Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism
Alabama tourism officials will unveil a web application for “smart phones” and a beach commercial featuring singer Taylor Hicks during the annual industry convention beginning Sunday in Montgomery. In addition, gubernatorial nominees Dr. Robert Bentley and Ron Sparks will address delegates during a candidates forum, and the group will honor Dr. David Bronner with a lifetime achievement award for his role in establishing the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. On Sunday, August 15 the Alabama Tourism Department will unveil a new beach television ad featuring American Idol Taylor Hicks. The ad is designed to invite tourists back to the beaches. Tourism will also unveil the Year of Alabama Music logo and a new mobile phone app during the opening general session.
Monday, August 16, Dr. David Bronner will receive tourism’s Lifetime Achievement Award following his speech at 9:45 a.m. Tourism director Lee Sentell will present the award to Bronner for his accomplishments in helping to increase tourism in the state from a $1.8 billion industry to a $9.6 billion industry. Bronner is responsible for the development of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a renowned collection of 26 championship golf courses at 11 sites that has put Alabama at the top of the list of golf destinations worldwide. He is also responsible for the resort hotels along the golf trail as well as the spa trail. Guest speakers for the sessions include Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association; Dr. David Bronner, CEO Retirement Systems of Alabama; Gubernatorial candidates Dr. Robert Bentley and Ron Sparks, and tourism director Lee Sentell. Herb Malone, president and CEO, Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau will provide a session on recovering from the Gulf Coast oil crisis. The conference is designed to bring together industry representatives for professional development and meetings to discuss tourism in the state. This year’s session topics include the Gulf Coast Oil Crisis, promoting destinations, social media, working with the Alabama Tourism Department, and Maintaining Museums in Alabama.
Tuesday, August 17, WSFA’s Tonya Terry and WAKA’s Jeff Sanders will present the awards at the banquet along with tourism director Lee Sentell. Terry is the morning anchor for Today in Alabama and Sanders is the anchor for WAKA’s Noon and 5:00 p.m. newscasts. Awards to honor the best in the industry will be presented in 13 categories during the tourism department awards banquet Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Awards are presented for Attraction of the Year, Event of the Year, Media Advocate, Government Advocate, Tourism Industry Employee of the Year, Welcome Center of the Year, Organization of the Year, Executive of the Year, Alabama Tourism Department Employee of the Year, Partnership of the Year, Rising Star, Theme Campaign and the Governor’s Tourism Award.
For more information on the daily conference sessions visit www.algovernorsconference.com and visit www.alabama.travel for more press releases.
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
The Rowdy Friends 2010 Tour – featuring country legend Hank Williams, Jr., Gretchen Wilson and Lee Brice – will take the stage at The Wharf’s Amphitheater on Saturday, September 25 as part of an on-going concert series sponsored by Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. The show begins at 7 p.m. From 10 a.m. August 18 to 6 p.m. August 19, Baldwin County residents may purchase up to 4 tickets from The Wharf Store located in Shucker’s Oyster Bar, The Wharf’s box office located at the amphitheater or from the Ticketmaster located inside the Orange Beach Publix. Tickets will be $10 each, and Baldwin County residents must present identification at the time of sale. General public tickets will be available Friday, August 20 starting 10 a.m. at www.Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, The Wharf’s box office or charge by phone (800-745-3000). These tickets will cost $25 each.
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.”
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Posted: August 14th, 2010 under Bed and Breakfast News.