|
|
Client: Hattiesburg, MS
 |
'Hattie' tourism increases, $225M generated
Numbers show more people are making Mississippi a tourism destination and Mary Beth Wilkerson hopes the trend remains solid. Wilkerson, director of tourism at the Mississippi Development Authority, spoke to Hattiesburg tourism leaders Wednesday at the fall 10th Annual Tourism Summit at Lake Terrace Convention Center. She said last year the tourism industry brought in $5.8 billion statewide with $225 million generated in the Hattiesburg area.
"Tourism creates jobs, generates revenue for the state, enhances the quality of life in our local communities," she said. "It both supports and benefits from Mississippi's creative economy that's rapidly growing across the state." More than 80,000 Mississippians work in the tourism industry and more than 3,800 are here in Hattiesburg.
The oil spill disaster and the Mississippi River floods hurt the industry but Wilkerson said it also brought attention to the state's travel and tourism industry and the impact it has on the economy.
"I've been with the state tourism office since 1991. I can tell you over these 20 years we've finally become recognized as a true industry for the state of Mississippi," she said. Wilkerson touched on the state's new brand "Find Your True South" and the research surrounding product. "There were 20 different points of research used to come up with the new brand," she said. "We interviewed stakeholders, visitors and potential visitors and travel partners throughout the world." Of 20,000 visitors to the state who were polled, 64 percent said their perception of the state changed for the positive, Wilkerson said."Close to 50 percent of those polled identified Mississippi as the most Southern state through its rich, cultural heritage," she said.
Rick Taylor, executive director for the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, said creating the Hattie brand for the city was profound and hopes to maintain and have lasting branding efforts like New York's "Big Apple" or Virginia being known as the state "For lovers."
"That's what we're trying to do with visitHattiesburg and Hattie and that's what the state's doing," he said. "We're looking at how can Hattiesburg grow as a tourism industry and how we can work with the state to do that."
