Tourism 101: CVBs, TDCs and C of Cs

For the first time in the history of Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast, tourism gurus from Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties will be in the studio at the same time. What a coup! With National Tourism Week coming up quickly (May 8-16), the timing is perfect.

All three ladies have appeared on the show at one time or another in the last year. This week, we reconvene with Martin County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Rozeta Mahboubi, St. Lucie County Tourism Development Council coordinator Charlotte Lombard and Mary Jayne Kelly, executive director of the Cultural Council of Indian River County. With these three lively ladies in the house (and History Lady thrown into the mix), we’ll need two hours on the air!

Let's see what nuggets of knowledge these tourism leaders can unearth about their multi-county collaboration plans and goals. Our three Treasure Coast experts will also discuss how their strategies for bringing in tourism have to be tailored specifically for their counties.

Has anything yet come from the St. Lucie County/Grand Bahama Island initiative? Comet Creative advertising and marketing master George Byfield may bring you up to date on that as well.

Another installment of Talkin' Tourism is on the way, this Friday at 10 a.m. Tune into WPSL AM 1590, or http://www.wpsl.com/ for all the witty banter and tourism tidbits you can handle!

Photo from StuartFla.com

Stuart Single Fin Showdown and St. Lucie Tourism Feb 20 Show Recap

Listeners of the Feb 20 Talkin' Tourism radio show, now know how surfing brought the show's host, Gary Guertin, to Stuart. The United Way of Martin County's first ever surfing contest--Stuart Single Fin Showdown--slated March 14 and 15 at Stuart Beach, is expected to attract several hundred surfing fans to the area.

Justin Beard, communications director of the United Way, host Gary Guertin and co-host Robin Hicks-Connors touch on the fact that the sport of surfing does have an impact on tourism.

For those listeners who might want to participate in the contest but don't have a board--no problem! Authentic 70s singlefin will be provided to all surfers who enter the competition, and to make it more challenging, those who advance into later rounds will have to ride a different singlefin during each heat. For more information on the surfing contest, click HERE.

Justin promises this is going to be a fun contest where surfers who normally rip on their modern tri-fin shortboard will have to adjust to surfing with a totally different style. Show host Gary Guertin has signed up to be a judge for the inaugural contest.

The second half of the show explores St. Lucie county tourism programs and funding. Charlotte Lombard, Tourism Development Manager for St. Lucie County, who by the way is an avid surfer, profiles where the county's 5% bed tax goes: first 3-cents goes to the Tradition Station operations; the second 1-cent goes to marketing; and the third 1-cent is divided 33.5% to tourism related capital projects, with the remaining 66.5% going to Tradition Stadium bonds.

George Byfield the CEO/Creative Director of Comet Creative, Inc., the advertising agency of record for St. Lucie County tourism programs, talks about his vision to create a "new" destination package to sell that brings tourists to both St. Lucie County and Grand Bahama. Officials have been speaking with Spirit Airlines and other air carriers to connect St. Lucie County International Airport to Grand Bahama, but no agreements are in place yet.

Expected call-in guest James Turner, Executive Vice-President of the Grand Bahama Tourism Promotion Board, wasn't able to join the group, but is expected to join a Grand Bahama delegation coming to St. Lucie County March 4 through March 7.

When the audio clip from Feb 20 show is available, it'll be posted here.