Visit Oxford experienced one of the most transformative years in its history.
Visit Oxford MS received statewide recognition at the Mississippi Tourism Association (MTA)’s annual Tourism Awards Program held during the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Oxford, MS., on October 6-8, 2026. Celebrating the destination’s impact on the state’s tourism industry, the awards presented to Visit Oxford MS include DMO of the Year ($1 million to $2.99 million), Best Public Relations Strategy and Large Festival of the Year awarded to Double Decker Arts Festival.
“Receiving recognition for both public relations and destination management speaks to the depth of the work happening in Oxford. Visit Oxford understands that building a successful destination requires more than great marketing. It means developing the visitor experience, investing in the community, building strong partnerships, and telling an authentic story that gives people a reason to experience the destination for themselves,” said MTA Executive Director, Danielle Morgan.
Awarded as DMO of the Year ($1 million to $2.99 million), Visit Oxford experienced one of the most transformative years in its history, implementing a new strategic plan that strengthened destination marketing, visitor services, organizational capacity, and community partnerships. Key initiatives included opening a new Welcome Center, expanding staff to recruit meetings and sports tourism, launching a redesigned website that increased traffic by 44%, and executing the award-winning “A Place to … Your Story” campaign, generating nearly 18 million impressions.
The Best Public Relations Strategy award reflects Visit Oxford’s immersive public relations program that inspired record-breaking tourism growth for the destination along with its hotel, dining and business partners. From June 2025 through May 2026, the destination hosted 12 journalists, four influencers and one television personality, generating 8.1 billion media impressions and 206 earned media placements in leading outlets including National Geographic, Southern Living, Forbes and Food & Wine. A signature earned media campaign built around the May 2026 release of Kathryn Stockett’s The Calamity Club set in Oxford transformed the novel into a nationally recognized literary tourism experience, generating more than 307 million media impressions.
“Visit Oxford is honored to be awarded by the Mississippi Tourism Association for our efforts in showcasing all that makes Oxford such a special destination,” said Kinney Ferris, Executive Director of Visit Oxford MS. “This recognition is especially meaningful following the opportunity to welcome approximately 250 tourism professionals from across the state to Oxford for this year’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism.”
The Large Festival of the Year award, given to a unique festival that attracts over 5,000 visitors, honors the 29th annual Double Decker Arts Festival. On April 24-25, 2026, Oxford welcomed an impressive 111,700 attendees to the Square for a weekend celebration of music, art and Southern culture, generating an estimated $18.9 million in economic impact for the destination. As it approaches its landmark 30th anniversary, Double Decker Arts Festival stands as a signature Mississippi event that celebrates creativity, strengthens the local economy and inspires visitors to experience the best of the Magnolia State.
“The best festivals become more than events on a calendar. They become part of the identity of a destination, and Double Decker has done exactly that for Oxford. For nearly three decades, the festival has brought together music, art, food and community in a way that feels distinctly Mississippi while giving visitors a compelling reason to experience Oxford for themselves. Its continued growth and remarkable economic impact demonstrate the power of a signature event to build a destination’s brand, support local businesses and create traditions that bring visitors back year after year,” said MTA Executive Director, Danielle Morgan.
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