Gulf
Shores/Orange Beach, AL—The Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and
Visitors Bureau (CVB) recently became the first destination marketing
organization (DMO) from the state of Alabama to be accredited by the Destination
Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). The CVB joins a limited number – that
will near 100 by the end of 2008 – of other accredited organizations throughout
the nation and nearly 30 other countries.
DMAP is an international accreditation program
developed by Destination Marketing Association International, which is a
membership-based organization with more than 650 destination marketing
organizations (DMOs) - which are sometimes called convention and visitor
bureaus or tourism boards - in nearly 30 countries. Program applicants are
judged on a wide range of criteria, such as finance, management, human
resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications,
membership, brand management, destination development, research/market
intelligence, innovation and stakeholder relationships. Once a company receives
accreditation, it joins an elite group of DMOs committed to industry
excellence.
As the first DMO in the state to achieve this
distinction, the Ala. Gulf Coast CVB reached its accreditation thanks to the
hard work of several groups.
“Words cannot express how much this accreditation means
to us,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the CVB. “I would like to thank
every staff member for his or her hard work, diligence and excellent
performance. In addition to the work of these skilled professionals, this mark
of excellence would not have been possible without the leadership and accountability
of our board of directors. Thanks to their unrelenting efforts and support, this
organization has continued to grow by leaps and bounds.”
Founded in 1993, the Ala. Gulf Coast CVB is the
official destination marketing organization for the areas of Gulf Shores,
Orange Beach and Fort Morgan and is charged with the mission of promoting this
area as a year-round vacation destination designed to provide economic
prosperity and a better quality of life for residents and visitors. With 24 full-time
and 8 part-time employees, the CVB has a $5 million budget, which is funded by 2
percent of the 11 percent lodging tax.
“The CVB is certainly a group of hard working,
well-qualified professionals who love the area they represent and it shows,” said
Grant Brown, general manager of Craft Farms and CVB board chairman. “This group
has worked diligently with the Alabama Tourism Department getting the word out
that the Alabama Gulf Coast is the destination of choice, and their efforts
have certainly paid off. 2007 exceeded our expectations, which is quite a feat
considering today’s economy.”
2007 proved to be blockbuster year. About 4.7 million people
visited Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and left behind $2.3 billion in
travel-related expenses. Even with a 940 room increase in the lodging inventory
for the year, the area recorded a 19.7 percent increase in taxable lodging
revenue when compared to 2006. The area (in conjunction with the rest of
Baldwin County) accounted for the largest percentage of the state’s $1 billion
of lodging revenue and continued to hold the largest portion of the market
share over the five competing Florida panhandle counties.
For more information on DMAP, visit www.destinationmarketing.org. To
plan your next vacation to the Alabama Gulf Coast, visit www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com.
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