Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/910090
3 CONTENTS 34 34 11 11 VOLUME 24, ISSUE 9, 2017 The cruise industry is the fastest growing segment in travel and tourism with demand outstripping supply across all sectors. An emerg- ing sector within the cruise industry is conferences at sea. Meetings Love Cruise Ships gives some pointers on how to plan a cruise con- ference, and shares information about several of the top cruise lines. By Rufus McKinney 4 Publisher's Message 5 Calendar of Events 6 In The News 8 Hotel Happenings 10 Newsmakers 33 From The Motherland 38 Caribbean Corner 40 Cruise News 42 Travel Data 44 Birmingham 46 Phoenix 47 Greensboro 48 South Carolina 30 30 13 13 21 21 27 27 Downtown Minneapolis Skyline B M & T ••• September/October 2017 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Minneapolis CVB BL ACK MEETING & TOURISM Black Meetings & Tourism Presents Apex Awards At Annual International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Trade Show reports on the gala event and the award recipients. By Solomon J. Herbert COVER STORY FEATURES DEPARTMENT A R E A G U I L D It's the place where you'll find one of the nation's largest African- American cultural museum and its oldest Black theater, a land where civil rights history was made and a revolutionary Black music sound was born. It's the home of America's largest shopping mall and the largest musical festival on the planet. African-American Guide To Meetings, Incentives & Traveling In The Midwest shares this and much more, including what the region has in store for meeting planners and their delegates. By Buck Samuels Family reunions are a time-honored tradition in the African- American community dating back 150 years. African American Reunions Mean Big Bucks For Savvy Marketers reports that these multi-generational family gatherings are arguably the largest sector of the African-American travel and tourism market. By Rufus McKinney Because there exists such a strong cultural connection between African-Americans and Caribbean people, many associations and organ- izations view the region as a prime meeting destination. African- American Guide to Meetings, Incentives & Traveling in The Caribbean tells the whole story. By Doswell Ingram The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — interconnected museums that will take visitors through the sweep of Mississippi history and the state's role as ground zero in the Civil Rights Movement, is the focus of Two Mississippi Museums Opening December 9, 2017