louisiana travel association president

Discover Monroe-West Monroe president named Chairman of Louisiana Travel Association

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The Louisiana Board of Directors named Alana Cooper as Chairman of the Louisiana Travel Association on Jan. 20, 2023.

Cooper currently serves as the President and CEO of Discover Monroe-West Monroe.

“I am honored to be serving LTA and the more than 900 members the association represents throughout the state,” Cooper said. “This organization has worked to lead and strengthen Louisiana’s tourism for 62 years, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members to keep the momentum going.”

The executive board is made up of representatives from Visit Baton Rouge, Houma Area CVB, Lafayette CVC, Visit Lake Charles, Monroe-West Monroe CVB, New Orleans & Co., Louisiana Northshore, Shreveport-bossier CTB and Tangipahoa Parish CVB.

Kim Dodd Baosso, LTA President and CEO says, “Our executive committee and board of directors are responsible for helping us meet the needs of our members and making sure we accomplish our goals of providing educational and marketing opportunities while also advocating on the industry’s behalf. We are excited to be starting off another year with a great group of industry leaders that represent the entire state.”

Copyright 2023 KNOE. All rights reserved.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Severe weather causes several road closures through NELA

Woman who was pronounced dead comes back to life at funeral home, sheriff’s office says

City of Monroe to unveil new professional hockey team

Monroe police search for runaway juvenile

Monroe man arrested for sex crimes involving juvenile after victim calls 911

Latest news.

Heat and medications don't always mix

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling

LifeShare Blood Center hosts unique blood drive

New Music on the Bayou Festival

Severe weather planning and preparation

• Real Estate
• Daily Report AM
• Daily Report PM
• 10/12 Industry Weekly
• Sign up for our free newsletters
• Capital Region 500
• 2023 StartUp City
• 2023 Welcome: Official Visitor’s Guide to Greater Baton Rouge
• Business Lunch Directory
• What’s New in Health Care 2024
• 2024 Annual Report
• Be Our Guest
• Cancer Connection
• Giving Guide
• Sign in / Join

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Louisiana travel association president to lead visit baton rouge.

Jill Kidder, currently president and CEO of the Louisiana Travel Association, will be the next leader of Visit Baton Rouge. 

Already an INSIDER? Sign in .

We are glad you enjoy reading business report..

• Get access to more than a decade of story archives.
• Get access to our searchable data center of TOP LISTS.
• Get exclusive content only available to INSIDERS.

• The Outdoors
• Art & Theater
• Duck Dynasty
• RV Parks & Camping
• Submit Event
• MEET OUR STAFF

Alana Cooper Elected as Chairman of Louisiana Travel Association’s Board

CONTACT : Alana Cooper 318-387-5691 [email protected] Alana Cooper elected as Chairman of Louisiana Travel Association’s board New Orleans, La. (Jan 20, 2023) – Alana Cooper, President/CEO of Discover Monroe-West Monroe was installed as Chairman of the Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) Board of Directors at its annual meeting at The Higgins Hotel New Orleans.

