May 10--As Mississippi Travel and Tourism Week winds down, preparations for the new regional tourism authority are well underway.

The boards of supervisors in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties are in the process of choosing the people who will oversee the new tourism venture. Their selections will be critical to the success of a unified promotion of all the attractions all along the Coast.

The tourism industry pumps more than $6 billion a year into Mississippi's economy and is the state's fourth-largest private sector employer. Locally, tourism's impact is especially significant. The tourism industry is the second largest employer on the Coast.

Tourism is also a sound investment for the state and region. It provides a $6.46 return on every $1 invested.

Gov. Phil Bryant has noted that tourism is "an important part of changing the perception of our state around the world." Enhancing the appeal of the entire Coast will be a priority of the new regional approach to promoting tourism, which officially goes into operation in July.

This editorial represents the views of the Sun Herald editorial board,which consists of President-Publisher Glen Nardi,Vice President and Executive Editor Stan Tiner,Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Flora S. Point,Audience and Human Resources Director Wanda Howell,Marketing and Interactive Director John McFarland and Associate Editor Tony Biffle. Opinions expressed by columnists, cartoonists and letter writers are their own.

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