Travel South USA Announces New Executive Board Officers

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, August 14, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Travel South USA is pleased to announce Mike Mangeot, Commissioner of Kentucky Tourism, was elected Chairman of the Board and assumes the leadership of the Southern Travel Directors Council, Inc. Other Executive Board members include Vice Chair, Stephen Foutes, Director, Visit Missouri; Secretary, Mark Ezell, Commissioner, Tennessee Tourism; Treasurer, Wit Tuttell, Executive Director/VP, Visit North Carolina; Immediate Past Chair, Doug Bourgeois, Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Office of Tourism; and Liz Bittner, President & CEO, Travel South USA. The new officers assume their duties immediately.

“I feel very privileged to take on the role of Chairman,” said Mangeot. “For 58 years, Travel South USA has provided state travel offices collaborative marketing partnerships that amplify the states’ advertising, sales, and marketing programs. This is such an exciting time to be in our industry. It is our time to Welcome All The World to the South. Thus, as we move into FY24, we adapt our investments according to the shifts in the travel industry landscape, product distribution channels, and consumer demands. This new landscape requires our focus to embrace strategic globalization with localized implementations.”

He added, “Our FY 24 priorities squarely position the South to lead as a powerhouse global destination. We have committed resources to leveraging research, world-class global marketing, and partnerships with our stakeholders. We look forward to hosting hundreds of international tour operators and journalists during International Showcase & Super FAMs and Global Media Marketplace & FAMs, held in Memphis, Tennessee, and Charleston, South Carolina, respectively. We will strengthen our activation and engagement through the Global Partner Programming in nine global regions, enhance our social media channels and continue to push the envelope with large-scale B2C campaigns.

Mike Mangeot serves as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Tourism for Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration bringing to the office extensive experience in both tourism and economic development. Prior to returning to the office of Commissioner, Mr. Mangeot was the Executive Director of the Bardstown Nelson County Tourism Commission, previously served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism, was President & CEO of the Kentucky Association for Economic Development and Deputy Commissioner & Director of Marketing & Advertising for the Kentucky Department of Travel.

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Travel South USA, Mr. Mangeot has also served on numerous state and national Boards, including the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, Southeast Tourism Society, US Travel Association, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Kentucky Derby Festival, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Frankfort, Inc., and the Main Street Program for Kentucky’s Capital City.

About Travel South USA

Travel South USA is America’s oldest and largest regional travel promotion organization, formed in 1965. 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 provide a foundation to positively position tourism as a vital and dynamic element in the region’s economic development. In 2019, tourism ranked throughout the region as one of the top three industries, behind manufacturing and agriculture, and was responsible for $133 billion in spending by visitors, generating 1.4 million direct jobs, $30 billion in worker paychecks, and almost $16 billion in state and local taxes. Visit TravelSouthUSA.com for consumer information and TravelSouthUSA.org for travel industry information.

Angelica De Stefano
Travel South USA
[email protected]