Interview: Bill Hardman

Interview: Bill Hardman The addition of Southern Living as a new Corporate Partner with the Southeast Tourism Society is only one more reason why agents and others should use it more often as a support service, says its president, Bill Hardman. “Some of them do use us, but we’d like for more tour operators and agents to see us as a resource to help them. We can offer big benefits for using us,” he told Travelmole.com. The organization of 11 states each month selects the top 20 festivals and events. These are then published quarterly. STS is the largest membership organization of its type in the south. The group’s no. 1 membership base: travel and convention bureaus. “That’s followed by attractions, then by hotels and resorts, then by travel related businesses such as the airlines,” said Mr Hardman. “What we would like to see is for a tour operator of a group going to, say, Jackson, Miss., contact us so we can tell them about attractions, accommodations and tourist attractions in the area,” he said. STS keeps up to date on the latest tourism data available, he added. Since 1983, STS has been promoting tourism for the member states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. A large percentage of Southern Living’s readership and travel advertising business is found within STS’s 11 states, according to Victor Profis, the magazine’s director of travel development. Other STS Corporate Partners include American Express, Amtrak and TRIPSouth.