Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Former Mayor Jim Dailey Named State Tourism Director

3 min read

After a night of toasts to longtime State Tourism Director Joe David Rice, former Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey was named as his successor Wednesday at Robinson Center.

Kane Webb, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism, made the announcement at the end of the Arkansas Hospitality Association’s annual Gala Dinner, praising the 75-year-old Dailey as a tireless public servant and an enduring friend to state tourism, a $7.5 billion industry that several speakers described as the state’s second largest, trailing only agriculture.

Dailey was Little Rock’s mayor from 1993 to 2006 and is the current chairman of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, as well as the namesake of the city aquatic and fitness center near War Memorial Stadium.

He will take over the job after the official Dec. 31 retirement of Rice, who served in the post for 29 years.

Webb made his revelation about Dailey, a Little Rock native and University of Arkansas at Fayetteville graduate, after naming Rice as Arkansas’ tourism director emeritus. He and Hospitality Association chief Montine McNulty also prompted Rice, 65, to tell a few tales from his tenure, to the delight of the crowd. 

One involved an exploit he had during his time as a partner in a canoe tour business on the Buffalo River. 

After guiding a couple from Louisiana into their canoe and arranging to pick them up hours later, he was hit with a last-second question before the canoe shoved off. 

“Which way do we go?” the husband asked. “Luckily,” Rice said, “we were having a special on downstream tours.”

Rice, a Paragould native who graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock and then the University of Arkansas, suggested making “which way do we go” a mantra for the Arkansas tourism workers, a question to ask each day about the best paths for promoting state travel and individual hospitality businesses.

He said nearly all visitors to Arkansas come away loving the state, but a tiny fraction of canoe float patrons didn’t. “About two percent were unhappy,” Rice said, “so after a lot of research we determined this: They were couples who were unhappy in their relationships and thought that a float trip would help.” It turned out that four or five uninterrupted hours together in a canoe were not necessarily the best idea.

Webb noted that Rice had recently been honored by the U.S. Travel Association’s Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO), a national forum for state tourism directors. “Don’t call them STDs, please,” Webb said as the audience roared. “ESTO made him a national tourism director emeritus. We’re proud of Joe David.

After a performance by country music star and Arkansas native Barrett Baber, Webb made his announcement about Dailey.

“Jim Dailey knows Arkansas, he knows the industry, having served one the State Parks Recreation and Travel commission for years, and he knows the key players very well,” Webb told Arkansas Business. “He’s a terrific communicator and salesman for all that Arkansas has to offer, has more energy than anyone I know, and can step right into this job and continue to help the state’s tourism industry grow and attract more visitors.”

In a statement, Dailey said he was honored to follow in Rice’s footsteps. 

“He leaves a legacy of excellence in his field and is recognized across the nation by his fellow state tourism directors,” said Dailey, a consultant with Flake & Kelley Commercial Real Estate who has helped Arkansas cities with retail and economic development and project management. 

As tourism director he will lead state efforts to lure more visitors and burnish Arkansas’ image, leading a team of 67 employees statewide. 

From offices in Little Rock he will oversee a multimillion-dollar budget. 

For his part, Rice said he was happy with the choice of his successor. 

“I’ve enjoyed working with Jim since 2012, when he joined the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission,” said Rice. “His experience and distinguished career both in the public and private sectors have more than prepared him to lead Arkansas Tourism. I couldn’t be more pleased with this transition.”

Send this to a friend