The Mississippi Tourism Association (MTA) has been honored with the Best Niche Marketing “Shining Example” Award from the Southeast Tourism Society (STS) at the 2025 Connections Conference in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The award recognizes excellence in marketing efforts.
Mississippi Tourism received this distinction for its Heart of Hospitality Workforce Development campaign; a statewide initiative designed to elevate and celebrate the people who power Mississippi’s tourism and hospitality industry.
The Heart of Hospitality campaign combines storytelling videos, certification programs, digital marketing, a podcast and a statewide job bank to highlight tourism as one of Mississippi’s most rewarding career paths.
“This recognition is incredibly meaningful because it celebrates the people at the heart of our industry,” says Danielle Morgan, Executive Director of the Mississippi Tourism Association. “The Heart of Hospitality campaign was created to showcase the pride, passion, and purpose that drive Mississippi’s tourism workforce every day. We’re not just promoting jobs; we’re telling the stories of the people who define what true Southern hospitality means by making visitors feel welcome in a way that’s unlike anywhere else.”
The Southeast Tourism Society’s Shining Example Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the thirteen-state STS region, recognizing programs and individuals that set benchmarks in tourism marketing, leadership, and innovation. The Niche Marketing category specifically honors initiatives that demonstrate distinctive audience targeting and creative execution.