With March being Women’s History Month, and as part of Maryland’s ongoing Year of the Woman, the WOW Festival comes to Baltimore’s Columbus Center on March 7. The daylong event will feature talks, music, mentoring, a women’s marketplace, and more. Featured speakers include television journalist Soledad O’Brien, actress and activist Amber Tamblyn, and author Cyntoia Brown. For a link to register, click here.

A major part of OTD’s mission is securing local, regional, national, and international media placements that drive Maryland tourism. Recent TV placements included coverage by WJZ of Maryland Rye Whiskey with segments of “Where’s Marty?” broadcast from Lost Ark Distillery in Columbia, and ideas for a Maryland Bucket List, broadcast from the Fire Museum of Maryland. WJZ’s “On the Job” series featured two OTD-pitched segments: one focusing on shipbuilding at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, and another focusing on chocolate making at Sweet Cascades in Howard County. Several segments aired by both WJZ and WBAL covered the dedication of the new Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass statues at the State House in Annapolis. And, as a result of OTD “deskside” pitches in the Pittsburgh market last year, three Maryland travel stories are being published this spring by Nightwire magazine, a regional lifestyle publication: a piece on Solomon’s Island in February, one on Annapolis in March, and another featuring Baltimore in the April issue. To view these stories and previous "Tourism in the Press" appearances, go to our Maryland Travel In The News page.

OTD and partners recently showcased Maryland’s rich portfolio of hunting and fishing assets at the annual Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA, with Maryland manning display booths in both the hunting and the fishing pavilions. “This is the single largest consumer event dedicated to fishing, hunting and outdoor traditions in the country,” said Rich Gilbert, travel trade sales manager, OTD. “We receive support from many of our partners at this event. And for many of them, this event can make a big difference in their business for the year. Through our participation in events like this, we are directly supporting our partners.”

Pictured, left to right: Connie Spindler, OTD; Ashley Chenault, Queen Anne’s County Tourism; Roland Martin, TV fishing personality; Tom Schisler, DNR and Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield.

The U.S. Travel Association’s 2020 Destination Capitol Hill (DCH) event, is being held April 1-2 in Washington, D.C. The event is the U.S. Travel industry’s premier legislative fly-in, bringing travel leaders from across the country to the nation’s capital to educate policymakers about the power of travel. The program combines a legislative day on Capitol Hill with advocacy training, guest speakers and peer-to-peer networking. DCH provides delegates with an opportunity to learn about upcoming legislation that impacts travel, to network with peers and to meet with members of Congress to stress the importance of travel as an economic driver. For more information and to register, follow this link to the U.S. Travel Association’s website.

The Maryland Wineries Association is celebrating the fourth annual Maryland Wine Month in March. This month-long celebration of Maryland’s winemaking industry is the perfect opportunity to get out and explore Maryland’s unique wine trails, as well as experience special events and tastings at wineries and vineyards across the state. To find out more, follow this link to our Maryland Wine Month page.

How can OTD help spread the word about your attraction or event? "Maryland Mondays" is the perfect way to help us help you. Each Monday, OTD launches a new “Maryland Mondays” ticket give-away program across all of our social media channels, consumer newsletter, and weekly “Maryland Minute” radio spots. Combined, these channels reach thousands of potential customers each week. To find out how to get involved by providing tickets to your attraction for an upcoming "Maryland Mondays," email OTD’s Leslie Troy.

For the latest on events and everything going all around Maryland, view the latest edition of Visit Maryland Now! here.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s events around the state. Maryland Minute is featured on Entercom radio stations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., WERQ on Baltimore’s WBAL-AM 1090.