Mac Lacy

Lexington

President and Publisher at Small Market Meetings

President and Publisher at The Group Travel Leader

President and Publisher at Select Traveler

Travel groups are getting smaller, smarter, more independent and more fun! Find yours!

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Articles

An Affinity Travel Snapshot

1 week ago | selecttraveler.com | Mac Lacy

A group of friends enjoy exploring during an international trip It was just a few weeks ago that I watched 50 or so affinity travel planners filling out travel surveys in a sunlit room overlooking the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky, at the Select Traveler Conference.
Travel South USA Announces Agreement with Michelin Guide

2 weeks ago | grouptravelleader.com | Mac Lacy

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Travel South USA, the leading industry organization for marketing international travel into the southern United States, has entered into an agreement with the MICHELIN Guide to feature authentic cuisine and restaurants from across its well-known travel region. The MICHELIN Guide was first published a century ago in France and has a worldwide following of travelers who enjoy dining at restaurants that have earned a star or stars from its anonymous inspectors.
Securing Historic Wildlands and Wildlife Protections in the Greater Hart-Sheldon

1 month ago | onda.org | Mac Lacy

Author: Mac Lacy | Published: April 15, 2025 | Category: Deep DiveA deep dive into the history of the Lakeview Resource Management Plan and the future of Oregon’s Greater Hart-SheldonNearly 1.2 million acres of Greater Hart-Sheldon wildlands and wildlife habitat now benefit from dramatically improved conservation management following a historic Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision updating the agency’s long-term vision and strategy for this landscape.
Bluegrass Music and Barbecue Highlight Select Traveler Conference in Owensboro

1 month ago | grouptravelleader.com | Mac Lacy

OWENSBORO, Kentucky — More than 200 travel industry members gathered March 9–11 in Owensboro, Kentucky, for the 2025 Select Traveler Conference, a meeting that has drawn domestic and international affinity travel planners, travel companies and destinations since 1996. Owensboro is an Ohio River port city best known as the home of bluegrass music and for producing award-winning western Kentucky-style barbecue and Kentucky bourbon.
Are Your Tours Trendy?

Feb 10, 2025 | selecttraveler.com | Mac Lacy

A few years ago, a couple told me over dinner that the tour we were on in Nice, France, had too much shopping time. That wasn’t the case. The tour had more free time for travelers to create experiences than this couple was accustomed to.During the afternoon they were at loose ends, I bought a local bus pass and visited both the Matisse Museum and the Marc Chagall Museum, before walking several blocks through historic neighborhoods back to our hotel.
Finland in Winter

Feb 10, 2025 | selecttraveler.com | Mac Lacy

The next time your veteran travelers ask about seeing a new part of the world, you might suggest a destination that includes the Arctic. Finland is such a place, and it may intrigue even your most experienced globe-trotters. In winter, it’s a land of reindeer and dogsleds, hot drinks and campfires. The Northern Lights are often just a sunset away. Finland’s nighttime skies invariably tease and frequently deliver on the solar system’s grandest moments.
America’s 250th Anniversary is a Travel Celebration

Jan 10, 2025 | grouptravelleader.com | Mac Lacy

Monica Smith is putting Southeast Tourism Society’s resources to work this year to make sure her region capitalizes on America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. She believes her Southeastern states can celebrate the country’s 250-year history as a democracy and drive travel at the same time.
Owensboro is a Treat

Nov 26, 2024 | selecttraveler.com | Mac Lacy

If you’ve never been to Owensboro, Kentucky, you’re in for a treat. The 2025 Select Traveler Conference takes place there March 9-11. Owensboro hugs the Ohio River in southwestern Kentucky and has become recognized internationally for its culinary and music traditions. Although it is not as large as barbecue capitals like Kansas City, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, Owensboro’s mastery of the barbecue pit has led to a worldwide following.
Attendees Marvel at Greater Zion Majesty

Oct 31, 2024 | smallmarketmeetings.com | Mac Lacy

St. George, Utah, and the spectacular outdoors around it captivated and energized attendees of the 2024 Small Market Meetings Conference held September 25–27 in the Greater Zion region. In addition to nearby Zion, one of the country’s most popular national parks, other natural preserves like Sand Hollow State Park and Snow Canyon State Park became new outdoor favorites for many of the conference’s 230 delegates.
2025 Go South Tour Planner Coming in January

Oct 9, 2024 | grouptravelleader.com | Mac Lacy

The Group Travel Leader and Southeast Tourism Society (STS) will partner again in 2025 on the Go South Tour Planner, the most comprehensive group travel planning resource published each year for the southern United States. STS is a membership organization that has promoted domestic travel to the South for more than 40 years and provides its members with education, advocacy, recognition and networking. Its meetings include STS Marketing College, STS Connections and the SMPR Forum.