Travel Marketing Professionals by John Dersham

Once a year, for the last 26 years, tourism professionals, young and old, new to the business or seasoned veterans, meet at North Georgia University in Dahlonega to spend one week a year for three years to become certified with a recognized higher education diploma in the travel and tourism industry. The certification makes them a “Travel Marketing Professional”. Southeast Tourism Society (STS) is the largest regional tourism organization in the United States. They cover the 12 southeastern states that include Virginia and West Virginia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. They, along with a host of tourism career professionals and college professors, volunteer a week of their time each year to teach at Tourism Marketing College. This year more than 300 people attended this intensive program for six days of nonstop classroom education and some industry sponsored events each night. Over the 26 years, thousands have attended the program. In addition, those who have already graduated from the program, like me (class of 2011), can attend an alumni school that is held in conjunction with marketing college, but in a different building. The industry is changing very rapidly and the annual education is necessary in order to stay current. In 2009 when I began the three year program, social media was just beginning and only played a small role in promoting tourism. Now, social media is a must; Face Book, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and others play a critical role in the daily marketing of our destination. In addition, the generations are changing and travel interests are changing as the WWII and Baby Boomers generation begin to travel less and they have less expendable income for travel. Now Generation X and the Millennials’ have the jobs, the money and they do the travelling, oh but they do not travel the same way nor do they do the same things that the Boomers’ did. Marketing College teaches us the differences. If we don’t know how to market each age group, it will hurt our business potential.

We are very fortunate in the tourism industry to have an education program of this caliber. Many of the professors at Marketing College teach travel and tourism (hospitality) at universities around the southeast. Two weeks ago I attended alumni school at Marketing College. Every May, after regular classes at the University of North Georgia end, we come to town with 300 plus people to fill the dorms and the lodging facilities, restaurants and stores in Dahlonega.

Southeast Tourism Society is a member based educator and marketer for tourism throughout the southeast region. In addition to marketing college, STS hosts the annual Legislative Summit in Washington D.C. where tourism professionals can come to call on their federally elected official to discuss with and seek support for national and state tourism projects and business opportunities important to the success of tourism nationally and at local levels.