March News-Breeze
A note from Vicky- A special thanks for the kind words, beautiful flowers from the TITC, and condolences from so many during the loss of my mother last month. While putting together a tribute video for her I found some wonderful pictures of her at Tybee as a young girl. It makes me proud to work in a place that she loved so much.
Again many thanks – Vicky
Mardi Gras on Tybee proved to be a great success and also served as the debut of our newly restored Tybee Island float! Congratulations to TITC board member Belinda Flanigan on being crowned 2010 Mardi Gras Queen along with her strapping Mardi Gras King Joe Sheffield! With Mardi Gras completed we’re now on to the St. Patrick’s Day Festivities and Springtime!
The TITC is pleased to announce three new members to its board of directors. Diane Kaufman of Mermaid Cottages, Susan Kelleher of Seaside Sisters, and Keith Gay of Tybee Beach Vacation Rentals. We look forward to their input and working together for Tybee tourism. Welcome aboard!
Recently, Vicky attended a “Boot Camp” in Macon sponsored by the Georgia Office of Tourism on bringing family reunion business to our area. This conference along with the Group Tour conference attended in December have given lots of great information and insight, and the best thing is that they are FREE! “Tourism Day at the Capitol” was also a great day of networking with tourism folks from around the state. The state was presented with a revenue check for over $850,000,000.00 showing how very important the tourism industry is to the state.
Vicky attended several informative social and networking events this past month including the Buy Local of Savannah annual awards luncheon and the Savannah Downtown Business Association annual meeting where Vicky received an award for her five years of board service. The Savannah Chamber’s business connection at the Club at Savannah Harbor, Maritime After Hours held at the new Fort at Forsyth Park (a must see), and Hospitality Night sponsored by SavannahMenu.com are all monthly events and a great way to network with our local community. On another great note, three of Savannah’s tour companies have been listed on the top 100 tours on Tripadvisor!
The Tourism Leadership Council also had their annual dinner in February, which not only recognizes community leaders, service leaders in the hospitality industry, but also awards scholarships to students pursuing degrees in the hospitality industry.
The Tour and Travel committee of the Savannah CVB has a very aggressive marketing plan for 2010 and looks forward to bringing lots of business to Tybee. The TITC will be helping to host a FAM (familiarization tour) this summer along with the Savannah CVB and the GCTA (GA Coast Travel Association) to help showcase Tybee and the coast.
Savannah Days at the I-95 Visitor’s Center the Friday before Mardi Gras brought lots of interest from visitors. Many folks excited that Tybee was going to have some fun festivities for Mardi Gras! Many folks were headed to Daytona but planning on a stop to our area on their return trip.
By now everyone should have received some information about the 2010-2011 Tybee Island Vacation Planner. Vicky will be checking basic information and getting enhanced listings. Remember that these are not only distributed to individuals interested in coming to the area, but all the state Visitor Centers, trade shows, conferences, and other tourism venues. Remember that you must be a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau to be included in the Tybee Vacation Planner. There are so many great reasons to be a chamber member from social networking, advertising and online opportunities.
Lindsay attended Savannah Chatham Day at the Capitol where meetings were held throughout the day with our top state elected officials. It was a great day of networking and gave us the opportunity to talk about key issues related to Tybee tourism with our representatives including Ron Stephens and Buddy Carter.
Hot off the presses are the 2010 Tybee Island Calendar of Events! This year we’ve designed a slick business card sized calendar for easy distribution and to inform our visitors of the events happening on our island throughout the year. There’s always something happening on Tybee and now let’s spread the word.
In other news the EVP Pro Volleyball Tournament is coming to Tybee Island! The tournament will take place May 22nd – 23rd, which is also Beach Bum weekend. Having the tournament and the Beach Bum Parade on the same weekend gives us a great opportunity to bundle these two events and make it a blow out weekend for Tybee!
Please feel free to call Lindsay or Vicky at the TITC and have a great Tybee day!
Lindsay Fruchtl
Marketing Coordinator
912.786.5444
Vicky Buck
Sales/Operations Coordinator
912.786.5444
"The Last Song" is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks and was filmed on Tybee during the Summer of 2009. The movie is now playing in a theater near you. Click on image above to watch a trailer for the film and to learn more about it.