Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast, the tourism marketing organization for the state’s three coastal counties along the Gulf of Mexico – hosted an event for the tourism community to unveil a new name and new ad campaign designed to capitalize on today’s top tourism trends. Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast will now be known as Coastal Mississippi, a new trend for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs).

Talking about the renaming, Milton Segarra, CEO, Coastal Mississippi said, “Coastal Mississippi speaks to who we are and what we offer as a region. Coast is the place where the water meets the land, but coastal encompasses the beaches, the water and the land beyond.”

“The Secret Coast focuses on the region’s largely undiscovered riches.”

Segarra explained the distinction is an important one in highlighting the region’s main competitive advantage. The Coastal Mississippi experience includes the miles of coastal communities stretching along and north of the beaches, offering charming small towns, attractions and activities, diverse natural resources and a rich, authentic culture where visitors can feel right at home.

Coastal Mississippi debuted to the world with a new ad campaign called “The Secret Coast,” which focuses on the region’s largely undiscovered riches and was designed to appeal to a specific travel trend.

Coastal Mississippi is also experiencing a building boom for hotels and attractions. More than 500 new hotel beds will come online in 2019, which can accommodate new visitors to the region as well as repeat visitors who are finding reasons to extend their stay. The Mississippi Aquarium will also open in Gulfport this year, adding a world‐class aquatic tourism attraction to the destination. In addition, Margaritaville Resort & Family Entertainment Centre in Biloxi will undergo a USD 200 million expansion this year, adding more hotel rooms, restaurants, meeting space and family attractions including an amusement park and water park. Within the next five years, Coastal Mississippi will see at least 30 new projects developed, amounting to an investment of over USD 669 million, Segarra added.