey Keyfauver, Customer Contact Programs Manager and Maureen Curry, Bay Country Welcome Center Supervisor.

The Maryland Office of Tourism Development is planning to transform the Sideling Hill Rest Area into a one-of-a-kind gateway attraction that promotes Maryland’s mountains, valleys and waterways, from the Catoctin Mountains and further west, with exhibits, programming and on-site transactional opportunities. The Maryland Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland State Arts Council held a workshop at Frostburg University in January 2019 with tourism and arts partners in the region to begin the conversation about what defines the region’s differentiators, identifying the must-see destinations and experiences, and determining the best ways to inspire visitors to stay longer and spend more in the region. The notes from the workshop’s working groups are available at this link and are open for public comment. The public comment period will be open until April 15, 2019.

How can OTD help spread the word about your attraction or event? "Maryland Mondays" is the perfect way to help us help you. Each Monday, OTD launches a new “Maryland Mondays” ticket give-away program across all of our social media channels, consumer newsletter, and weekly “Maryland Minute” radio spots. Combined, these channels reach thousands of potential customers each week. To find out how to get involved by providing tickets to your attraction for an upcoming "Maryland Mondays," email OTD’s Leslie Troy.

For the latest on events and everything going all around Maryland, view the latest edition of Visit Maryland Now! here.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s events around the state. Maryland Minute is featured on Entercom stations and WBAL.