LAKE CHARLES, LA — The Mississippi Tourism Association (MTA) was honored with the Best Niche Marketing “Shining Example” Award from the Southeast Tourism Society (STS) at the 2025 Connections Conference in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The award recognizes excellence in marketing efforts that demonstrate exceptional creativity, originality, and effectiveness in reaching a clearly defined audience.
Mississippi Tourism received this distinction for its Heart of Hospitality Workforce Development campaign; a statewide initiative designed to elevate and celebrate the people who power Mississippi’s tourism and hospitality industry.
The Heart of Hospitality campaign combines storytelling videos, certification programs, digital marketing, a podcast and a statewide job bank to highlight tourism as one of Mississippi’s most rewarding career paths. The campaign shares the personal stories of professionals working in Mississippi’s travel industry, showcases the pride and professionalism within the industry, and provides accessible training tools to strengthen the state’s tourism workforce.
“This recognition is incredibly meaningful because it celebrates the people at the heart of our industry,” said Danielle Morgan, Executive Director of the Mississippi Tourism Association. “The Heart of Hospitality campaign was created to showcase the pride, passion, and purpose that drive Mississippi’s tourism workforce every day. We’re not just promoting jobs; we’re telling the stories of the people who define what true Southern hospitality means by making visitors feel welcome in a way that’s unlike anywhere else. We’re so proud that this effort, born in Mississippi, is being recognized by our peers across the Southeast.”
The Southeast Tourism Society’s Shining Example Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the 13-state STS region, recognizing programs and individuals that set benchmarks in tourism marketing, leadership, and innovation. The Niche Marketing category specifically honors initiatives that demonstrate distinctive audience targeting and creative execution.
MTA’s Heart of Hospitality program continues to expand, with more than 1,100 Certified Hospitality Experts trained, over 7,900 training modules completed, and ongoing partnerships with schools, industry partners and local tourism organizations statewide.
For more information about the Mississippi Tourism Association and the Heart of Hospitality initiative, visit www.workforce.mstourism.com or www.mstourism.com.
###
About the Mississippi Tourism Association
The voice of tourism, the Mississippi Tourism Association is a membership organization whose mission is to unite all sectors of the tourism industry through advocacy, promotion and education. MTA’s vision is to transform Mississippi’s economy through increased visitor spending and overall travel industry growth. For more than 35 years, MTA has led the Mississippi’s tourism education and advocacy efforts. Membership and organization details can be found at www.mstourism.com