As
the travel and meetings mar-
ket responds to world events
and an ever-evolving econo-
my, we feel it prudent to pause from time to
time to assess what impact all these occur-
rences are having on our industry. As we do
each year, we put several questions to some
of the top CVB heads in the industry in an
effort to share their knowledge with those
seeking solutions to the daunting challenges
faced by many destination reps and planners.
Below are the three questions, followed by
their answers in their own words.
President Barack Obama signed the pub-
lic/private partnership Brand USA into law
by as part of the Travel Promotion Act of
2010. As President Obama is preparing to
leave office, will you please reflect on how
this program has impacted international
travel to your destination?
Moving forward, how in your opinion can
this be program changed, improved or
enhanced to be even more effective in the
future?
With so many options from which trav-
elers can choose, why should a planner or
travel agent select your destination to
book their meeting, incentive or
leisure travel business?
What specific outreach
efforts are you making to tar-
get the African-American
market in particular and
an ethnically diverse
and inclusive market
in general?
B M & T ••• November/December 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com
19