Visit Panama City Beach’s fishing and coastal lifestyle series, “Chasin the Sun,” won the esteemed Destiny Award for the best destination marketing in the category “Video, Film or Podcast Series” at the 2021 U.S. Travel Association’s ESTO awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The show also won the highly competitive, inaugural People’s Choice Award. These awards recognize excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion at the local and regional level.
“I am extremely proud of this program and the other marketing initiatives that showcase Panama City Beach as a dynamic tourist destination and a Real.Fun.Beach,” said Visit Panama City Beach President and CEO, Dan Rowe. “This achievement is for a first-class, non-traditional marketing initiative that showcases Panama City Beach to audiences across the country. Being nationally recognized by the U.S. Travel Association with these incredible awards is a testament to the cutting-edge work that our team executes every day.”
“Chasin’ the Sun” promotes tourism to Panama City Beach, creates awareness of the area’s diverse fisheries and highlights the city’s restaurants, attractions and special events. “Chasin’ The Sun” has elevated the exposure for Panama City Beach beyond its core markets, increased activity for fishing charters and achieved its goal of showcasing the spectacular fishery and hidden gems of the destination. “Chasin’ The Sun” is hosted by local charter fishing guide Capt. Justin Leake and produced by Chris Hermans of Pinfish Media. Filming for the show’s seventh season is currently underway and all-new episodes will premiere on Discovery Channel in January 2022.
The Destiny Awards recognize U.S. Travel destination members for excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion at the local and regional level; and foster the development of imaginative and innovative destination marketing promotion programs and activities. The Destiny Awards are open to all destination marketing organizations or Convention and Visitors Bureaus that are members of the U.S. Travel Association.
