Ruston Convention Chief Named New Arkansas Tourism Director

Travis Napper

Arkansas has a new state tourism director following the quiet retirement of former Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey at the end of last year: Travis Napper, formerly CEO of the Convention & Visitors Bureau in Ruston, Louisiana.

Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism, announced Napper’s hiring on Feb. 21, saying he’s the man to oversee the department’s mission of improving Arkansas’ economy by generating travel and enhancing the state’s image.

Napper, who will make $112,000 a year, starts the state job on April 1. Dailey, who is 77, had been tourism chief since September 2017.

Stacy Hurst shares two of Arkansas’ most underrated tourism destinations in this week’s Executive Q&A.

“Travis has an impressive mix of professional experience and accomplishments within the tourism industry that will help lift Arkansas to the next level in attracting visitors,” Hurst said in a statement. “I look forward to working with him.”

Napper started as president and CEO of the Ruston Lincoln Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau in 2012. Before that, he directed orientation and special programs at Louisiana Tech University, his alma mater. After receiving a marketing degree there, he earned the Certified Destination Management Executive designation in 2016, and has served on the boards of the Northern Louisiana Medical Center and the Louisiana Travel Association.

“Tourism is the second largest industry in Arkansas,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “It employs more than 100,000 workers in the state, and travelers spent $7.37 billion here in 2018. I am confident that the Arkansas Tourism Division will continue to build on those impressive numbers.”