Travel Paso honors tourism leaders at annual roundup
Tourism Champion Awardee Joel Peterson and host Adam Montiel at The 2026 Travel Paso Tourism Round Up. Photo Credit: Travel Paso.
Awards honor leaders in tourism, lodging, dining, wineries, and visitor services
– Travel Paso hosted its annual Tourism Round Up on May 7 at the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom, recognizing hospitality and tourism professionals whose contributions have helped strengthen the community and visitor experience.
The event took place during National Travel and Tourism Week and at the start of California Tourism Month. The gathering included tourism updates, presentations from industry leaders, and the presentation of the 2026 Hospitality and Tourism Awards.
Stacie Jacob, president and chief executive officer of Travel Paso, opened the event with an update on tourism in Paso Robles and introduced the theme, “This Is Paso: Telling the Whole Story.”
Visitor Experience Award Winners, Ramona Hernandez, Libby Ryan, Maggie Tillman, Javier Soto, Gerardo Garcia. Photo Credit: Travel Paso.
Presenters included Honore Comfort of the Wine Institute and Mark Barden of eatbigfish, who discussed ways to create visitor experiences that connect with travelers. Aida Mollenkamp, owner of Salt & Wind Travel, spoke about Paso Robles’ tourism opportunities based on her experience working with travelers who visit the region.
Community members submitted nominations for the Hospitality and Tourism Awards, which a panel of regional tourism leaders reviewed. Organizers presented awards in the categories of Emerging Hospitality Leader, Tourism Champion, Visitor Experience, and Distinguished Leader.
Mae Gonzalez of the Paso Robles & Templeton Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center received the Emerging Hospitality Leader award.
Joel Peterson of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance received the Tourism Champion award.
Visitor Experience awards went to Ramona Hernandez of Best Western Plus Black Oak in the lodging category, Maggie Tillman of Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery in the winery category, Libby Ryan of Just Baked in the hospitality-related business category, and Javier Soto, Gerardo Garcia, and the team at Margie’s Diner in the restaurant category.
Tourism Champion and Emerging Hospitality Leader Award Winners, Joel Peterson and Mae Gonzalez. Photo Credit: Travel Paso.
“Congratulations to all award winners,” Jacob said. “The strength of our destination lies in the people behind it, and we are here today celebrating them for elevating our hospitality standard and guest promise. You make Paso proud.”
The event concluded with the presentation of the Distinguished Leaders Awards, which are nominated by the Travel Paso Board of Directors.
The 2026 Distinguished Leaders were Norma Moye of the Paso Robles Main Street Association, who received the award posthumously with Jeffry Weisinger accepting on her behalf, Adam Firestone and David Walker, co-founders of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, and Kathy Bonelli of Paso Robles Vacation Rentals.
According to Travel Paso, the region welcomes approximately 2.5 million visitors annually. The organization said tourism generates $450 million in travel-related spending and supports more than 3,400 local jobs.
Travel Paso is the destination marketing organization for Paso Robles and promotes tourism, supports the local tourism industry, and provides industry data for the region.
More information is available at TravelPaso.com.
