HSMAI to Honor Maine Office of Tourism with Multiple Adrian Awards for Outstanding Travel Marketing

December 18, 2025

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine Office of Tourism has been recognized for marketing excellence by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and will be honored at the 2025 Adrian Awards Celebration, taking place on February 18, 2026, at the New York Marriott Marquis. 

Now in its 69th year, the Adrian Awards is the largest competition dedicated to travel marketing. The 2025 awards recognize exceptional achievements across advertising, digital marketing, public relations/communications and integrated campaigns, with expanded recognition in areas such as influencer marketing, reputation management, affiliate strategies and broadcast integration. 

The Maine Office of Tourism earned two distinctions at this year’s competition: 

• Silver Adrian Award and Best of Category for its diverse audience influencer program 
• Bronze Adrian Award for its “Forged By Nature” brand campaign 

The inclusive influencer program was developed to broaden awareness of Maine among historically underrepresented travel audiences through creator-led storytelling and local partnerships. The Maine Office of Tourism, through their marketing agency, Miles Partnership, worked with a diverse group of travel content creators and connected them with businesses, cultural organizations and community partners across the state. The program generated more than 2 million impressions and 100,000 engagements across social platforms. 

“Forged By Nature” is a multi-channel brand campaign highlighting the connection between Maine’s landscapes and the people and communities shaped by them. The campaign included refreshed creative, integrated digital and traditional media, and an in-person activation at the Outside Festival & Summit in Denver. In 2025, the campaign delivered nearly 240 million digital impressions and more than 21 million completed video views. 

“The Adrian Awards showcase the work that sets new standards in travel marketing,” said Brian Hicks, president and CEO of HSMAI. “This year’s winners represent the ingenuity and passion that continue to elevate the global travel experience.” 

The 2025 theme, Exceptional Experience, celebrates campaigns that advance beyond traditional destination messaging — emphasizing storytelling, emotion, and meaningful engagement that inspire travel decisions and shape memorable visitor experiences. 

“The recognition from HSMAI honors the work we do to authentically represent Maine’s people, landscapes, and experiences,” said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. “We are proud that both our inclusive influencer initiative and our Forged By Nature campaign resonated with industry leaders. These projects reflect our commitment to thoughtful storytelling, data-driven strategy and partnerships that inspire potential visitors to learn firsthand what makes Maine a truly special place.” 

The Adrian Awards Celebration brings together hospitality and travel marketing leaders and their creative partners for an evening of recognition and inspiration. Winning entries will be featured in the official Adrian Awards Winners Gallery following the event. For more information, visit adrianawards.hsmai.org. 

###

About the Maine Office of Tourism 

The Maine Office of Tourism (MOT) is a state agency within the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) whose mission is to market the state in ways that work to preserve and celebrate the authentic character of Maine and foster collaboration to pursue economic vitality. 

About HSMAI 

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Commercial Strategy Conference, Sales Leader Forum and Adrian Awards. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with more than 30 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org.