Orlando and Birmingham Leaders Grapple With Tourism Identities They Didn’t Want
Skift Take
Mayors have power to dictate how a city positions itself for tourism. Orlando and Birmingham's stories are ones where the mayors entered office admitting their cities weren't being smart about tourism and they improved their marketing strategies from there.
Many destinations wish they could shed certain reputations that they're either not proud of or don't fully represent what they are in 2017.
In the cases of Orlando, Florida and Birmingham, Alabama, they'd rather you didn't exclusively associate them with major theme parks and the Civil Rights-era church bombings, respectively.
But both cities understand that being the theme park capital of the world or one of the largest bedrocks of the Civil Rights movement are still hooks for visitors that they shouldn't avoid.
Finally, Orlando and Birmingham are embracing their pasts and presents, and using those to shape their futures.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Birmingham Mayor William Bell spoke at the City Nation Place Americas conference in New York City last week about politicians' and city halls' roles in promoting tourism and how they work with tourism boards to attract visitors.
Bell, who's served as Birmingham's mayor since 2010, said the city was trying to become somethin
