Atlanta,
GA – September 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Travel
South USA is pleased to announce the 2015/16 Executive Board Officers.
Mike
Mangeot, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Tourism & Travel
was named 2015/16 chairman of the board and assumes leadership of the Southern
Travel Directors Council, Inc; Kyle Edmiston, Assistant Secretary,
Louisiana Office of Tourism was elected to serve as vice chairman;
Wit
Tuttell, Executive Director, Visit North Carolina will serve as secretary;
Dan
Lennon, Director, Missouri Division of Tourism will serve as treasurer;
and Duane Parrish, Director, South Carolina Parks, Recreation and
Tourism rounds out the Executive Board as immediate past chair. The new
officers assume their duties immediately.
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 “I
feel very privileged to take on the role of chairman,” said Mangeot. “For
over 50 years, Travel South USA has provided the member state travel offices
collaborative marketing partnerships that amplify the states’ advertising,
sales and marketing programs, and I look forward to engaging in strategic
and innovative ways which will benefit our region for years to come.”
He
added, “Our FY15/16 priorities look to squarely position the South as a
domestic powerhouse and global destination. We have committed resources
to our core competency and will host over 200 top producing domestic tour
operators and journalists this coming year. We will also continue to invest
in the Ultimate Ad Challenge, Domestic Showcase and Journalist Marketplace.
Lastly, to extend our reach and grow our market, we will focus on International
Showcase & Super FAMs, China Initiatives, and our Global Marketing
Programming.”
Mike
Mangeot was named Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel and
Tourism in July 2012, returning to the office after previously serving
as Deputy Commissioner. As Commissioner, he and his staff are responsible
for marketing and promoting Kentucky as a travel destination, as well as
the oversight and coordination of the Kentucky Film Office, the Kentucky
Tourism Development Act and Kentucky’s Film Incentive program.
Prior
to being named Commissioner, Mangeot served as the President & CEO
of the Kentucky Association for Economic Development, the Associate Athletic
Director for Advancement at the University of Louisville and was Director
of Advertising & Community Affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kentucky.
In
addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Travel South USA, the
Kentucky Travel Industry Association, the Southeast Tourism Society, and
the Kentucky Derby Festival, Mr. Mangeot is a member of the National Council
of State Travel Directors and has served on the Boards of the Kentucky
Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Frankfort, Inc., the Main Street Program
for Kentucky’s Capital City.
About
Travel South USA
 Celebrating
its 50th Anniversary in 2015, Travel South USA is America’s oldest and
largest regional travel promotion organization, formed in 1965 by resolution
presented at the Southern Governor’s Conference. The long-standing regional
collaboration of the state tourism offices of Alabama,
Arkansas,
Georgia,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
Missouri,
North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Virginia
and West Virginia provides a foundation
to positively position tourism as a vital and dynamic element in the region’s
economic development. Tourism ranks throughout the region as one of the
top three industries, behind manufacturing and agriculture, and is responsible
for $135.7 billion in spending by visitors, generating 1.33 million direct
jobs, $32.3 billion in worker paychecks, and more than $19 billion in state
and local taxes.
For
more information about International Showcase 2015: www.TravelSouthUSA.org
For
consumer information about travel to the South: www.TravelSouthUSA.com
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Contact:
Sam
Lacy
Digital
Marketing Manager
Travel
South USA
404-231-1790
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Travel
South USA: Facebook
/ Twitter / YouTube
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