First Lady Yumi Hogan took time to stop by the Office of Tourism Development booth at the 51st annual U.S. Oyster Festival in St. Mary’s County. OTD was on hand to promote the new Maryland Crab and Oyster Trail. Staff also promoted the trail at the recent United States Sailboat Show (Oct. 5-9) and United States Powerboat Show (Oct. 12-15).

Pictured: (left to right) Ben Sterling, the First Family’s son-in-law (holding son Cam Sterling); Debbie Clarke, Supervisor Bay Country Welcome Center, OTD; First Lady Yumi Hogan; and Peter Cento, Administrative Assistant, OTD.

Capital Region USA (CRUSA) released its report on international travelers to the region for 2016. While overall visitation declined slightly in 2015, 2016 marked the second-highest year with 2.5 million international visitors coming to the region. Additionally, international guests are staying longer than ever, averaging 9.7 nights per trip and spending $5.4 billion in the region for the year. See the complete report here.

The State of Maryland is honoring military veterans during the month of November with a series of programs, exhibits and special offers at attractions and businesses throughout the state. Maryland Veterans Appreciation Month is a joint effort between the Maryland Office of Tourism, Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, Maryland Public Television and the U.S. Naval Academy. All eight state-operated Welcome Centers will feature special displays and exhibits. Additionally, visitors can easily plan stops at Maryland’s veteran memorials with a new online map from the Maryland State Highway Administration.

Veterans will also be able to get new Veterans Appreciation Month Passports at the Welcome Centers. The Passport offers special discounts during November at a number of Maryland businesses. For more information and a list of special, Veterans Month events, visit OTD’s Veterans Month page, or call 800-719-5900.

OTD Welcome Center staff joined members of the Visit Hagerstown CVB for a Fall Fam Tour of western Washington County. Stops included the Hagerstown Visitor's Center, Fort Frederick State Park, OTD's Sideling Hill Welcome Center, Western Maryland Rail Trail, C&O Canal sites, and The Blue Goose Market. Fam tours such as this one equip OTD’s staff with the tools to promote Maryland’s wealth of tourism assets. The OTD also trained with Visit Hagerstown staff on strategies to promote Visit Hagerstown’s Fall Photo Contest.

Promotions efforts continued to gain momentum with a year-over-year 10.8 percent uptick in Welcome Center visitors, and a 14.9 percent rise in unique web visitors to visitmaryland.org leading to an 18.2 percent increase in digital referrals to industry partners. These gains corresponded with a 2.7 percent overall gain from tourism tax categories, and a 3.6 percent gain in leisure and hospitality employment. To get the full August Maryland Tourism Monitor in its new, data-forward layout, follow this link.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s events around the state. Maryland Minute is featured on CBS radio stations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and on Baltimore’s WBAL-AM 1090.