W O M E N
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B U S I N E S S
Donna O’Daniels President and CEO,
St. Tammany Parish Tourist
photo: PAIGE HENDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY www.bellus.photography
and Convention Commission DONNA O’DANIELS is always looking for ways to help others succeed. Her love of travel and passion for seeing small businesses thrive are what motivate her as Chief Executive Officer of the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in journalism, Donna moved to a coastal city in North Carolina to work in tourism at a historic attraction. In 1995, her husband accepted a position in New Orleans, and the two moved down South. The following year, Donna was hired as the communications director for the Tourism Commission; she was promoted to CEO in 2005. Over the past 16 years, she has led the Commission through Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill and now, the Covid19 pandemic. Along with her team, she is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing campaigns that attract visitors to the area and has been instrumental in transforming the Northshore into a popular destination place for travelers. The St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission is a political subdivision in the State of Louisiana. Its annual budget comes from a 3 percent hotel occupancy tax that is collected from hotels in the area and is re-invested into marketing and promoting the Northshore to attract visitors to the area. The result of their effort is a tourism industry that brought in 2.63 million visitors and 771 million dollars in 2019 alone, with state and local taxes collected from visitors in St. Tammany saving residents close to $1,000 a year in taxes. “Everything starts with a visit,” says Donna. “Before someone decides to move here, they visit. Before someone decides to open a business here, they visit. To see so many businesses moving here and thriving motivates
us to keep going. We know that the part we are playing by keeping the visitor economy flourishing is helping small businesses succeed, while also growing St. Tammany as an economic engine for the region.” Being raised out of state has given Donna a unique perspective on what makes the Northshore a special place to live and visit. “What has remained constant are the reasons people visit St. Tammany, which are the same reasons we choose to live here,” she explains. “The beautiful outdoor attractions and vibrant culinary and art scenes are at the core of what we try to focus on, regardless of a specific situation we are facing or recovering from. Our goal is to remain focused on that message and make sure we are communicating it as effectively as we can.” In 2018, the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission was awarded accreditation by Destinations International, joining the ranks of a select group of 200 organizations worldwide. Destinations International is an organization that promotes the professional development of destination marketing >> May-June 2021 51
