Huntsville is set host the 2021 Southeast Tourism Society Domestic Showcase, according to an announcement this week out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Domestic Showcase conference is “one of the largest industry marketplace events of its kind, bringing together over 600 tourism professionals, tour operators, and destination marketing organizations throughout the South.”

“Domestic Showcase will be held in Huntsville, February 8-11, 2021, and will be Huntsville’s first time serving as the host destination,” a press release noted. “Next year’s event will also mark the first year the conference will be hosted by the Southeast Tourism Society, following a change in leadership announced in 2019 from the convention’s original host organization, Travel South USA.”

Travel South USA began the first regional, domestic, computerized marketplace in 1983 in an effort to bring more group travel business to the Southern states. Since its inception, it has expanded to include travel media representatives, state tourism offices and other travel and tourism entities.

The Southeast Tourism Society was established in 1983 and “serves as a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism throughout the Southeast United States.”

“We are thrilled to host the 2021 Domestic Showcase. We look forward to being the first host city under the new guidance of our partners at the Southeast Tourism Society, and we appreciate the work Travel South USA has done to make this conference what it is today,” said Judy Ryals, president and CEO for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).

“Domestic Showcase is a first-rate conference for our industry, and they’ll have a first-rate experience to match when they visit the Rocket City,” Ryals added.

The announcement was also accompanied by a video showing this year’s attendees what they can expect to experience in the Rocket City next year.

Watch:

A team of Huntsville, Madison County and Alabama representatives, including Ryals, CVB Vice President of Tourism Jennifer Moore, Executive Vice President Charles Winters, Tourism Sales Manager Pam Williams, Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association President/CEO Tami Reist and Grey Brennan, Deputy Director for the Alabama Tourism Department, were all in attendance for the 2020 Domestic Showcase to make the 2021 announcement.

“Domestic Showcase is one of the premier events of our industry, and we look forward to welcoming them in 2021,” said Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism Director. “Hosting events of this stature highlights Alabama’s role as a leader in tourism in the Southeast, and we hope attendees will take advantage of all that we have to offer during their time here.”