Tourism focus of 2012 Compass Conference
by February 7, 2012 4:20 pm 102 views
The 2012 The Compass Conference will focus on one of the few highlights of the Fort Smith regional economy during 2011: The tourism industry.
The luncheon conference is set for Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, at the Fort Smith Convention Center. Tickets are $35 each, or $325 for a table of 10. Reservations can be made by calling 242-2800
Richard Davies, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, is the scheduled keynote speaker for The Compass Conference presented by Benefit Bank.
“The City Wire is pleased to host the 2012 Compass Conference presented by Benefit Bank, and welcome Richard to the region to help us focus on tourism. Richard has the ability to deliver information while keeping an audience entertained. It won’t be boring,” said Patricia Brown, chief operating officer of TCW Media.
Jeff Collins, the economist for The Compass Report, will review the 2011 economic highs and lows and preview 2012 economic conditions.
Davies served 17 years as State Parks Director before his appointment as the department director on May 24, 1990.
He is a 1972 graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism. Davies is a graduate of Harvard University's Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a member of the Reserve Officers Association.
“Anyone in the Arkansas hospitality industry is always happy to welcome Richard to their community to hear his perspectives on the second largest industry in the state,” said Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Richard’s enthusiasm for tourism on every level is always refreshing. He never fails to remind us how lucky we are to live in the Natural State and about how much fun it is to share it with other folks.”
COMPASS REPORT, TOURISM GROWTH
The Compass Report is the only independent economic analysis of the Fort Smith regional economy. The report measures four leading and four current economic indicators to provide a grade for a regional economy.
Economist Jeff Collins conducts the data collection and analysis for The Compass Report, which is presented by Fort Smith-based Benefit Bank. Link here for the third quarter 2011 report. The fourth quarter report is set for release prior to the Feb. 24 Compass Conference.
The Fort Smith/Van Buren area tourism industry did hold its head above water during 2012.
Hospitality tax collections in Van Buren during 2011 totaled $429,561, up 2.34% compared to 2010.
The 2011 collections end a two-year skid in Van Buren. For all of 2010, Van Buren hospitality tax collections totaled $395,195, down just 0.62% compared to 2009. During 2009, hospitality tax collections were down 7.1% compared to 2008.
“Even in a struggling economy western Arkansas saw growth and development in tourism and hospitality and I see that growth continuing throughout 2012,” said Maryl Koeth, executive director of the Van Buren Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For the year, hospitality tax collections in Fort Smith totaled $708,141, up 4.3% compared to the 2010 period. This is the second consecutive year for a hospitality tax collection gain in Fort Smith.
The regional hospitality sector also had a good 2012 with respect to jobs. Monthly employment in the Leisure & Hospitality job sector averaged 9,066 jobs a month during 2012, better than than the 8,700 in 2010. And for the first time since October 2009, sector employment pushed past 9,000 jobs in April 2012.
Koeth said the tourism industry during 2012 saw several positive developments. Those included:
• May opening of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith's Drennen-Scott Historic Site in Van Buren, a valuable addition to our heritage tourism package;
• The Arkansas River Connections' Arkansas River Revival flotilla in October, highlighting the group's efforts to develop the Arkansas River for tourism and recreation; and,
• Celebrating with all of Arkansas the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
“The tourism industry is flexible enough to build, rebuild or repackage their products as the current economy demands and, unlike the industrial world, tourism and hospitality jobs will not leave the country, they are here to stay. As one tourism colleague likes to point out, try moving the Grand Canyon to China,” Koeth said.