Tampa Bay & Company is excited to announce that it has hired Doug McClain to serve as vice president of Marketing & Communications.  McClain is a tourism marketing executive with 20 years of regional and national destination marketing experience.

"Doug's marketing background, along with the depth and breadth of industry experience that he brings to the table is truly remarkable," says president and CEO of Tampa Bay & Company, Kelly Miller.  "We are excited to have Doug as part of the Tampa Bay & Company team."

PRESS RELEASE: PRNewsChannel.com

"The life of a sports event planner is busy. Between working with sponsors, venues, governing bodies and volunteers, effectively managing housing for participants can often fall down the priority list.

But not paying enough attention to housing can mean lost revenue, or worse, unanticipated costs from hotels for unsold rooms. These costs can be significant and can make the difference between your event making money or being in the red."

BLOG POST: SportsEventsMagazine.wordpress.com

"The Cumberland Valley takes center stage this April as a highlighted premiere destination in US Airways Magazine.

The April edition of the magazine, which is available to travelers on all US Airways flights, will be read by some 3.1 million fliers, according to the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau."

NEWS ARTICLE: Cumberlink.com

Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) has expanded its bylaws to welcome official national, provincial and state tourism organizations as members.

"We are excited to extend our membership to official destination marketing organizations (DMOs) of every level, from the largest country to the smallest town," said Michael D. Gehrisch, President & CEO of DMAI. "DMOs of every size from around the globe can benefit from DMAI membership, including access to extensive industry-specific resources and professional development and connecting with our vast network of destination marketing professionals."

NEWS ARTICLE: FTNNews.com

"Pensacola FL, March 15, 2012 - JackRabbit Systems, Inc., developer of online travel software for destination and tourism bureau websites, today announced a partnership with Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Travelers will now interface with the BookDirect^TM system when they visit www.visitpensacola.com to search for accommodations. "

"After a nationwide search, the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau has tapped a Scottsdale tourism promoter to be president and CEO.

Brent DeRaad will replace Jonathan Walker, who announced his retirement in September after 18 years with the Tucson bureau."

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: AZStarNet.com

"Here's a news flash - Alaska is big. Very big. But in terms of marketing Alaska to visitors, the community is small and tight-knit, which benefits the tourism industry as a whole.

Many Outside destinations are extremely competitive in marketing, often fighting for a share of the visitor dollars to their areas. While Alaska destinations always want visitors to stay longer in their specific areas, there is a true partnership between destination marketing organizations that often isn't the case elsewhere."

NEWS ARTICLE: Frontiersman.com

"Lansing - The good news caught Sally Laukitis off guard.

She was ready to head to a dentist's appointment Monday afternoon when she got a call from the governor's office. Laukitis, the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director since 1994, was told she had been appointed to the Michigan Travel Commission."

NEWS ARTICLE: HollandSentinel.com

"When Paul W. McCallum moved to Grapevine in 1987, he recalls only two restaurants and a few fast food places in town. Grapevine only had about 2.2 million visitors, but McCallum could see its potential.

"The thing that made Grapevine appealing to me was that the elected leadership wanted to guide the growth and development of Grapevine," he said. "It had everything it needed to be the complete town. The small towns around it were quickly becoming bedroom communities, and Grapevine did not want to become a bedroom community."

Originally from the Australian outback, McCallum is known as "P. W." to his friends. He finds many similarities between Aussies and Texans: a love for the outdoors, a can-do attitude and hospitality. Whereas he previously worked as director at the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Melbourne, Australia, he has now lived in Texas for decades, even serving a six-year term as director of marketing for the Fort Worth CVB before starting in Grapevine."

NEWS ARTICLE: ImpactNews.com

"South Africa is aggressively pursuing a greater share of the events market, targeting at least 30 bids, with a potential of 18,000 delegates and R162,000,000 (£13.5m) in direct economic spend in 2012/13 through its newly-established National Convention Bureau (NCB).

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk opened the country's major meetings trade show, Meetings Africa, in Johannesburg today, saying partnership would be key to South Africa's business tourism growth."

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: MeetPie.com