“I am honored to be serving LTA and the more than 900 members the association represents throughout the state,” said Alana Cooper, LTA Chairman. “This organization has worked to lead and strengthen Louisiana’s tourism industry for 62 years, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members to keep the momentum going.” New officers installed on the executive board committee include the following: Ralph Ney, with Baton Rouge Marriot, as vice chairman; Donna O’Daniels, with Louisiana’s Northshore, as treasurer; Nelson Gumm, with AJR Media Group, as secretary; and Kyle Edmiston, with Visit Lake Charles, as immediate past chair. The executive board also includes representatives from each organization who join LTA as a Chairman’s Circle member: Visit Baton Rouge, Houma Area CVB, Lafayette CVC, Visit Lake Charles, Monroe-West Monroe CVB, New Orleans & Co., Louisiana Northshore, Shreveport-Bossier CTB and Tangipahoa Parish CVB. New members on the board of directors are Stephen Hightower, with City Group Hospitality; Vimal “Ricky” Patel, with DIVI Hospitality; Adrienne Breaux, with Hyatt Centric French Quarter & The Eliza Jane; John Grubb, Cook Hotel & Conference Center; Jay Ducote, JDD Consulting LLC; and Scott Ballard, with Ballard Brands. Returning members on the board of directors are Ralph Calhoun, with the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens; Cody Gray, with the Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou; Aaron Dirks, with Limousine Livery; Jeremy Cooker, with New Orleans & Company; Kevin Dolliole, with Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport; Joanna Folse-Alexander, with Sunrise Hospitality; Stephen Watson, with The National WWII Museum; Jady Regard, with Cane River Pecan Company; Morgan Moss, with The Myrtles Plantation; Mike Buckley, with the Golden Nugget Casino and Resort; Chris Landry, with LBA Hospitality; Jay Sharplin, with SharpCo Hotels; Stacy Brown, with Shreveport-Bossier CTB; Carla Tate, with Tangipahoa Parish CVB; Walt Leger, with New Orleans & Company; Jill Kidder, with Visit Baton Rouge; Sondra Corbitt, with Houma Area CVB; Ben Berthelot, with Lafayette CVC; Vito Zuppardo, with Miles Partnership; and Rebecca Blankenbaker, with Cane River National Heritage Area. “Our executive committee and board of directors are responsible for helping us meet the needs of our members and making sure we accomplish our goals of providing educational and marketing opportunities while also advocating on the industry’s behalf,” said Kim Dodd Boasso, LTA president and CEO. “We are excited to be starting off another year with a great group of industry leaders that represent the entire state.” Officers on the executive committee and members of the board of directors are elected during the annual meeting. Each year, the chairman of the board selects a nominating committee that is comprised of members who are not up for re-election and who are not seeking office. This committee is responsible for presenting a slate to the members of the association that recognizes all regions of the state and all segments of the tourism industry.

### About the Louisiana Travel Association: LTA is a trade association leading and strengthening Louisiana’s vibrant tourism industry through promotion, education and advocacy on behalf of our members. Tourism generated $16.8 billion for Louisiana in 2021 and is the 5th highest employer in the state. For more information, visit LouisianaTravelAssociation.org . About Discover Monroe-West Monroe: Discover Monroe-West Monroe promotes Ouachita Parish as a destination for leisure travel, conventions, meetings, and sporting events creating a positive economic impact for our local community through increased visitor spending and sales tax collections. For more information about Discover Monroe-West Monroe, visit www.monroe-westmonroe.org .

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More

Experience Builder

Quick search, location map.

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

Sign up for our E-Newsletter

Get your free welcome guide, get the latest scoop from the red stick blog, louisiana travel association & visit baton rouge host louisiana travel summit.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2023

Emmie Fuson

Director of Communications & Advocacy

(225) 346-1857

[email protected]

Tamaria Williams

Communications Manager

(225) 382-3577

[email protected]

Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) and Visit Baton Rouge (VBR) are hosting 400+ travel and tourism professionals this week at the Louisiana Travel Summit at The Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge.

“We’re excited to be in the Capital City for our annual Louisiana Travel Summit,” said Chris Landry, LTA’s President & CEO. “We look forward to seeing 400+ tourism professionals at our association’s largest educational event.”

This three-day conference features a keynote address from the Lt. Governor, top educational speakers from around the country, workshops addressing the latest industry trends and a 2023 gubernatorial candidate forum.

“As the industry gathers to celebrate accomplishments and learn alongside peers, we are thrilled to host the annual Louisiana Travel Summit,” said Jill Kidder, VBR’s President & CEO. “With a prime, central location— Baton Rouge is the perfect place to celebrate the economic and cultural impacts of Louisiana’s travel and tourism industry.”

Visit louisianatravelassociation.org for speaker and session details, a downloadable brochure and information about an online auction.

About Visit Baton Rouge

Visit Baton Rouge is the designated Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for East Baton Rouge Parish, responsible for promoting and showcasing the region. Our primary mission is to increase visitation to and awareness of the Baton Rouge Area thereby enhancing economic impact. Stay up to date with the latest press releases and Baton Rouge tourism news at visitbatonrouge.com/media/press-releases . Join our social media community and follow us @visitbatonrouge for more updates.

About the Louisiana Travel Association

LTA is a trade association leading and strengthening Louisiana’s vibrant tourism industry through advocacy, education and promotion on behalf of our members. Tourism generated $1.9 billion for Louisiana in 2022 and is the 4th highest employer in the state. For more information, visit LouisianaTravelAssociation.org .

Tamaria is the Communications Manager for Visit Baton Rouge. Find her on  Linkedin to learn more about her! If you have a press release or any news to share, please send to [email protected] or directly to Tamaria at [email protected] . 

