Phil Frost, 2016 president of the LTPA, left, Webster CVB Executive Director, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, CVB administrative assistant and outgoing Webster Tourism Commission chairman Kerry Easley pose for a photo following the luncheon. Courtesy Photo
LAKE CHARLES — The Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau brought home a prestigious award for its showcase and contributions to tourism.
The Louey Tourism Award, bestowed by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to tourism in Louisiana. Webster Parish brought home the LTPA award for outstanding convention and visitors bureau of the year with a budget of $250,000 to $749,999.
“It is such a great honor to be recognized by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association,” Lynn Dorsey, WPCVB executive director, said. “To receive the highest award in the tourism industry is a huge accomplishment. Webster Parish is now well recognized in the State of Louisiana.”
Webster Parish Tourism Commission member Jim Huffman, Tourism Executive Director Lynn Dorsey, Administrative Assistant Johnnye Kennon and Tourism Commission Chairman Jerry Madden are pictured with the Louey Tourism Award won Thursday at a luncheon and awards program in Lake Charles hosted by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association. Courtesy Photo
Throughout the years, WPCVB has helped promote many events and special attractions of Webster Parish. With its distinctive German history, Minden offers a great deal to travelers of northwest Louisiana, with its quaint downtown boasting of antique and specialty shops along with two restaurants.
The Germantown Colony and Museum now offers a visitors center where tourists can learn about the history of Minden and Webster Parish. The Scottish Tartan Festival boasts of the Scottish roots in Webster Parish and other festivals, including the Fasching Festival, gives tribute to the parish’s German roots.
The parish has received extensive media coverage throughout the year of its newly implemented Gone with the Wind tour at the home of Frances Irving, a descendent of one of the book’s writer. Familiarization tours from Canadian, German and American tour operators have taken off, with several tours booked for an array of different people and organizations for 2016.
The goal of WPCVB is not only to promote the parish and its many attributes, but by doing so, increasing the occupancy tax revenue by 30 percent in 2014 while maintaining that increase in 2015.
The award was presented Thursday, Jan. 28, at a luncheon and awards program in Lake Charles. Other awards presented at the luncheon included tourism campaign/promotion of the year, Victor Profis (Southern Living) Memorial Travel Media Award, festival/event of the year, the travel attraction of the year award, accommodations of the year, restauranteur of the year and campground/RV park of the year.
New Orleans took the only other Outstanding Convention and Visitors Bureau with a budget of $750,000 to more than $1 million.