Officials with Travel Iowa say the Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa presented 12 awards recognizing excellence in the tourism industry during the 2012 Iowa Tourism Conference Thursday night. Among the award recipients, was the Manning Hausbarn/Heritage Park in Manning, which won for having an “Outstanding Niche Marketing Campaign,” and, the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau, which picked up the “People’s Choice Award,” during a vote by the conference attendees.

The annual Iowa Tourism Conference brings together more than 250 industry representatives from across the state to network, attend educational sessions and discuss emerging industry trends.

Tourism in Iowa generates more than $7 billion in expenditures, employs 63,400 people statewide and generates $328 million in state taxes. The Iowa Tourism Office is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. For more information about Iowa tourism, visit www.traveliowa.com, call 800.345.IOWA or stop at any Iowa Welcome Center.