Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority Receives Distinguished Recognition

NEW ACCREDITATIONS FURTHER DISTINGUISH SEATTLE SOUTHSIDE REGIONAL TOURISM AUTHORITY AS A LEADER IN THE DESTINATION MARKETING COMMUNITY

(Pictured left to right): Meagan McGuire, Seattle Southside RTA vice president of sales and services; Katherine Kertzman, president and CEO of Seattle Southside RTA receiving the DMAP credential during the RTA’s 2020 Tourism Symposium from Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International.

The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority (RTA), the official destination marketing organization for Seattle Southside, including the cities of Des Moines, SeaTac and Tukwila, has received two honors from Destinations International: the organization received the globally recognized Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) accreditation, and Meagan McGuire, Seattle Southside RTA vice president of sales and services, received the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) credential, the highest individual educational achievement in the tourism industry.

The DMAP accreditation distinguishes the Seattle Southside RTA as a leader in the destination marketing community. Eligible organizations must be the official governing entity authorized to provide destination marketing and management services for the jurisdiction with two or more years of expertise. The honor was presented to Katherine Kertzman, president and CEO during the RTA’s 2020 Tourism Symposium by Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International.

“Congratulations to the Seattle Southside RTA on achieving DMAP accreditation and joining a very distinguished group of organizations,” said Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International. “Achieving DMAP defines quality and performance standards for destination organizations around the world. The Seattle Southside RTA team has a great leader in Katherine as she continues working across the region to promote Seattle Southside.”

With four years of clean audits and a return on investment of over $40 for every visitor dollar spent since it was created, the Seattle Southside RTA meets the high mark for organizations eligible for this accreditation. Achieving DMAP accreditation provides the RTA with valuable self-improving definitions of performance standards.

McGuire joins an elite group of experienced tourism professionals that have received the CDME credential. Known as the highest individual educational achievement in the tourism industry, the CDME program focuses on vision, leadership and strategy implementation. McGuire received her CDME credential after years of field experience, excelling in six challenging courses and a rigorous final examination.

With over 13 years of sales and tourism expertise, McGuire brings her passion for developing effective strategies to the promotion of Seattle Southside. Her leadership has contributed to the overwhelmingly positive economic impact the RTA has had on the region, resulting in strong year-over-year ROI growth.

“We are proud of Meagan for her dedication and hard work toward obtaining the CDME credential,” said Kertzman. “Our sales and marketing staff is currently 50% certified through Destinations International, and we’re working toward 100%.”

http://www.seattlesouthside.com