Grand Prairie Center executive director Renee Robison and CJRW co-founder Wayne Woods inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., 2020-Mar-05 — /Travel PR News/ — Renee Robison, executive director of the Grand Prairie Center, and Wayne Woods, co-founder of CJRW, were inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame during a noon luncheon Monday, March 2, at the 46th annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The conference is being held at the Fort Smith Convention Center March 1-3.

The Hall of Fame honor is presented annually to an individual or individuals who have been actively involved in tourism for many years and who have made substantial contributions to the betterment of the industry as a whole.

Renee Robison

Renee Robison has been a part of Arkansas’s tourism and hospitality industry for more than 35 years. She led the state’s efforts to launch an outreach program for the motorcycling travel market and was the brainchild behind “The A-Team,” a statewide sales team that promotes The Natural State at tourism tradeshows across the nation and the world.

In her current role as executive director of the Grand Prairie Center in Stuttgart, Robison has been instrumental in securing programming, conferences and other events that bring a positive economic impact to the entire state.

Previously, Robison served as executive director at multiple destination management organizations, including the Arkansas Land of Legends Travel Association and the Pine Bluff Convention & Visitors Bureau.

During her time as Arkansas Tourism’s group travel manager, Robison developed the first motorcycling guide for the state. She has received the Lodging Award and Silver Cup from the Arkansas Hospitality Association Central Arkansas Chapter and has been inducted into the Arkansas Hospitality Association Hall of Fame.

Wayne Woods

Wayne Woods retired five years ago from a career in tourism marketing that spanned from 1970 to 2015. He first worked with his brother Shelby at the Woods Brothers Agency, focusing on tourism promotion across the state. Over time, the agency grew and in 1990 merged with the state’s largest agency run by Wayne Cranford, Jim Johnson and Ron Robinson, to form CJRW.

Over the years, Woods was instrumental in transforming state tourism into a multibillion-dollar industry. With others, he helped persuade the Arkansas Legislature to pass a two percent tax on the hospitality industry, a measure that generates millions of dollars a year for the state. Woods played a key role in organizing the first Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism and the Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation.

He is a past recipient of the Arkansas Hospitality Association’s Silver Cup and has been named “Tourism Person of the Year” by both Arkansas Tourism and the Arkansas Hospitality Association. He is a member of the Arkansas Hospitality Association Hall of Fame and served as President of the Arkansas Travel Council.

For more information contact Leah DiPietro at leah.dipietro@arkansas.gov or 501-682-7606.

About Arkansas Tourism

Arkansas Tourism, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, strives to expand the economic impact of travel and tourism in the state and enhance the quality of life for all Arkansans. The division manages 14 Arkansas Welcome Centers and employs more than 60 staff members across The Natural State. For more information, visit www.arkansas.com.

Media contact:

Leah DiPietro – Communications Manager
Little Rock, AR
leah.dipietro@arkansas.gov
501-682-7606

Source: Arkansas  Department of Parks & Tourism

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