2020 NPTC Annual Report

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

NATCHITOCHES PARISH TOURIST COMMISSION

2020

MISSION Maximize economic growth by generating overnight stays through promoting tourism marketing, convention and meeting business, and festivals and events through Natchitoches Parish.

STAFF Arlene Gould - Executive Director

2020

Kelli West - Director of Marketing & Communications Anne Cummins - Group & Tourism Sales Coordinator Travel Counselors/Interns: Megan Palmer Tia Dixon Danielle Settle

COMMISSION MEMBERS Lauryn Sharplin - Chairman David Guillet - Vice Chair Jan Frederick - Treasurer Landon Amberg Mardy Summerlin Richard Johnson Ricky LaCour

NATCHITOCHES PARISH TOURIST COMMISSION

2020

a year's overview

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR The year 2020 began on a high note with the Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau being honored with two Louie Awards presented by the Louisiana Travel Association: Outstanding Convention & Visitors Bureau/TC of the Year and Tourism Campaign of the Year for the Blush and Bashful event campaign.

But then, 2020 became a very challenging year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic early in the year. The economy was hit with a shut down in March that led to an uncertain future. Events and Festivals were canceled and/or postponed. We slashed our marketing budget by $50,000 not knowing what the income/revenue would be like for the remainder of the year. Yet, we ended the year with great results considering we were less than 9% of our previous year occupancy tax collections and achieved our largest net gain due to great year end revenues.

We achieved more national and international recognition while marketing Natchitoches to the region, state, nation and abroad. And continued to add to our impressive list of accolades including the USA Today's 10Best contests, coming in #1 as the "Best Public Holiday Display" and #5 in "Best Historic Small Town."

Our efforts to collect the AirBnB Occupancy Tax were addressed by the state legislature by passing legislation in 2020 calling for occupancy tax to be collected on ALL shortterm rentals, one room or more.

The 2020 Annual Report will show the results of efforts and while we have made progress, there is still work to do, including our effort to collect the back taxes from the Chateau St. Denis and resolving the Attorney General Opinions that were issued in October 2018 and in August 2020.

As Executive Director, I am proud to represent Natchitoches as a board member of the Louisiana Travel Association entering into my 6th and final year on the board, and, as the 2021 Chair of the Louisiana Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. In June 2020, I was named a board member for the national organization, the Jefferson Highway Association. I take pride in, and look forward to continue, working with our tourism marketing partners, Louisiana's Holiday Trail of Lights, El Camino Real de los Tejas Caddo Region, No Man's Land, Louisiana Office of Tourism, and many others, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

The Natchitoches CVB staff will continue to promote, market and represent Natchitoches with much pride in the coming year and work with our tourism partners to achieve even greater results for 2021.

NATCHITOCHES PARISH TOURIST COMMISSION

2020

2020

The Natchitoches Parish Tourist

STATEMENT OF FINANCES Commission is funded by a 3% Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax, with additional rental income and a state sales tax rebate, known as Visitor Enterprise Funds.

Total Expense: $413,195.36

$20,000 matching Cooperative Marketing Program Grant from the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

Additionally, the NPTC was awarded a $2,950 grant from the Louisiana Office of Tourism to be

The Natchitoches Parish Tourist

Total Revenue: $557,407.77

Commission was awarded a

spent prior to June 30, 2020, on staycation and regional travel messaging. And $3,000 for a holiday grant to promote shopping and holiday events.

Net Income: $144,212.41

Bond Payment $50,000.00

Actual Income: $94,121.41

8% decrease in hotel/motel occupancy tax compared to 2019 2020 Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax Collections = $390,576.01 2019 Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax Collections = $422,764.64

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

BUDGETED EXPENSES

Advertising & Marketing Salaries & Benefits Accounting Insurance Equipment Rental & Maintenance Interest Expense Postage & Delivery Office Supplies Telephone Hospitality Utilities Dues & Subscriptions Computer Repairs/Programs Storage Facility Website Development Professional Fees Building Repairs & Maintenance Security System Vehicle Repairs & Maintenance

$ 176,974.81 167,622.59 12,900.00 10,449.86 5,949.19 5,725.00 5,177.29 5,125.99 4,819.15 3,527.01 2,698.40 2,659.48 2,144.65 2,040.00 1,896.00 1,475.00 1,139.68 720.00 151.26

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

VISITOR CENTER By the Numbers

*

*The Visitor Center was closed to the public March 16-June 30, and Novemer 21-December 31 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Brochure & Visitor Guide Inquiries The Natchitoches CVB distributed its main inquiry piece, the Natchitoches brochure and visitor guide, which contains information on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do in Natchitoches and Natchitoches Parish.

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

A GLOBAL VIEW

YEAR 2020 2018

International Visitors by Percent receiving assistance by the Natchitoches Welcome Center International visitors are highly sought after because they generally stay longer and spend more money, They also are more likely than domestic travelers to fan out across the state instead of sticking close to New Orleans.

