FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO

It is remarkable to see the progress that has been made in Southwest Louisiana over the past two years from a wholistic view of the destination. From new attractions and businesses opening to restaurateurs pushing the boundaries of culinary creativity to thriving festivals and events, these developments generate a solid runway for Visit Lake Charles to attract meetings, sports, and leisure visitors in 2023.

Visit Lake Charles is poised to meet the challenges of a continuously changing travel industry through a tremendous amount of innovation and hard work. Each department at Visit Lake Charles strives to drive visitation and support the local economy through programming that results in travel expenditures. A continued focus will be the utilization of Visit Lake Charles owned media channels to bolster engagement and awareness of events happening within the destination. Last year, Visit Lake Charles launched the first podcast by a destination marketing organization in Louisiana. The podcast, Louisiana’s Playground, was widely received and continues to be a great success into 2023. New initiatives for this year include a refresh for the marketing campaign which will highlight the idea of joy that can be found by visiting Louisiana’s Playground.

Communications programs for 2023 will focus on showcasing stories that highlight the rich diversity of people who champion authentic experiences. Travel trends for media indicate that the media is just as interested in the people who make up the destination – not only what can be experienced in the destination itself. Content creators and media professionals are actively seeking story angles with a human-interest storyline, so that will be a major push for public relations and social media which will incorporate strong messaging for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Sales strategies for conventions, meetings, and events will encompass the balance between shortterm bookings and business that is booked further in advance with the target of increasing confirmed bookings by 15%. International travel trends for 2023 include an emphasis on the great outdoors, sports tourism, luxury travel, culinary journeys, and travel inspiration from entertainment.

Visit Lake Charles is either spearheading or actively participating in an array of community initiatives to support smart growth through working on each of the 10 catalytic projects as identified through the Community Foundation’s public outreach to create the Just Imagine SWLA masterplan. The team is working alongside numerous agencies, municipalities, and businesses that are focused on developing the destination to attract visitors and group business while also enhancing projects that promote a better quality of life for residents.

As you walk through the 2023 business plan, you will see the goals, strategies, and overarching ideas that Visit Lake Charles is implementing to drive visitation, generate media coverage and online engagement. We are looking forward to a prosperous year working with our partners in tourism across the destination.

Kyle Edmiston, CDME

President/CEO