Tourism Talk - January 2016

The Year in Review!

 Hancock County Tourism looks back on 2015 with satisfaction and toward 2016 with anticipation!
 - photos by Ellis Anderson

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Bay St. Louis was voted favorite stop for Crusin' participants!

Pirate Day in the Bay drew thousands from across the region

One of the joys of preparing this report is that it gives us the opportunity to look back and be thankful for all that has been accomplished.  The past year was filled with wonderful opportunities and many challenges. The BP-funded advertising print and radio ads were very successful to bring visitors to our area.

Some of the highlights were:

• Stella Blues and BBQ Festival
• Pirate Day in the Bay
• St. Claire Seafood Festival
• Our Lady of the Gulf Crab Fest
• Harbor Fest
• Diamondhead Arts & Crafts Show
• Hancock County Fair
• St. Rose de Lima Heritage Festival
• Monthly events :
  • Bay St. Louis Old Town Second Saturday
  • Lazy Magnolia Brewery First Friday

We also co-sponsored events this year such as:

• Old Town Bay St. Louis Souper Mudfest
• Gulf Coast Regional USA Beach Volleyball tournament held in Waveland

 
Primary Sponsorships for the year were:

• Midsummer Night's Dream Festival in the Historic Depot District
• WGNO News with a Twist
• Crusin' the Coast 2015 in Bay St. Louis
• Snowflakes in the Bay Brochure( listing Hancock County Holiday Events)
• 8th Annual Bay St. Louis Christmas Parade
• Snowflakes and Sugarplums Festival

Snowflakes in the Bay was named one of the top holiday lighting displays in the state!

We were happy to award the Hancock County Tourism Award to Friends of McCloud Park at the 2015 Hancock County Gala. Tourism hosted a dedication reception for the Alice Moseley Pavilion located in the Depot green space. And we welcomed guests from all over the world to the Visitor Center and Mardi Gras Museum.

In 2015 we welcomed over 18,000 guest to our Visitor Center and Mardi Gras Museum; we also  hosted 12,000 Motor Coach Tours and Convention groups from 48 different states and 36 foreign countries. With the increase of foreign visitors to our state, we were lucky to host many European travel writers and members of the press.
 
As the year comes to a close, I would like to express thanks to the Hancock County Tourism Staff and all of those volunteers who labored long and hard to make all of this (and much more) happen.

We would also like to welcome our new board members for 2016.  Finally, we would like to thank the Board for their guidance and support in 2015.  Recognizing the important role of tourism, we will continue to identify and target best-potential customers and inspire them to travel Hancock County Mississippi in 2016.
 
Myrna Green, Manager
Hancock County Tourism Bureau

Harborfest 2015

The MIdsummers Night Celebration