Mike Mills

Businesses and consumers in Arkansas and the rest of the country spent 2023 in the shadow of rising interest rates. Businesses dealt with other adversity, including rising insurance rates and a deadly March tornado. Other stories this year were more hopeful. read more >

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders names Shea Lewis as secretary of the state Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism and director of State Parks. read more >

Recent developments highlight threats to Arkansans’ right to know what their government is up to. read more >

Ryall, a Star City native, is currently the director of legislative affairs at the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. read more >

Projects in 35 counties across the state will receive funds. read more >

Jamie McAfee of the Pine Bluff Country Club was named Proprietor of the Year. read more >

Outdoor recreation contributed nearly 40,000 jobs and $3.5 billion to Arkansas’ gross domestic product in 2021, but state officials believe that is just a fraction of what the industry can accomplish. read more >

Mills was was appointed to lead the state Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in December 2022. read more >

The moon will cast a huge ribbon of darkness across Arkansas on April 8, 2024, and the total solar eclipse is certain to be a bright spot for state tourism, potentially the biggest draw ever. read more >

More than 1,800 submissions were received from all 75 Arkansas counties for the this year's class. read more >

Mills, who has nearly 50 years of experience in the tourism industry, would replace Stacy Hurst, who was appointed by outgoing Gov. Asa Hutchinson. read more >

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces a new Office of Outdoor Recreation, a 10-member board to guide that office, and the addition of Blue Mountain to the state's outdoor recreation opportunities. read more >

Mike Millas, Buffalo Outdoor Center founder and tourism icon, says closing the Buffalo River for the pandemic was the right call. read more >

Cathy Drew, executive director of the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council, and Mike Mills, owner of Buffalo Outdoor Center, were inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame on Monday. read more >

Shelby Woods with his marketing agency, Cranford Johnson Robinson & Woods, became the state’s top tourism marketer, publishing the Arkansas Tour Guide for 50 years and helping rebrand Arkansas as a “Natural State” for visitors. read more >