DECATUR-Decatur Morgan County Tourism (DMCT) held its annual meeting, Tuesday, November 9, 2021, for its stakeholders, presenting the year in review, sharing the 2020 local visitor economic impact and setting the vision for fiscal year 2021-22. The meeting also presented the Hospitality Association’s tourism awards and recognized five corporate companies for excellence in tourism.
“The 2021 theme of Tourism: We Make the Impossible Possible is a celebration of our hospitality partners who have had to deal with quite a bit of uncertainty in the past year. They have come up with new innovative ideas during a season of the unknown. We continue to build on the success of the past and look towards the future,” said Bryan Chapman, 2020-2021 chairman of the board of directors for DMCT.
The annual meeting got underway with the announcement of the Julian Walker “Mr. Tourism” award. The award is presented to a person or persons within Morgan County who has contributed significantly beyond their professional duty to the development and promotion of tourism for the betterment of Decatur and Morgan County. This year’s recipient is Rick Paler, director of the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority.
Tourism is a crucial industry and major economic driver in the city of Decatur, Morgan County and the state of Alabama. According to the most recent economic impact analysis conducted by the Alabama Tourism Department, travel-related expenditures for Morgan County in 2020 exceeded $239 million, a decrease of 14.1% from 2019. Annual state lodging taxes collected in Morgan County in 2020 garnered $1,199,977, down slightly by 14% from 2019, and provided 2,577 local jobs with travel-related earnings of $62 million, reflecting a 15.3% decrease.
“One of the great things about the tourism industry is its impact on employment. From entry-level positions to managerial posts to executive-level jobs, there is a place for a variety of skills and talents in the tourism industry. Tourism puts money in the pockets and purses of our local citizens,” stated Chapman.
During the State of the CVB address by DMCT President and CEO Danielle Gibson, she described the pandemic’s impact on travel, special events and the entire hospitality industry, then presented an aggressive and proactive strategy for recovery. “While lodging tax collection was down last year due to the public health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to see that the figure broke the million dollar mark for the fourth consecutive year,” said Gibson. “In an unprecedented year, we are so proud of our tourism partners and the partnerships formed to help make the effects of the pandemic minimal on our local economy. The figures are somewhat hard to accept especially after 2019 was a record year for our visitor economy. However, the tourism and travel industry is a resilient industry and I am confident as we emerge from the pandemic, our partners, residents and members of the tourism community will enthusiastically welcome visitors back to help this industry reach record levels again.”
Gibson identified key strategies that will be instrumental in bringing back tourism business and driving revenue into the local economy as the nation continues to navigate the fluid COVID-19 pandemic situation. As wedding ceremonies and receptions return post-pandemic, the launch of a new wedding planner will help brides-to-be plan a memorable and successful event in Morgan County.
Outdoor recreation continues to experience growth and DMCT will continue to seek out programs and partnerships to capitalize on the growing consumer trend. The 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, commissioned by the Outdoor Foundation, reveals that in 2020, 53 percent of Americans ages 6 and over participated in outdoor recreation at least once, the highest participation rate on record. Additionally, 7.1 million more Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020 than in the year prior. Last year, the city of Decatur applied be a part of the Tennessee RiverTowns Program (https://www.tnriverline.org/
“The Tennessee River is an important economic tool to the city of Decatur from an industrial standpoint and a recreational standpoint. Along with the opportunity to show the importance of the river to locals, the Tennessee RiverTowns Program will serve as a means to further the goals of attracting more visitors to Decatur. From Native American heritage to outdoor recreation, many stories flow thru the waters of the Tennessee River waiting to be untold and experienced,” said Gibson.
Through participation in the program, Decatur will be able to tap into the growing market of recreational tourism while learning to be good ecological stewards of the land and connect and share ideas with other river communities. “I believe we all owe Mother Nature our commitment to protect the environment so that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy. The RiverTowns program will provide an opportunity to transform Decatur by creating awareness of the river’s benefits while also protecting its landscape,” added Gibson.
Launched in 2020, the Visit Decatur AL ambassador program continues to engage bloggers and content creators to produce compelling material highlighting Decatur and Morgan County. This group of 16 individuals generated 583 posts, producing an engagement rate of over 33,000 and reaching over 128,400 people. The EMV (earned media value) is listed at $117,900. Decatur native Keilee Terry was recognized as the ambassador of the year.
Additional developments of 2020 and 2021 that had a positive impact on tourism growth in Decatur and Morgan County include:
- Newsletter subscribers reached 8,000, up from 6,450 in 2020.
- Hosted over 40 sporting events from September 2020 to October 2021.
- New trails launched include MoCo Music Trail, MoCo Art Trail and MoCo Treat Trail, joining 12 other established tours.
- Shore excursions from riverboat cruises brought in 600 visitors.
- Sixty participants picked up 5,200 pounds of trash along Wheeler Lake in partnership with the Singing River Trail, Keep Alabama Beautiful, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful and 3M.
- Decatur had over 400 editorial mentions with a potential reach of 465 million individuals.
- Over 16 videos added to DMCT YouTube channel.
- Attended over 25 trade shows and conferences to promote Decatur and Morgan County.
- Launched Find Your Flow in Moco podcast.
“Many events are held throughout the year, bringing in thousands of visitors to the area. The special events and tournaments hosted in the area encompass activities that range from soccer to dog shows, tennis to fishing, Ultimate Frisbee to Lacrosse, horse shows to hockey,” added Gibson.
Successful events worth noting include:
- 2021 ABU Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine attracted 82 high school anglers from 28 states and 18 colleges.
- US Youth Soccer tournament attracted 144 teams, resulting in 5,792 room nights sold.
- Over 730 competitors attended the 2021 USA Archery JOAD/Target Nationals/U.S. Team Trials resulting in 1,500 room nights sold.
The annual meeting concluded with the presentation of the Decatur Morgan County Hospitality Association’s 2021 awards.
The top five corporate awards were presented to:
- 5th place top corporate room night producer 3M generated 1,066 room nights in 2020.
- 4th place top corporate room night producer Toyota generated 1,200 room nights in 2020.
- 3rd place top corporate room night producer GE Appliances generated 1,762 room nights in 2020.
- 2nd place top corporate room night producer ULA generated 2,751 room night in 2020.
- 1st place top corporate room night producer Nucor generated 2,823 room nights in 2020.
Linda Schoo, owner and operator of Marco’s Pizza, was awarded the Tourism Professional of the Year. Selected by members of the Decatur Morgan County Hospitality Association, the award is presented to an individual who has made a great contribution to tourism in the past year.
Mary McDonald with the Princess Theatre was the recipient of the Good Neighbor Award. The award is given to a person, business, organization, or entity whose body of work has had a significant impact on local tourism.
The Racking Horse World Celebration, which celebrated its 50th year in Morgan County in 2021, received Event of the Year. The award is presented to a unique event/festival or sports member that has made a significant contribution to tourism in the past year.
Recipients of Hospitality Heroes, a new award recognizing housekeeping staff who have provided top notch customer service during the COVID-19 pandemic, are Theresa Mullinax, inspector at Residence Inn Decatur; Valerie Angel, executive housekeeper at the Courtyard by Marriott; Sherry Campbell with Comfort Inn and Suites and Tiffany Thompson with the Hampton Inn.
Media Release/Danielle Gibson, President & CEO
Decatur Morgan County Tourism, Inc.
