For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/08/birminghams_railroad_park_to_o.html

Tuscaloosa profiled in USA Triathlon magazine
From the article “On the Road in Tuscaloosa” in USA Triathlon magazine:

While Tuscaloosa is most know for the University of Alabama and legendary football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, the southern city also has hosted a number of USA Triathlon National Championships in recent years. The USAT Age Group National Championship returns to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 25-26, so let “On the Road” be your guide to this quintessential college town. There is no better way to tour a college campus than to go on a late night run. The University of Alabama is a beautiful campus with a myriad of Southern-styled buildings and athletic complexes that hold historical significance in every NCAA sport. The campus is a great place to train as it is pedestrian (and cyclist) friendly with the property backing up to the Black Warrior River.

Best Places to Fuel- Newk’s Café located on UA’s campus offers everything from California style pizza to oven-baked sandwiches and fresh salads and desserts. Chuck’s Fish is great place to relax after a long workout. City Café in Northport has the best Southern cooking in Tuscaloosa. Waysider has the best breakfast in Tuscaloosa and Northport. Mellow Mushroom’s pizza and Mugshots’ burgers are two of the best dishes in town. Go to Dreamland and you get ribs, white bread, sweet tea and a roll of paper towels. Fig is a good bet if you’re looking for healthy and yummy.

You might bump into- 2010 BCS Championship football team- Roll Tide! Other big name football types around Tuscaloosa include Alabama coach Nick Saban and Broadway Joe Namath, who played for Bear Bryant and led the Crimson Tide to a national title in 1964 before turning pro. Several professional athletes train in Tuscaloosa before reporting to camp to begin the season (baseball, softball and football). Actress Sela Ward was a UA cheerleader and homecoming queen- she often comes back to visit. Country crooner Kenny Chesney who is pals with Saban, comes to town frequently.

For more information on Tuscaloosa please see www.visittuscaloosa.com.

Sentell elected to board of National Council of State Tourism Directors
Lee Sentell was elected to the board of directors of the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD) during the U.S. Travel Association’s destination marketing conference held Aug. 8-10 in Savannah. The National Council of State Tourism Directors was established in 1969 to represent tourism issues of the 50 states, the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. For more information on the NCSTD please see http://www.ustravel.org/member-services/national-council-of-state-tourism-directors.

Alabama tourism director works to get word out about beaches
From the article “Alabama tourism director works to get word out about beaches” by Roy L. Williams in The Birmingham News:

With the oil spill stopped, Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell is making a major push to get folks to visit Gulf Coast beaches for Labor Day.  Sentell, at eight years the state’s longest-serving tourism director, has spent the past few weeks visiting cities across the South to promote the beaches of Baldwin County, which are responsible for a large chunk of Alabama’s tourism revenue. “It has been devastating,” Sentell said of the April explosion of a BP-owned oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that triggered the nation’s worst oil spill. The Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau says Baldwin County hotels and condos saw a June decrease of 22.7 percent and 38.4 percent, respectively, from the year before. That’s a major blow considering tourism generated by beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach account for nearly a quarter of Alabama’s $9 billion in annual travel-related spending, Sentell said. “This was the year local businesses were supposed to recover from the recession and hurricanes,” Sentell said. “We worried that Baldwin County would lose a billion dollars, but because of the aggressive marketing by the tourism leadership there, the county was down only 30 percent in June versus the previous year.”

Sentell, who spoke last week at a tourism conference in Savannah, said he relishes the opportunity to spread the word that Alabama’s beaches are now safe to visit. News that the oil spill was halted has helped boost travelers to Alabama’s beaches the past two weeks, and a state marketing campaign targeting metro areas across the Southeast was launched. An ad shot by “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, a Hoover native, will begin airing before Labor Day, Sentell said, and Birmingham-born actress Courtney Cox will soon appear in a new ad touting the state’s beaches. Sentell said the July 11 Jimmy Buffett free benefit concert in Gulf Shores was a big boost for the region. Buffett and other musicians donated their time. The $3.3 million cost of staging, shuttle transportation and security for the event was paid from the $15 million marketing fund that BP gave Alabama’s tourism department, he said. “The public relations value for the Gulf Coast was in the tens of millions of dollars,” Sentell said. “You can’t buy that kind of publicity. More importantly, the reservation phone lines lit up after the concert. Calls spiked again after the oil cap was put in place.” More than half of the hotels and condo rental companies surveyed said a majority of their business that weekend came because of the concert. “The coast had 40,000 music fans who went home and told their friends that the beaches were clean,” Sentell said. “The weekend following the concert was the busiest of the summer for condos and restaurants.”

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2010/08/alabama_tourism_director_works.html

Gulf Coast CVB changes name to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism
To better represent the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach tourism community, the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau recently completed a corporate identification research process and is excited to unveil its new name: Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. “We have discussed our public identity for quite a while,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the CVB. “While the term CVB is well-known term within among other destination marketing organizations, most guests are not familiar with this cumbersome term and do not understand the helpful services and information that solely exist to better serve them and result in a better vacation experience.” After gathering valuable feedback through several research methods, including surveys and focus groups, the convention and visitors bureau determined that a shift in the organization’s name would help both current and future guests quickly understand the purpose of the company. A new logo was developed to communicate this name change. A particular emphasis was placed on the area’s vital asset of white-sand beaches, which is specifically mentioned in the logo’s text. “Legally, we will remain the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB,” Malone added. “This change will be recognizable with guests who will see a new name and new logo.”