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

Visitors Guide

Request a copy, e-newsletter, click to sign up, ben berthelot elected as vice-chair of louisiana travel association’s board.

Ben Berthelot, President and CEO of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission was installed as Vice-Chair of the Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) Board of Directors at its annual meeting at the Holiday Inn Alexandria - Downtown.

“I am honored to be serving LTA and the 750 members the association represents throughout the state,” said Ben Berthelot, LTA vice-chair. “This organization has worked to lead and strengthen Louisiana’s tourism industry for 58 years, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members to keep the momentum going.”

New officers installed on the executive board committee include the following: Janice Delerno Verges, with the Stockade Bed & Breakfast, as chairman; Kerry Andersen, independent consultant, as secretary; Kyle Edmiston, with Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana CVB, as treasurer; and Travis Napper, with Ruston-Lincoln CVB, as immediate past chair.

“Our executive committee and board of directors are responsible for helping us meet the needs of our members and making sure we accomplish our goals of providing educational and marketing opportunities while also advocating on the industry’s behalf,” said Jill Kidder, LTA president and CEO. “We are excited to be starting off another year with a great group of industry leaders that represent the entire state.”

Officers on the executive committee and members of the board of directors are elected during the annual meeting. Each year, the chairman of the board selects a nominating committee that is comprised of members who are not up for re-election and who are not seeking office. This committee is responsible for presenting a slate to the members of the association that recognizes all regions of the state and all segments of the tourism industry.

About the Louisiana Travel Association LTA is a trade association leading and strengthening Louisiana’s vibrant tourism industry through promotion, education and advocacy on behalf of our members. Tourism generated $1.8 billion for Louisiana in 2017 and employs more than 236,000 people throughout the state. For more information, visit LouisianaTravelAssociation.org.

Lafayette Travel

Expect the cost of your airfare to continue to rise, an aviation trade group warns

The cost of your next flight is likely to go up

DUBAI -- The cost of your next flight is likely to go up.

That's the word from the International Air Transport Association, which held its annual meeting Monday in Dubai, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates.

While carriers recover from the groundings worldwide from the coronavirus pandemic, industry leaders told journalists that there are several costs likely to push those ticket prices ever higher.

Part of that comes from worldwide inflation, an ongoing problem since the pandemic started. Jet fuel costs, roughly a third of all airline expenses, remain high. Meanwhile, a global push for the aviation industry to decarbonize has more carriers fighting for the little amount of so-called sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, available in the market.

"The airlines will continue to do everything they can to keep costs in control as much as possible for the benefit of consumers," said Willie Walsh, the director-general of the the International Air Transport Association, an industry-trade group. "But I think it's unrealistic to expect that airlines can continue to absorb all of the costs. ... It's not something we like to do, but it's something we have to do."

Also pressuring the industry is a pandemic hangover in aircraft production as well, they say. Carriers now keep older planes that burn more fuel flying longer. There also aren't enough new aircraft to expand routes and increase supply to bring down overall prices.

That warning comes as the IATA estimates globally, airline revenue will reach nearly $1 trillion in 2024, a record high. There will be 4.96 billion travelers on airplanes this year, with total expenses for carriers reaching $936 billion - another record high.

But industry profits also are expected to be nearly $60 billion this year.

In particular, Emirates, a main driver for Dubai's economy, saw record profits of $4.7 billion in 2023 off revenues of $33 billion.

The Emirates' results track with those for its base, Dubai International Airport. The world's busiest airport for international travelers had 86.9 million passengers last year, surpassing numbers for 2019 just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation.

The airport now plans to move to the city-state's second, sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches in the next 10 years in a project worth nearly $35 billion.

Tim Clark, the airline's president, obliquely acknowledged that Monday by saying that he didn't want people to "get boxes of tissues out and play the violins" when warning that the industry's profit margins sit in the low single digits. However, he contended that as airlines have grown larger and carriers consolidated, cost savings have quietly been passed onto consumers now able to book flights across the world.

"It is quite amazing that ticket prices are where they are today," Clark said. "I think the value-for-money proposition that the consumers have had the benefit from for many decades is something that is one of those hidden bits of the narrative."

Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the CEO of RwandAir, also highlighted the taxes and fees imposed on carriers by the countries they operate in. She specifically cited those paid by carriers flying out of African nations as "already ridiculous."

