Tag: tourism

Travel industry hopes pent-up demand leads to strong 2021

The impacts of the lingering COVD-19 pandemic can be seen in virtually every area of the U.S. economy, but perhaps the effects are no more visible than in the travel…

Rural economic development program focused on tourism, retail enters second phase

A pilot program focused on economic development in six rural Arkansas counties has moved on to its second phase, interviewing business owners involved in retail, entertainment, accommodations and tourism. Create…

Bill Barnes, Robert Moore named to Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame

Bill Barnes, president of the Tri-Pennant Family of Resorts, and Robert Moore, a farmer and politician, will be inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame during a noon luncheon…

Travel traffic, gas prices to spike during Memorial Day weekend, AAA says

Travelers planning to get away for some rest and relaxation for the Memorial Day holiday may instead find some frustrations thanks to heavy traffic and high pump prices expected at…

Airbnb agrees to pay city lodging tax in Hot Springs

Airbnb will begin paying hospitality taxes in Hot Springs starting June 1, the company announced Wednesday (May 17). Hot Springs is the first city in Arkansas to reach an agreement…

AHTD report: One-third of Arkansans cycle almost every day

A new Arkansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan released by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department calls for better pedestrian accommodations, increased safety awareness and more planning on both the regional…

Touting tourism

Earlier this week, I joined nearly 400 tourism leaders at the 43rd Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. It was an opportunity to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of those in Arkansas’s…

Gov. Hutchinson praises tourism industry; Henry Award winners announced

The 2017 Governor’s Conference on Tourism wrapped up Tuesday (March 14) with its Henry Award winners coming from a broad swath of the state, including Eureka Springs, Fort Smith, Texarkana…

State tourism officials hope legislature flushes bathroom bill

State tourism officials Wednesday (Feb. 15) said the so-called “bathroom bill” filed on Valentine’s Day by two Republican state senators would dramatically impact Arkansas’ tourism and hospitality industries, causing convention…

Hotel revenue on the rise in most of Arkansas, especially in NWA and Jonesboro

Hotels in the northern half of the state saw increases in key performance metrics in 2016, with the Northwest Arkansas region and Jonesboro posting the highest gains in revenue per…

Arkansas tourism industry hopes to build off two-year ‘hot streak,’ may face some economic headwinds in 2017

After a record-setting year in 2015, Arkansas’ dynamic tourism and hospitality industry bolstered the state’s economic growth in 2016 and is forecasted to end the year by eclipsing last year’s…

NWA ranks 6th in the nation for hospitality job growth

Continued growth in the hotel and restaurant job market has resulted in a tug of war for employees, but the leader of the states hospitality association calls it par for the course.

Fayettevilles Georges Majestic Lounge celebrates 90 years in business

The establishment will celebrate the anniversary with several concerts New Year Eves weekend, according to a press release from venue owner Brian Crowne, also vice president of the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion (AMP) in Rogers.

Walmart Foundation funds school trips to Amazeum with $1 million grant

Students at schools in Benton and Washington counties will be able to attend field trips at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville at no charge for the next three years, thanks to a more than $1 million grant from the Walmart Foundation, the Amazeum announced Thursday (Dec. 8).