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January 25, 2008

                                   For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:          Gidget McDougall (504)278-4242

                                                            Tourism Director

                                                            St. Bernard Parish Government

LTPA TOURISM AWARDS HONOR TOP TOURISM EFFORTS

By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
Travel editor
Published: Jan 20, 2008

Louisiana’s 2008 Travel and Tourism Summit left no doubt that the state’s tourism industry is on an upswing. A highlight was the presentation of the 2007 Tourism Awards given by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association during a luncheon in the Sheraton New Orleans. Awards were presented to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s tourism industry.

Jill Kidder, co-director of LTPA, said, “We have reached some significant milestones that would not have been possible without the dedication and endurance of those we have honored.”

Of the awards given, three organizations were recognized as Outstanding Convention and Visitors Bureau/Tourist Commission of the Year based on three budget categories. The honorees were recognized for their outstanding efforts to promote tourism in their region through events, activities and marketing or promotional campaigns. St. Bernard Parish Tourist Commission received the award for a CVB with a budget of up to $250,000. River Parishes Tourist Commission was selected for the CVC with a budget of $250,000 to $750,000 and the Southwest Louisiana/Lake Charles CVB received the award for a CVB with a budget of $750,000 or more.

Other awards were presented to the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for Tourism Campaign/Promotion of the Year for its Seein’ Red Campaign, an initiative to educate hospitality staff in the region on the attractions and events available to visitors in the Baton Rouge area. The Travel Media Award was presented to AAA Southern Traveler for efforts to go above and beyond to give editorial recognition to tourism entities and regions across the state. Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette was honored as Festival of the Year for creativity, publicity and the ability to appeal to a large variety of patrons. The Travel Attraction of the Year went to Laura: A Creole Plantation for not only recovering from a fire but for providing memorable experiences to a wide range of travelers, creating partnerships and consistently drawing visitors to the state. The Governmental Friend of Tourism went to the City of Crowley for its consistent support of the tourism industry and appreciation of the economic importance visitation brings to that region and to the state.

Individual awards were presented to people who have made significant contributions to Louisiana’s tourism industry and to generate revenue in the state.

A lifetime achievement award was named in honor of Will Mangham, whose 59 years of involvement in the tourist industry, has lead to significant improvements through his efforts to mentor scores of travel professionals across the street. Along with the late Palma Munson, Mangham started Louisiana’s first Office of Tourism under the Department of Natural Resources. He served as tourism director of Rosedown, marketing director of the LSU Rural Life Museum, tourism consultant for The Myrtles Plantation, Valentino Hotels and Jimmy Maxwell’s Jazz Review and is owner of Cosmopolitan Enterprises. Upon retiring from the Rural Life Museum, he is now tourism and marketing coordinator for Basin Street Station in New Orleans.

Mangham was on hand to present the first Will Mangham Louisiana Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award to Jim Funk, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Tourism Association. As a registered lobbyist and secretary/treasurer of one of the largest political action committees in the state, Funk has been a spokesperson for tourism for more than 30 years. He has achieved great success in leading the effort to pass many pieces of landmark legislation to strengthen the tourism industry.