Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1421252
B M & T ••• September/October 2021 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 25 post-COVID and how we can provide enough information to help people understand what's going on," Battle says. At Louisville Tourism, the efforts to rebound from the pandemic have a very precise target. "Specifically today, the goal is returning those 19 million visitors we had in 2019 prior to the pandemic," says Battle, who notes that his team had booked 881 meetings, representing 800,000 room nights, for that year. "Our stakeholders want to know: What are you doing to get those folks back?" Part of the comeback strategy has been to advocate for improvements in several segments of what Battle calls "the tourism lane" — areas outside his direct responsibil- ity that nevertheless have a significant impact on the industry. For example, he wants to see the development of new hotels, restaurants and attractions, a better trans- portation infrastructure, and more collaboration with local neighborhoods to draw visitors seeking an authentic Louisville experience. Louisville Tourism has also set a new goal to boost the number of African American visitors to the city from the 11% of the visitor base they accounted for before the pandemic to 14% by 2025, Battle says. He led the agency's Black Tourism Advisory Council when it launched in July 2020, while he was Chief Operating Officer. Like that group, the LGBTQ Task Force, which predates the pandemic, aims to grow the local tourism market through greater diversity and expand the opportunities to benefit from the tourism economy. Workforce development is another key element in Battle's strategy to build back Louisville's tourism industry. Before COVID, the impetus for that effort was a labor short- age stemming from the industry's rapid growth. Today, the challenge is more about combating doubts about the indus- try's viability. "When we were at the heart of the pandemic we were hearing about the devastation to the tourism industry, so there are a lot of folks who are gun shy about going into the industry," Battle says. "There are a lot of folks who have left our industry." To boost recruitment, Louisville Tourism has added a jobs portal to its website, and the agency is working with area col- leges and universities to enhance and, in some cases, create academic programs in hospitality management. Outside his role as a tourism professional, Battle has focused much of his community involvement on youth. For example, he serves on the boards of the local YMCA and Junior Achievement. "I love being able to help youth in this community," he says. "I came from a poor background, and anything that I can do to try to help kids have a better opportunity to do things, to experience things, that's usually where I will pour my own personal volunteer time." In his leisure time, he works out everyday at a fitness cen- ter, loves watching sports and listening to music — and he even plays a little electric and acoustic guitar himself. But this self-confessed workaholic says one of the things he's learning to do more of and enjoy is to relax. "I love sitting on my patio with a little Miles Davis, my cigar, a little bourbon and doing nothing," Battle says. Mercer Tower, Louisville