Tampa Bay takes center stage this week as destination experts gather at the largest annual convention for Destinations International.
It runs from July 16-18 at the J.W. Marriot Tampa Water Street.
“Hosting destination professionals in Tampa this week is an opportunity for this community to our region,” said Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.
Destinations International President and CEO, Don Welsh expects record-level conference attendance.
“We are delighted to welcome a sell-out crowd of almost 2,000 attendees representing more than 30 countries and territories,” Welch said.
Visit Tampa Bay continues to see a steady stream of successful conferences hosted.
Lat month, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., hosted their 84th and largest Grand Conclave ever at the Tampa Convention Center with more than 30,000 attendees.
Still to come later this year are more than a dozen large conventions, including the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism August 28-30.
For their annual convention, Destinations International has curated an experience where attendees feel engaged and connected with the Tampa Bay community. They will learn about issues that affect the residents and economy. This includes:
Partnering with the NAACP of Hillsborough County to allow high-school students to shadow DI professionals.
Community service efforts with Feeding Tampa Bay.
Creating a “Giving Circle” by which attendees can donate funds to local non-profits.
Teaming up with Visit Tampa Bay to showcase small local businesses during the convention.
Destinations International plans to catalogue these efforts into a “Tampa Case Study” that will be shared with DMOs both domestically and internationally.
