Myrna Green is a powerhouse who has led the tourism charge and brought Hancock County back from the brink of destruction after Hurricane Katrina. We are so glad to have her help the county grow and prosper.
– By Maurice Singleton 
Myrna Green doing what she does best - promoting Hancock County tourism. L: working the hospitality tent at Cruisin' the Coast; R: at the Snowflakes & Sugarplums Festival.
Her career has spanned 40 years working in the hospitality and tourism industry, the latter 16 in Hancock County, including serving as director of tourism for the past 12 years. She has played an integral role in tourism development in Hancock County during this time.
Hancock County Tourism established a Visitor Center in the historic Depot Building in Bay St. Louis, with the help of Myrna Green.
“Hancock County has a unique tourism product,” said Green. “It’s not what you get anywhere else. Our location is wonderful. Our uniqueness. We have something for everybody, whether it’s youth sports or seniors still wanting to collect art and pottery. “If I have to say one thing about my contribution, it’s that I’m an organizer,” said Green. “When people look at what a tourism bureau is, it’s two things: One, it goes out and gets the visitor to bring them back to partake and enjoy what we have to offer. Two, tourism packages the product.” 
Hancock County Tourism offers a number of brochures that offer information on walking tours, real estate, area history, and more. Myrna Green helped to develop this literature.
Without a tourism bureau to put things together, businesses that need tourism to survive would be left on their own. A tourism bureau drives out of town customers to these businesses by marketing. Green said, “If you look at the way we market, whether by website, Facebook, or our Play on the Bay Guide, it’s done in categories.” The categories Green mentioned include dining, shopping, accommodations, attractions, outdoor activities, meetings and conventions, motor coach, and the general public. “Every one of those categories is looking for something different,” she explained. “Tourism’s job is to provide tourists the information they need to be able to plan a vacation here.” To address the various categories of tourist interests, Hancock County Tourism opened the Visitors Center on the first floor of the former train depot as the Hancock County Information Center. “The depot has kind of become the go-to place for new visitors,” Green explained. “Now the visitors who come back over and over again will come back (to the Visitors Center) once a year to see what we’ve got new. They know where they’re going and where they’re going to stay. So, we mainly get new visitors and indoctrinate them.”
On any given weekend, Hancock County grows by more than 5,000 people. These people stay at local hotels and vacation rentals, dine at our restaurants, and enjoy some of the museum and festival attractions that are available. The number of new and returning visitors continues to grow, particularly after a decrease during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Green reported that hotel and motel room taxes were up in 2022 by more than 100 percent over the prior year, a clear indicator that tourism is returning toward pre-pandemic levels. One of the challenges that Hancock County Tourism has fought for since 2007 has been the establishment of a flagship hotel on I-10 at the Highway 603 exit. Though unsuccessful thusfar, the county has seen the growth in hotel rooms with the opening of The Pearl in downtown Bay St. Louis and at the Silver Slipper. Additionally, the shortage of overnight accommodations has generated a significant growth in vacation rentals. Green explained, “We have become the vacation rental mecca of the Gulf Coast. People love our vacation rental product. They come and they stay over and over and over.” Green really takes pride in Snowflakes in the Bay, a project that she started to “cheer people up,” she said. They decorated two live oak trees at The Depot with snowflakes and created an event to mark the start of the holiday season. The event has grown each year and now includes oak trees throughout downtown Bay St. Louis and down Beach Boulevard. “This has kind of become our signature pride and joy,” said Green. “We do an annual Christmas Snowflakes in the Bay brochure that includes every Christmas event in Hancock County between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We put out about 5,000 brochures every year. “Hancock County is so fortunate to have Myrna Green representing us for decades,” said Hancock County Chamber of Commerce executive director Tish Williams. “She deeply cares about helping the small businesses succeed. Her dedication to the job is to be admired. She will let nothing stop her from getting the job done. “Her reputation for outstanding achievements in tourism spans across the coast,” Williams added. “We cannot thank her enough for believing in Hancock County, and that’s why the Chamber was honored to recognize her this past year as one of our outstanding citizens.” Visit the Hancock County Tourism Bureau online at: https://playonthebay.org/ You will find an event calendar and the Play in the Bay Brochure, which is great for sharing with out-of-town visitors. The Bureau can also provide printed copies to leave in your short-term rental for guests. Enjoy this feature?
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