HATTIESBURG, Miss. ( WHLT ) – The City of Hattiesburg will host the 2024 Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

More than 200 tourism professionals from across the state will gather in the Hub City this week to share ideas on how to expand Mississippi’s tourism market.

The main goal of the conference is to learn about the latest national and international trends and best practices, as well as to learn what cities are doing to boost their local tourism.

WJTV 12 News is a co-sponsor of the conference, which showcases the factor of using local media to gain attraction.

“We found out during really hard times, during COVID, that we’re not really competitors at all. Our destination in Mississippi is to really complement each other. And so, as we sell our individual destinations, we also sell our partners, cities, and communities, because they tell the complete story of hospitality, tourism, history, arts, and culture for our state,” said Rickey Thigpen, president of the Mississippi Tourism Association.

“We’re also aligning with our community and creating value for our residents, so that they also see the quality of place and how it matters here in our state. We know and understand that we have a scarred past, but when we look to the future, our future is so bright, and tourism is certainly leading the charge,” said Marlo Dorsey, executive director of Visit Hattiesburg.

On Friday, Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) will attend the conference to reveal the state’s latest tourism impact numbers.

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