The Mississippi Tourism Association is an association comprised of tourism professionals established with a mission is to unite all sectors of the tourism industry through advocacy, promotion and education. Membership is open to those in the hospitality industry as well as public service organizations and allied businesses.
Tourism is the 4th largest industry in Mississippi, employing almost 105,000 people. However, 17,000 direct and indirect jobs have been lost since the pandemic. Mississippi Tourism Association is working on strategies to train and recruit quality tourism professionals to keep up with the demand in this sector.
In fiscal year 2023, visitors to Mississippi generated more than $7.5 BILLION, a 10% increase. These expenditures contributed $744 MILLION in state and local taxes. Mississippi has outpaced the Southeast and much of the nation and was 11th in the country in YoY spending growth in 2023.
Tourism is a consistent multi-billion-dollar producer for Mississippi and our continued investment will help grow our economy and improve the quality of life of our communities throughout the state for both visitors and residents.
Our association was created to be the voice of tourism for industry partners around the state. We work together with our members to strengthen and grow the state’s tourism sectors to ensure all visitors to Mississippi have a positive experience with everyone they encounter within Mississippi’s travel and tourism industry and that our residents and leaders know that tourism is an essential component to our state’s future vitality.
MTA also provides quality educational, professional development and training opportunities as well as networking tools for our members and partners. Through collaborative and grassroots advocacy efforts, we strive to strengthen the tourism industry and achieve our vision of transforming Mississippi’s economy through increased visitor spending and overall travel industry growth.
Danielle Morgan, Executive Director
Mississippi Tourism Association