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

MARKETING & ADVERTISING Social Media Facebook

Twitter

25,723

1,790

Facebook Likes

Twitter Followers

+4,475

+15

2019: 21,248

2019: 1,775

2018: 18,478

2018: 1,630

3,204

12,643

Instagram Followers

YouTube Views

+734

+44 Subscribers

2019: 2,470

2019: 13,872 views

2018: 2,045

2018: 5,136

Instagram

YouTube

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

WEBSITE

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL GEOMETRY TOURIST COMMISSION NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018 YEAR 2020 2018

PUBLIC RELATIONS The public relations value of digital articles, editorials and blogs regarding Natchitoches Tourism and Natchitoches news in general during 2020 is valued at $12.08 million.

Featured on regional television and radio stations 19 plus times in 2021, promoting local events and happenings.

Hosted 10 travel writers during the year, including writers on the TravelSouth Domestic Showcase Pre-familiarization Tour in March and Big Blend Radio and National Parks Magazine in July.

Fulfilled 17+ requests from travel writers and publications for information and photos for stories, including USA Today 10Best, AARP, Country Magazine, 64 Parishes, Louisiana Kitchen & Culture, KSLA and Fodor's Travel.

A digital newsletter was sent out 4 times during 2020 with an average open rate of 22.25%, up from 19.3% in 2019.

Participated in marketing partnerships including El Camino Real - Caddo Region Marketing Group, No Man's Land and Holiday Trail of Lights.

Attended the New York Times Travel Show and the Los Angeles Travel Show, meeting with travel writers, travel agents, and individual travelers. Also presented on the Cultural Traveler Panel to NY Times Travel Show attendees.

Attended TravelSouth Domestic Showcase, meeting with 43 travel writers and editors.

Presented at 2 civic/organization luncheons regarding the CVB and its work in tourism marketing.

Metrics and placements collected by Meltwater.

News Mentions

Advertisting Value Equivalency

Media Exposure

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

Grants & Partnerships The Louisiana Office of Tourism supports the promotion of tourism in Louisiana by providing matching grants to Louisiana convention and visitors bureaus for placement advertisements in eligible media outlets. Natchitoches CVB received a $19,682.00 grant in 2020/2021 and placed near $40,000 in advertisement placements as listed below:

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

GROUPS & TOURISM SALES JANUARY LFLTA - Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers Assn., Group of 100 FEBRUARY Shoreline Tours & Travel, Group of 35 from Canada MARCH Purpose Driven Tours, Group of 40 JUNE LTLA Class - Louisiana Travel Leadership Academy, Group of 23 OCTOBER Camille Barkley Travel Service, Group of 15 Traveling Supremes RV, Group of 20 RVs Smart RVs, Group of 10 RVs NOVEMBER Zachary Travel & Cruise Center, Group of 50 DECEMBER Tumbleweed Tours, Group of 40 LHSAA Football Prep Classic, Group of 22,564

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

500

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GROUP MARKETING

750

New York Times Travel Show Los Angeles Times Travel Show TravelSouth Domestic Showcase American Coach Association National Rally

Motorcoach 5.1%

GROUP VISITATION BREAKDOWN

Convention/Meeting/Conferences 3.8%

Educational/NSU 8.3%

2020 33,104 individuals Other

2019 43,805 individuals

51.9%

Social 17.3%

Weddings 1.3% Sports & Recreation 10.3%

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

Partnerships Local

Natchitoches Main Street Program Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Natchitoches Historic District Business Association Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches Natchitoches Historic Foundation St. Augustine Historical Society Northwestern State University of Louisiana City of Natchitoches Keep Natchitoches Beautiful Go Natchitoches Natchitoches Parish Government

State

Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum Holiday Trail of Lights Tourism Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Louisiana Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus Louisiana Travel Association Louisiana Restaurant Association No Man’s Land Tourism Colonial Trail Byway Louisiana Trails & Byway Program

National

National Park Service (Cane River Creole National Historical Park) Brand USA, International Content Cooperative Program El Camino Real de los Tejas (Caddo Region Cane River National Heritage Area Kisatchie National Forest National Fish Hatchery

YEAR 2020 2018

NATCHITOCHES PARISH GLOBAL TOURISTGEOMETRY COMMISSION

YEAR 2020 2018

Natchitoches'

ACCOLADES

December 2020

August 2020

July 2020

“Best Public Light Display”

“The Most Beautiful Main Streets in Every State”

Finalist “Best Historic Small Towns”

Cheapism.com

USAToday 10 Best

USAToday 10 Best

June 2020 “Top 20 Festival/Event” Natchitoches Car Show Southeast Tourism Society

April 2020 "Best Small Southern Town” Southern Living Magazine

January 2020

November 2019

"Outstanding Convention & Visitors Bureau/ TC of the Year"

"Best ‘Main Street’ Shopping Districts in All 50 States"

Louisiana Travel Association

Cheapism.com

December 2018 "The 10 Best Cities to Get Your Christmas Lights Fix" Livability.com

January 2020 "Tourism Campaign of the Year" Louisiana Travel Association

April 2019 "The Best Small Town in Louisiana" Southern Living Magazine

December 2018

November 2018

"America's 25 Most Festive Christmas Towns:

Main Street named one of five Success Stories

RaveReviews.com

Main Street America