Worcester Tourism Director Wins Statewide Honor; Post-Labor Day School Campaign Also Recognized

Worcester Tourism Director Wins Statewide Honor; Post-Labor Day School Campaign Also Recognized
Worcester

OCEAN CITY – Industry leaders named Worcester County’s own Lisa Challenger Maryland Tourism Person of the Year for 2016.

At the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit held this month in Baltimore, Challenger, who has served as head of Worcester County tourism since 1989, was awarded the honor for her commitment to the industry.

“To be recognized by your peers with the top honor in the state, it was terrific,” Challenger said.

When Challenger was hired in 1989, her position was a new one. Until that time little organized focus had been put on county tourism.

“I got to shape the direction of the department,” she said.

In the decades since, Challenger has become a tourism advocate known throughout the state for her creativity and success in developing regional partnerships.

“I’m a firm believer in forming strong partnerships and getting things done through a larger effort,” she said. “It really works.”

Projects she’s spearheaded include the Eat, Drink and Buy Art campaign, Worcester Green Award Program, Beach and Beyond website and mobile app,  Delmarva Birding Weekend, the social media campaign that earned Berlin the title America’s Coolest Small Town, and inclusion of the Beach to Bay Indian Trail on the Department of the Interior’s National Recreation Trail, among others.

Ocean City’s campaign for a longer summer advocating for schools to start after Labor Day was recognized with a Tourism Advocate award.

Ocean City’s campaign for a longer summer advocating for schools to start after Labor Day was recognized with a Tourism Advocate award.

“Lisa has gone above and beyond for many years, and she was certainly deserving of this coveted title,” said Susan Jones, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association executive director. “Her dedication, coupled with her passion for Worcester County, has helped generate new tourism and travel within the county.”

Challenger says she’s proud of the fact that under her leadership the county has put a primary focus on outdoor recreation in its tourism efforts.

“We’ve got some great attractions,” she said, adding that she simply worked to generate interest in them. “It’s just been step by step, doing what we call in the tourism world product development.”

In addition to heading the county’s tourism department, Challenger was appointed to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority in 2014. She is also a member of the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Area and the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations.

“Having worked with her for almost two decades, I can attest to her devotion to tourism, desire to work with others in the industry to amplify the effect of any individual effort, as well as her regional approach and dedication,” said Ann McGinnis Hillyer, State Ventures, LLC chief executive officer and ShoreCraftBeer.com creator. “Lisa truly exemplifies hospitality and furthers tourism for her county, her region, the Eastern Shore, and the entire state of Maryland.”

Accepting the award from Fieseler and Neitezy for Best Destination Guide for the 2016 Ocean City Vacation Guide was Chamber Executive Director Melanie Pursel and Ocean City Tourism Director Donna Abbott. Submitted Photos

Accepting the award from Fieseler and Neitezy for Best Destination Guide for the 2016 Ocean City Vacation Guide was Chamber Executive Director Melanie Pursel and Ocean City Tourism Director Donna Abbott. Submitted Photos

Challenger says she considers herself lucky to work in a field she enjoys.

“I’ve always just said I love this job,” she said. “I think it’s so fun to work with all the different people I work with and the different projects I work on. It never gets stale.”

Challenger is the third individual from Worcester County to be named Maryland Tourism Person of the Year. Jones received the honor in 2009 and Ruth Waters received it in 2004.

The county was well represented at this year’s tourism summit, as Challenger’s department also won the “Best Digital Campaign” award for a series of advertising videos that ran on the Washington Post’s website. In addition, Ocean City received the “Best Destination Guide” award for the 2016 Ocean City Vacation Guide and the “Tourism Advocate” award for the Marylanders for a Longer Summer Coalition. The collaborative effort of several agencies, the coalition advocated for a post-Labor Day school start.

Melanie Pursel, executive director of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, said both awards were special for Ocean City.

“We are so proud and honored to be recognized at the state level and these initiatives would not be possible without the numerous partners that have worked both locally and across the state on behalf of Ocean City and tourism as a whole,” Pursel said. “Everything that we do in Ocean City is a team effort and this is a testament to those collaborative efforts.”

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.