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HSMAI South Florida Announces 2024 Recipients of the Dr. Peter Ricci Scholarship
HSMAI South Florida | October 15, 2024
Fort Lauderdale, FL – October 15, 2024 – The South Florida chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is proud to announce the 2024 recipients of the prestigious Dr. Peter Ricci Scholarship. This scholarship, awarded annually, supports exceptional students pursuing degrees in hospitality management and related fields at colleges and universities in South Florida. This year’s scholarship recipients are: Maria Martinez – Florida International University (FIU) Victoria Nicora – Florida International University (FIU) Giuseppe Barioli – Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Joyce Kessl...
HSMAI South Florida DMO Achievements & 2024 Forecast Luncheon Highlights Successes and Strategies for Tri-County Tourism Promotion
April 2, 2024
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - April 2nd, 2024 -- On Thursday, March 28th, the HSMAI South Florida Chapter hosted the Annual South Florida DMO Achievements & 2024 Forecast Luncheon at the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale. The event brought together a diverse audience of sales, marketing and revenue management industry leaders seeking insights into the future of the Tri-County tourism promotion.Christina Davis, Co-President of HSMAI South Florida, served as the event's host, while Dr. Peter Ricci, Co-President of HSMAI South Florida, expertly moderated the panel of speakers. The panel featured distinguished representatives from leading Destin...
HSMAI South Florida Names Recipients of Its Annual Dr. Peter Ricci Scholarship at Their 2023 Annual GALA
HSMAI | November 2, 2023
HSMAI South Florida continued the awarding of its annual Dr. Peter Ricci Scholarship at the 2023 Annual GALA held at the Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood, Florida on October 30, 2023. Professor Greg Bohan, Instructor in the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), accompanied by Karima Lanfranco, Hospitality Management Professor and Program Coordinator at Lynn University took to the stage to present checks to three students: Lauren Dwen (Lynn), Ariana Bukovac (FAU) and Aiden Lake (FAU). This scholarship fund, created by HSMAI South Florida former president Carmen Ackerman, was designed to provide...
Re-Imagining Hotel Marketing: Unlocking New Revenue Streams With Next-Gen Technologies
Dr. Anil Bilgihan, Ph.D. | June 7, 2023
This article was co-authored by Peter Ricci. Dr. Ricci is the Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). By Dr. Anil Bilgihan, Ph.D. - Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University, College of Business As the hospitality industry becomes more competitive, the role of the sales and marketing department has never been more crucial. Add in the ever-improving sophistication of revenue optimization and you truly have a fast-moving evolution of the overall sales, marketing, and revenue process. Through the development of innovative programs to increase occupancy and make profitabl...
FAU Poll: Inflation Delivers a Blow to Summer Travel Plans
September 15, 2022
BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Inflation is a major concern for Floridians, with many saying the higher cost of living has greatly affected their finances and forced them to change summer travel plans, according to the latest statewide survey from the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI). More than 85 percent of the 431 respondents said they are concerned or very concerned about the current rate of inflation, while 56 percent said the higher costs have hurt their family budgets. In addition, 63 percent of respondents who did travel this summer opted to stay within the Sunsh...
Travel Trouble: Florida Tourism Slowing Amid Recession Fears, Robust Competition
Florida Atlantic University | June 23, 2022
BOCA RATON, Fla. (June 23, 2022) – Florida leisure travel is showing signs of decline in recent weeks, offering yet another challenge to employers and tourism officials still trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. After the Sunshine State’s tourism enjoyed a big bounce-back year in 2021, domestic and international travelers here now are finding discounts and blocks of availability in some markets. That usually doesn’t happen until the historically slow periods of August and September, said Peter Ricci, Ed.D., director of Florida Atlantic University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program in the College of Business. ...
The Hospitality Industry: Loss of Love -> Loss of Labor
Dr. Peter Ricci | January 11, 2022
By Dr. Peter Ricci The past 3 years of a roller coaster ride has taken the hospitality industry from its best year on record to a pandemic low that, at times, seems to be a permanent fixture. At the start of the pandemic, none of our industry leaders could have imagined the mass exodus of workers that we are now experiencing. From my vantage point as the director of a program that offered a free certificate during COVID to thousands, the voices of the workers (and former workers) are loud and they are clear. To confirm these voices, we later surveyed another 50,000 hospitality workers (had about a 10% response rate) and the sentiments w...
FAU Poll Tells Disturbing Tale of Hospitality and Tourism Employment in Wake of COVID-19
Florida Atlantic University | May 4, 2021
BOCA RATON, Fla. – May 4, 2021 – The world’s battered hospitality and tourism industry has a long way to go to rebound from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey of workers conducted by Florida Atlantic University. Roughly 70 percent of the more than 4,000 respondents felt COVID-19 would have a negative long-term impact on the industry, while 65 percent said they felt the industry did not protect its employees better than other sectors. More than one-third of respondents indicated they would be seeking employment outside the industry over the next year. Meanwhile, desperately needed entry-level work...
