NEWPORT – A year after declaring the City by the Sea a tourism marketing district, Discover Newport has been named the recipient of Civitas Advisors’ inaugural tourism marketing district of the year honor, according to the Newport-based tourism organization Tuesday.
A tourism marketing district, known as a TMD, was formed in Newport in 2017 to, per Discover Newport’s release, “protect reliable, dedicated tourism promotion funding.”
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With the TMD distinction came the Newport Tourism Destination Marketing Management District plan which sees participating hotels charge a $1 assessment per night to fund the budget. By Discover Newport’s tally, an estimated $338,000 will be raised by this effort in the first year.
Civitas Advisors, a Sacramento, Calf.-based consultancy firm, specializes in TMDs, hotelier-funded revenue strategic marketing streams, and boosting leisure and business travel to a destination.
In a statement, John Lambeth, Civitas Advisors’ president and CEO, said: “Evan Smith and his team have set an exceptional precedent in the tourism industry by proactively responding to their funding challenges and employing an offensive strategy to grow their marketing budget.”
A nonprofit organization, Discover Newport is the official destination management organization dedicated to promoting the City of Newport and the eight surrounding coastal townships – Barrington, Bristol, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Warren – in Rhode Island’s Newport and Bristol counties.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
