Tourism Heads and Their Tales

It's time for a freshly brewed episode of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today we welcome a leader in the DMO world with a very interesting journey. Today, Victoria Isley is the President & CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. Over her 29-year career, she has represented destinations including the island of Bermuda; Washington, DC; Tampa Bay, Florida and Du...

Welcome to a fresh edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today's guest is Anne Sayers. Anne was named Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in March of 2023. Secretary Sayers has led the agency since December of 2020 after first serving as the Deputy Secretary since January 2019. Hear Anne articulate the vision and strategy driving Wisconsin as a premier destination in a competitive l...

Tune into a brand-new edition of Tourism Heads and Their Tales. Today we welcome Joe Marinelli, President and CEO of Visit Savannah. Joe is a well-respected industry thought leader with a solid background in hospitality and tourism. Listen as Joe details the DMO model in place and target markets and how workforce issues impact all destinations. Hear Joe discuss a creative initiative that partners...

Welcome to "Tourism Heads & Their Tales." In this episode, we are delighted to have Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, joining us. Paula's role includes providing leadership and strategic direction for all of AAA's travel services, managing strategic alliances, and spearheading the development of innovative solutions to support AAA clubs. Tune in as Paula offers a comprehensive ov...

Our guest is Melyssa Reeves, President and CEO of Destination Marketing Association of the West. We learn about the changes at DMA West and what the future will bring to this 40-year membership organization. We hear about DMA West's focus on three main events; Technology Summit, CEO Leadership Summit and Education Summit.  We discover how DMA West adds value to those destinations that have budgeta...

Welcome back to Part 2 of this insight-rich episode of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, powered by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander with Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions. This episode explores the complex world of destination marketing. Nancy discusses the relationship and make-up of the board and how re-branding alignment was achieved and highlight...

Welcome to a freshly brewed installment of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Our featured guest is Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions. In this riveting podcast, delve into Nancy's remarkable journey and impassioned commitment to destination marketing. Uncover the enthralling backstory behind the rebran...

Welcome back to a freshly brewed installment of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Our featured guest is Claudia Vecchio, President & CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. In Part Two of this podcast, I delve into the challenges Claudia faces in developing a Tourism Master Plan amidst a multitude of diverse stakeholders. Discover how she navigates alignment with various independent "voices" crucial to the plann...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. In this episode, we sit down with Claudia Vecchio, President/CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. You will hear Claudia discuss the development of organizational priorities, stewardship, and resilience (remembering fires, floods, and the pandemic that Sonoma has had to over...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Let's rejoin our conversation with Tim Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office, in Part 2 of the podcast. Tim discusses the trends that are now commonplace, accelerated by the pandemic, the value of international tourism, and how each country is unique in its v...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander. Today's guest is Timothy Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. Hear how Tim got into the tourism industry and is continuing his role as a state tourism leader. Listen as he talks about tourism objectives through three primary pillars for Colorado's tourism...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Today's podcast is Part Two of the fascinating conversation with Peter Pantuso, President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). He also serves as President of the National Bus Traffic Association, and the ABA Foundation. ABA is North America's leading and lar...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander. Today's podcast features Peter Pantuso, President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). He also serves as President of the National Bus Traffic Association, and the ABA Foundation. ABA is North America's leading and largest motorcoach, tour, and travel asso...

It's time for another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the multi-award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Welcome to Part Two of the great conversation with Leah Chandler, CDME, Chief Marketing Officer for the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, Discover Puerto Rico. Tune in as we learn about Discover Puerto Rico's travel advisor program and how they...

It's time for another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the multi award winning agency Eddy Alexander. For the first time, we head to the Caribbean. Tune in and listen to Leah Chandler, CDME, Chief Marketing Officer for the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, Discover Puerto Rico and how they transitioned from a government run bureau to become a su...

In Part Two we continue the conversation with Julie Gilbert and hear how community engagement is critical to success, listen as she discusses sustainable tourism efforts, communications channels, the relationship with Green Bay and Packers AJ Dillon, and find out how Barbie won a debate at ESTO. All this and more.

Today's freshly brewed Tourism Heads & Their Tales podcast is a first. I have the pleasure to interview Julie Gilbert CDME, President & CEO of Destination Door County. You will notice the same last name, and yes, Julie is my wife. Door County has a population of 30,000 and gets about 2 million visitors each year. Listen as Julie discusses the significance of transparency with stakeholders and resi...

In Part 2 listen to Jake Steinman expand on upon true accessibility by destinations (not simply checking the box) but how to develop a playbook. Hear how Mesa, AZ is setting the pace in embracing accessible travel and is the only designated Autism certified city in the country. Hear how grant programs not only attract visitors with a disability but benefits accessibility challenged local residents...

Welcome to another freshly brewed episode of your favorite podcast, Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today's guest is no stranger to the industry. We welcome Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility, a platform that aims to make travel easier and more accessible for people with disabilities. From travel and tourism conferences to events globally, Jake has been involved in the travel sector for...

Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today, we air Part 2 of the interview with Erin Francis-Cummings, co-founder and president of Destination Analysts. She is just back from Destination International's annual conference in Dallas. This episode dives deeper into traveler sentiment insights and behaviors, that will help shape your tourism business plans; hear ab...

Welcome to another freshly brewed podcast edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today's guest needs no introduction to those of us in the tourism industry. When we search for insights into traveler sentiment and behavior, one of the resources we often look to is Destination Analysts. Erin Francis-Cummings is co-founder, President, and CEO of Destination Analysts and we often see her presenting a...

Today's guest on Tourism Heads & Their Tales is an acknowledged and universally recognized industry leader. We welcome Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. Tune in as Todd and I discuss change management and Oregon's Covid challenges, how successful growth can be achieved by reinvesting in local communities, and how Oregon's 10-year strategic vision was developed and its plans to redesign tourism...

Today's guest on Tourism Heads & Their Tales is an acknowledged and universally recognized industry leader. We welcome Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. Tune in as Todd and I discuss change management and Oregon's Covid challenges, how successful growth can be achieved by reinvesting in local communities, and how Oregon's 10-year strategic vision was developed and its plans to redesign tourism...

Today, we are joined by Wit Tuttell representing the Tar Heel State as its VP, Tourism and Marketing for the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Executive Director of Visit NC, State Tourism Director of the Year and a recognized travel & tourism industry leader. Listen as Wit explains the indispensable value of blending economic development with tourism, the challenges of ARPA fund...

Today, we are joined by Wit Tuttell representing the Tar Heel State as its VP, Tourism and Marketing for the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Executive Director of Visit NC, State Tourism Director of the Year and a recognized travel & tourism industry leader. Listen as Wit explains the indispensable value of blending economic development with tourism, the challenges of ARPA fund...