Visit Lake Charles Celebrates Global Meetings Industry Day
This month, Visit Lake Charles (VLC) is celebrating Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), highlighting the value of meetings hosted in Southwest Louisiana.
In 2023, Visit Lake Charles hosted 173 meetings, generating an estimated economic impact of over $35 million to the region. According to available data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, covering the first three quarters of 2023, the hospitality industry in Calcasieu Parish employed an average of 13,366 individuals. Notably, this figure reflected a consistent increase quarter by quarter, indicating a positive growth trend.
Organized by the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition, this year’s theme, “Meetings Matter,” emphasizes the economic significance of face-to-face interactions. Taylor Beard Stanley, the vice president of sales at Visit Lake Charles, highlighted how these gatherings boost economic growth and create opportunities for businesses and workers. Meetings and events significantly impact travel spending and sustain jobs across the U.S., including in Southwest Louisiana, where they support a substantial workforce and drive increased spending at local businesses and restaurants.
Destinations International’s 2024 CEO Summit
Earlier this month, Kyle Edmiston, president and CEO of Visit Lake Charles, attended Destinations International’s 2024 CEO Summit in Boston, Massachusetts.
During the event, Edmiston highlighted VLC’s partnership with Zartico, focusing on data integration while sharing the stage with the company’s CEO, Sarah Lehman. Zartico is an operating system that simplifies complex data for destinations like Visit Lake Charles. The operating system helps destinations make informed decisions about marketing strategies, understand visitor trends, and measure tourism’s impact on the local community.
Additionally, Edmiston also got the opportunity to develop connections with industry leaders both within and outside the travel and tourism industry to learn valuable insights and the latest industry tools and technologies to continue enhancing Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana’s appeal as a premier destination.
Travel South Global Summit
Edmiston, Kaitlyn Gallegos, director of global sales, and Matt Young, director of public relations, traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, for Travel South USA’s Global Summit. The annual event showcases the diverse travel experiences and growth opportunities across the Southern U.S.
Attendees engaged in networking sessions and destination presentations from international markets to learn more about the growth of international travel and the latest tourism trends in the region.
Gallegos participated in partner presentations and seminars discussing upcoming marketing opportunities with Travel South and Brand USA with the goal of achieving $10 billion in visitor spending in the southern states by 2026.
In addition, Young met with international travel media representing Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Italy to share information about Southwest Louisiana’s outdoor adventures, natural beauty, and culinary and musical heritage.
Simpleview Summit
Toni Chapman, digital content manager, and Morgan Dodd, meeting sales manager, attended the Simpleview Summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The annual conference is geared towards destination marketing organizations that utilize Simpleview products, such as website hosting, customer relationship management (CRM), and content management system (CMS) systems.
For these online tourism marketing and sales professionals, the summit allowed them to connect with industry peers, share knowledge, and receive face-to-face training.
Chapman attended training sessions on website optimization, content creation, and CRM. She also learned about new software for destination websites that help enhance potential visitors’ travel planning and user experiences. Meanwhile, Dodd discovered valuable tools to enhance sales performance and delved into effective strategies for identifying new business opportunities as well as recognizing peak demand periods to drive growth.
Canadian “MegaFam” Visits Lake Charles
Recently, Visit Lake Charles participated in a Brand USA “MegaFam.” Brand USA is the nation's destination marketing organization committed to promoting the United States to international travelers. It does this through various avenues, including mega familiarization tours or “MegaFams.” A familiarization tour is an organized and educational trip for travel professionals to experience a destination.
For Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana, Canada is the number one source market for international visitation. This month, VLC welcomed a group of Canadian tour and travel planners during their visit to Louisiana and Texas.
The team experienced attractions like Biking Through The Lake, which gave the planners an opportunity to explore downtown Lake Charles firsthand. The group also enjoyed meals at various restaurants and shopping at several businesses across the Lake Area. This tour provided travel professionals with a taste of what can be experienced in Louisiana's Playground, helping them promote it to their customers and boost international visitation to Southwest Louisiana.
Tourism Day at the Capitol
The Louisiana Travel Association annually hosts Tourism Day at the Capitol. The one-day event provides opportunities for destinations across the state, including the Visit Lake Charles team, to engage directly with lawmakers, advocate for tourism-related policies, and foster relationships crucial for the growth of the tourism sector.
This year, Shanna Landry, chief operating officer at Visit Lake Charles, attended Tourism Day at the Capitol.
Travel is essential in preserving Louisiana’s culture, propelling our economy, and shaping its success. In 2022, the state attracted 42.6 million domestic and international visitors, who spent an estimated $17.1 billion (about $53 per person in the U.S.) in the state.