Tourism groups aim for more diversity, inclusion in planning
Tourism leaders from across the Southeast are expected to gather in an Atlanta suburb this month to explore more ways of incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into their travel planning. State tourism officials and groups from Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia are among those expected to attend the 2022 Travel Unity Summit Southeast Tuesday through Friday in Brookhaven, Georgia. The aim is to provide welcoming experiences for all visitors. Organizers say it’s one of the first events of its kind and represents growing initiatives in the United States. The summit will focus on ways of helping marketers, members of the travel industry, and economic development professionals incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the strategic planning or their organizations. Explore Brookhaven expects about 200 people to attend the four days of leadership training and discussion around embracing diversity to expand tourism. Summit topics will include how to understand, identify and connect with diverse travelers, fostering welcoming communities, and attracting diverse events. “We are excited to host the 2022 Travel Unity Summit and help the tourism industry build towards a responsible future,” Renee Areng, executive director of Explore Brookhaven, said in announcing the event. “The City of Brookhaven is very welcoming and believes everyone belongs here which makes Brookhaven the perfect backdrop for this year’s discussion on embracing community diversity to expand tourism.” Among the organizations involved are the Southeast Tourism Society; the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus; the Georgia Department of Economic Development; the Alabama Tourism Department; the Louisiana Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus; the Louisiana Travel Association; and the Mississippi Tourism Association. Among those presenting and sharing best practices are leaders from Explore Brookhaven; the City of Atlanta; the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce in Ellijay, Georgia; Visit Henry County, Georgia. Representatives of convention and visitors bureaus from around the region are also expected to attend. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama tourism hits record high, grows $1 billion in 2017
Alabama tourists spent a record $14.3 billion as the state topped 26 million guests for the first time in state history. Gov. Kay Ivey announced the news of the travel industry’s whopping $1 billion growth at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham on Tuesday. “Every part of the state saw dramatic growth, from the beautiful mountains of the Tennessee Valley to the stunning white sand beaches along the Gulf Coast,” Governor Ivey said. “Most communities generated more revenue and gained jobs through hosting meetings, conventions, sporting events and visits to museums, among other attractions. These gains were especially seen in those areas which have invested in sporting venues which attract youth sports tournaments.” The figures come from the state’s newly released Alabama Tourism Department annual report. According to the report, the tourism industry added 7,399 jobs last year, bringing total employment to 186,906. The industry notched its highest growth in 2017, since the Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010, when tourists spent $9 billion, said Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell. “This is such great news for the state of Alabama. In 2017, we had more visitors than at any other time in our history – visitors whose spending added one billion dollars more to the state economy than the year before,” Sentell said. “The site of today’s announcement, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, is one of the reasons for these gains. The Barber Museum and Park generated almost 100,000 hotel room-nights of occupancy in 2017 and had 352,000 visitors, an increase of more than 35 percent from the year before.” The tourism industry generates millions of dollars for state and local government. The hospitality industry was responsible for $627.5 million in state taxes and an additional $251.6 million in local revenue for a total of $879 million, an increase of five percent over the previous year, the report said. Some $70 million was generated in state lodgings taxes, of which 75 percent benefits the State General Fund. According to a study by Montgomery economist Dr. Keivan Deravi, the top tourists spots were: Baldwin County added 82,238 guests for a total of 6.4 million guests who spent a record $4.4 billion, despite a wet July. Jefferson County’s hospitality industry grew by a record 9.8 percent and 148,498 tourists. About 3.3 million total visitors helped Jefferson County cross the $2 billion mark in tourist spending for the first time. Madison County saw an increase of 85,728 visitors yielded a total of 3.1 million guests who spent $1.3 billion for a 9.8 percent increase. Mobile County tourism grew by 8 percent. An additional 178,770 visitors meant a total of 3.4 million guests who spent $1.2 billon. Montgomery County, which ranked fifth, added 8,940 guests for a 3.3 percent increase in tourist spending. The city had just under two million visitors who spent $841 million. Deravi says that without those taxes, each household in Alabama would have had to pay $467 in additional taxes to maintain current service levels.
State Senate seeks to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge
Alabama senators are seeking to rename Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, a historic site in the voting rights movement that bears the name of a Ku Klux Klan officer. Senators on Wednesday approved a resolution to rename it the Journey to Freedom Bridge. The bridge became a symbol of the fight for voting rights after marchers were beaten by state troopers on the bridge on March 7, 1965. The bridge that spans the Alabama River is Selma’s most notable landmark. It is named for Pettus, a two-term U.S senator, a Confederate general and a KKK grand dragon. The KKK connection had faded from local memory until this year, when approaching the 50th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” beatings, a Selma student group launched an online petition to rename the landmark bridge. “There was a thought that every time you lift the name, you also lift the name of the KKK grand dragon,” said Selma Sen. Hank Sanders, who sponsored the resolution. “That bridge became a symbol of the struggle for freedom,” Sanders said. Sanders said several new potential names were kicked around, including “the Bloody Sunday Bridge.” He said “Journey to Freedom” is appropriate because “it says we are still on the journey.” However, Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, said he worried changing the bridge’s name could threaten its status as a national historic landmark. “I believe its status would be in jeopardy because it would be altering the appearance of the structure from its historical period,” he said. The Alabama House of Representatives has not voted on the idea with just two more meeting days in the legislative session. Sanders said lawmakers named the bridge for Pettus in the 1940s. He said he thinks they can legally change the name by resolution. An Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman said it’s reviewing the resolution. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