Related Topics

• U.S. & WORLD

Military aircraft crashes off of airfield near Albuquerque airport

Spirit Airlines passengers prepared for possible water landing | VIDEO

Mike Tyson recovering after medical scare on flight

12 injured during turbulence on Qatar Airways flight to Dublin

Top stories.

Engineer no longer with NASA as he faces 7th sexual assault charge

• 39 minutes ago

Montrose attacker whales on victim before bystanders step in: HPD

• 10 minutes ago

Another scorcher coming Wednesday

• 22 minutes ago

Train plows through and splits 18-wheeler's trailer in Jersey Village

• 3 hours ago

Leaking manhole blocking part of I-10 EB in Baytown, officials say

Texas A&M traditional bonfire will not return, president says

AT&T customers facing 'nationwide issue'

• 37 minutes ago

Person shot to death on Sam Houston Tollway at I-45, deputies say

• myState on Mississippi State University
• Directory on Mississippi State University
• Calendars on Mississippi State University
• A-Z Index on Mississippi State University
• Maps on Mississippi State University
• News on Mississippi State University
• Contact on Mississippi State University

MSU’s Lance named vice president of National Band Association

Contact: Bethany Shipp

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Elva Kaye Lance, Mississippi State’s director of bands, is the new vice president of the largest professional band organization worldwide.

A veteran music educator for more than 40 years, Lance was elected to the leadership role for the National Band Association this spring and will serve a two-year term before moving into the roles of president-elect and president. Craig Aarhus, one of the Famous Maroon Band’s associate directors, was re-elected as an at-large representative on the board of directors.

Founded in 1960, the NBA promotes band activities across the globe and includes representatives from universities and elementary, middle and high school bands, as well as conductors of professional ensembles and community and military bands.

“It is humbling to be elected to this leadership position in our National Band Association,” Lance said. “I am very much looking forward to joining the leadership team and working with the many outstanding musicians in our field who enrich the profession through their involvement in this prestigious association.”

As vice president, Lance will guide the duties of the division and state chairs and work with other members of the executive council to assist the president with various projects and needs determined by the organization. She will assume her duties this week during the executive council’s meeting in Washington, D.C.

“The excellence of our band faculty from Starkville, Mississippi, and throughout the world has a resounding impact on the strength of a great MSU university music program,” said Daniel Stevens, head of MSU’s Department of Music. “They humbly lead through action to provide opportunities for students to excel in the classroom and on the concert stage. For 40 years, Ms. Lance has continued to break barriers among societal norms and proven that inclusivity and innovation provide pathways for future students to excel as educators and professional musicians.”

With more than 30 years of university service, Lance has led MSU’s band program through the completion of a multimillion-dollar rehearsal facility, construction of a new synthetic turf practice field and student enrollment growth. She maintains an active schedule as a clinician and adjudicator for concert and marching band events throughout the country and has served as state chair for both the NBA and the College Band Directors National Association. Lance also is an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.

“Lance is a constant advocate for the profession of music and inspires colleagues across several R1 institutions to garner respect and influence through decisive action,” Stevens said. “She has been lifted to the highest levels of leadership by her genuine character, an impressive list of accolades and a strong vision for the future of music.”  

In his second term as an elected at-large representative, Aarhus will continue to work closely with the NBA executive council in administering the organization. He previously served as an appointed board member and as the southern division chair and state chair. In addition to teaching, Aarhus co-directs MSU’s Famous Maroon Band and basketball pep bands and conducts a wind ensemble, the Concert Band and Campus Band.

Learn more about MSU’s band program, housed in the College of Education, at https://www.msuband.msstate.edu .

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at  www.msstate.edu .

Monday, June 3, 2024 - 2:21 pm

• Arts & Society
• Education & Leadership News
• Faculty & Staff News
• College of Education

You may also be interested in…

Msu’s warkentin named association for information systems fellow.

May 06, 2024

MSU’s Granger receives national PKP service award

May 30, 2024

MSU’s Granger receives Phi Kappa Phi Ray Sylvester Distinguished Service Award

May 10, 2024

• Find Mississippi State University on Facebook
• Find Mississippi State University on Instagram
• Find Mississippi State University on LinkedIn
• Find Mississippi State University on Pinterest
• Find Mississippi State University on Twitter
• Find Mississippi State University on YouTube