PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2025

CVB Contact: Sheila Snow
Phone: 318.387.5691
E-mail: ssnow@monroe-westmonroe.org

Discover Monroe-West Monroe Invites Ouachita Parish to Celebrate Destination Professionals Day

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. ― Discover Monroe-West Monroe (DMWM), the organization dedicated to promoting all of Ouachita Parish as a visitor destination, is proud to celebrate Feb. 19, 2025, as Destination Professionals Day to honor the people and organizations that drive tourism, economic growth and community vitality worldwide.

Today, there are more than 10,000 destination organizations around the world representing a broad spectrum of entities, including destination marketing organizations (DMOs), convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), tourism boards, sports commissions and film offices. These organizations are a cornerstone of the travel and tourism industry, which employs almost 348 million people and was expected to contribute about 10% of global GDP – more than $11 trillion – to the global economy in 2024, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

In Ouachita Parish, the impact of DMWM includes collegiate and youth sporting events, national shows and tourism marketing grants for 501(c) organizations. In 2024, DMWM hosted 191 events creating an economic impact of $30.11 million in the parish. In addition, visitors on average spent $199 per day during their trips here.

Recognizing Feb. 19 as Destination Professionals Day aims to raise awareness by highlighting the vital contributions of destination professionals in enriching community life and driving economic development; celebrate the achievements and recognize the hard work and dedication of destination professionals across all roles and organizations; and inspire future destination leaders by showcasing the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in the sector to attract the next generation of professionals.

The selection of Feb. 19 as Destination Professionals Day pays homage to the founding of the first destination organization 129 years ago that sparked a global movement that continues to transform destinations like DMWM into ideal places to visit, live, work, play and invest.

DMWM invites our partners and community stakeholders to join in recognizing Destination Professionals Day on February 19, 2025. Share your stories online, celebrate your teams and help us shine a spotlight on the incredible work being done to make DMWM thrive using hashtags #DestinationProfessionalsDay and #DiscoverMWM. A social media kit is available here.

About Discover Monroe-West Monroe

Discover Monroe-West Monroe promotes Ouachita Parish as a destination for leisure travel, conventions, meetings and sporting events, creating a positive economic impact for our local community through increased visitor spending and sales tax collections. For more information about Discover Monroe-West Monroe, visit https://www.monroe-westmonroe.org/.