BEACHES OF SOUTH WALTON, Fla. — The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort hosted more than 300 travel industry professionals for the Southeast Tourism Society’s (STS) 2011 Spring Meeting.
“We were hoping for a good crowd for this year’s spring meeting, and it seems we attained that goal,” said STS vice president of communications and public relations Neville Bhada.
“The Beaches of South Walton meeting attracted the largest number of attendees since 2008. Travel and tourism organizations are ready to get out and network again.”
During the three-day event, there were several educational sessions ranging from smart phones and destination marketing organizations hiring effective tourism employees to the lessons learned from the 2010 oil spill.
One of the highlights for many attendees was the graduation lunch for the Tourism Marketing Professional (TMP) designation, which is awarded to students who complete STS’s three-year Market College program.
Thirty-nine of the 64 TMP graduates this year participated in the ceremony. More than 600 students have successfully earned their TMP certification since 1992.
The 20th anniversary of STS Market College will be held in Dahlonega, Ga., July 24-29, and the annual STS Fall Meeting will be held Nov. 8-10 in New Orleans. STS events are open to anyone in the industry and are not limited to destinations only in the Southeast.
The Southeast Tourism Society is a nonprofit organization designed to promote and develop tourism in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
www.southeasttourism.org
404-364-9847
