FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public/Media Relations Manager
228-388-2993
media@coastalmississippi.com
Future of Coastal Mississippi Tourism Annual Update
COASTAL MISSISSIPPI (November 8, 2019) – Coastal Mississippi, the destination marketing organization for the tri-county coastal region, held its Future of Tourism Annual Update at Centennial Plaza on Thursday, November 7, 2019. The resounding message: the future is looking extremely bright for the travel and tourism industry on The Secret Coast.
Coastal Mississippi’s CEO, Milton Segarra, presented stakeholders, industry leaders, and elected officials with the innovative and strategic plans that the organization has in place for the next year, to significantly increase visitation and impact the region’s economic development. With a substantial amount of private sector investments ($700 million in industry projects in development) and impending disbursements, such as funding from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund and GOMESA, Coastal Mississippi is looking at an extremely prosperous year ahead. Faced with such opportunity to change the landscape of the travel and tourism industry in Coastal Mississippi, Segarra reiterated that collaboration between the community, stakeholders, and elected officials is critical to the future success of the region.
“With plans and strategic partnerships in place to maximize visitation to this region, Coastal Mississippi is poised and ready for an extremely exciting year to come,” said Segarra. “We continue to work with stakeholders, industry professionals, multiple agencies and elected officials to elevate our destination, as working together is the key to bringing more visitors to Coastal Mississippi. We look forward to a great future of increased visitation, deepened partnerships and broadened horizons.”
To further highlight the importance of community engagement, attendees also heard from Chris Fair, President and CEO of Resonance Consultancy, the firm that led four brand assessment workshops in 2018 as part of Coastal Mississippi’s rebranding process. Specializing in creating strategies and brands that shape the future of countries, cities and communities around the world, Fair provided an overview of the workshops held during the rebranding process. He emphasized how fundamental community input and collaboration is to the quality, future growth and success of the region as a destination.
Segarra also provided an overview of the key performance indicators for FY19, which, despite the challenges that Coastal Mississippi tourism faced during the summer months, indicated an increase in overall average daily rates (ADR), gaming occupancy, and air passengers. Coastal Mississippi also saw a 26 percent increase in engagement across its social media platforms, and the destination garnered an extensive amount of positive regional, national, and international earned media coverage.
“Coastal Mississippi is working tirelessly to promote this truly unique and not-quite-discovered destination that offers the relaxation, adventure, and variety today’s travelers seek,” said Nikki Moon, Board President of Coastal Mississippi. “With the plans and strategic efforts that we have in place for this coming year, deepened community partnerships, and exciting developments across the tri-county region, the future of the travel and tourism industry on The Secret Coast is looking very promising indeed.”
Coastal Mississippi will continue in its endeavors to promote The Secret Coast and looks forward to welcoming many more visitors to discover the #MSCoastLife.
To find out more, visit: www.coastalmississippi.com
FY 2019 Year in Review
A Bright Future Together
Coastal Mississippi is an organization charged with promoting South Mississippi as a tourism and convention destination worldwide. Its mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure, convention, sports and business visitors to the area. It is dedicated to maximizing the travel and tourism industry for South Mississippi.
Visit CoastalMississippi.com to learn more.
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