Marana, AZ – DiscoverMarana.org, the tourism website for the Town of Marana, has won a 2016 Silver Adrian Award for Website Design.
The award is to be presented in February by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). The organization is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. Distinguished executives from all sectors of the industry judged the entries for the Silver Adrian Award.
“We are thrilled that Discover Marana’s website has received this industry award for achieving the ambitious goals of providing a sense of all that Marana has to offer while making it easy for people to find exactly what they need to enjoy their leisure time in our beautiful town,” said Laura Cortelyou, Tourism and Marketing Manager.
DiscoverMarana.gov has been recognized for being sleek, colorful, and responsive to all viewing devices. Viewers are immersed with visual highlights of Marana’s stunning scenery and attractions. The website features full screen HTML5 video, itinerary builder, social integration, and interactive mapping. Visitors can plan their entire trip through one portal and subscribe for updates through e-news integration. A regularly updated blog, consisting of content written both in-house and by those in the community, informs potential visitors of the amazing opportunities for recreation and leisure that exist in Marana, and the interactive event calendar displays current and upcoming events in the region, in a well-organized and comprehensive manner.
The Town of Marana established Discover Marana as a marketing entity to promote tourism to this Southern Arizona destination. Partnering with Tempest in 2015, Discover Marana came to life with a logo, branding elements, and website design that captured the area’s distinct beauty and history.
The creative process was unique in that it combined the efforts of several different departments and entities. Discover Marana, Tempest, and the Town of Marana’s Economic Development department and Marketing and Communications teams were heavily involved in the project. This allowed multiple perspectives on brand design, and how it would achieve the goals set forth by Discover Marana, while faithfully representing the Town as a community.
By positioning Marana as the gateway to Southern Arizona, the brand emphasizes the mix of modern amenities and historic Sonoran Desert setting of the town. The careful balance of branding activities, reinforced by the website design and functionality, allows Marana to present a cohesive experience that showcases one of the most luxurious resorts in the world, as well as limited service properties. In this way, Marana is shown as an attractive and close-knit community that can attract and serve a wide variety of travelers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The resulting website demonstrates the seamless integration of modern anesthetics that remain deeply rooted in Marana’s cultural heritage.
“Receiving national recognition for our Discover Marana website is a great honor and recognizes the value that we place on tourism and its benefits to our community,” said Curt Woody, Economic Development Director.
Whether visitors to Southern Arizona want to experience breathtaking hiking, excellent retail, or diverse dining options, from upscale to casual, Discovermarana.org can help them find what they’re looking for.
