Nationwide — Carolyn E. Howell and Amber Batchelor, founders of Destination Must Visit® Tourism Alliance, Inc., have reached a major milestone after their Black woman-led 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization was awarded a $2.4 million contract to strengthen tourism and hospitality in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Metro Atlanta. Their organization is legally registered to do business in the states of both Maryland and Georgia.
Together, Howell and Batchelor represent a dynamic leadership model that blends business maturity, tourism innovation, and community-focused strategy. Under the new contract, their firm will lead efforts to elevate College Park’s profile as a premier travel destination, while supporting the hotels, restaurants, attractions, event venues, and local and small businesses that drive the city’s visitor economy. The initiative aims to attract more visitors, strengthen partnerships across the hospitality sector, and drive long-term economic growth throughout the community.
Howell comments, “College Park has a powerful story to tell, and our role is to help elevate that story with strategy, professionalism, collaboration, and measurable impact. Tourism is not just about visitors; It is about creating experiences that strengthen communities, support local entrepreneurs, and inspire people to return again and again.”
Batchelor adds, “The people of College Park deserve their story to be told with care, far and wide. This moment is about showing what happens when women lead collaboratively, when generations work together, and when a community’s tourism story is treated as an economic development priority.”
A key strength of the organization is its team-based structure. In addition to Howell and Batchelor, Destination Must Visit® Tourism Alliance is supported by other experienced operations professionals, board members, destination strategy contributors, public relations experts, tourism technology teaming contributors, creative and visual branding leadership, convention support expertise, and experiential engagement specialists.
Learn more at DestinationMustVisit.org
About College Park, Georgia
Home to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation’s busiest airport, College Park serves as a gateway for millions of travelers each year and is a hub for hospitality, conventions, sports, dining, small businesses, historic neighborhoods, and regional tourism.
College Park, which was established more than 130 years ago and has more than 14,000 residents, is home to the Georgia International Convention Center, the Gateway Center Arena, and neighborhoods with authentic stories to tell.
About the Board Members
The organization’s board members, David O. Weinschel, Tracy Hamlin, Andres O. Hayes, and Dr. Chelsea McLendon, bring tremendous depth in entrepreneurship, hospitality, finance, governance, civic leadership, communications, business development, and community engagement.
About Carolyn Howell, Founder, Chair, and CEO
Carolyn Howell brings more than four decades of experience in entrepreneurship, corporate event planning, destination storytelling, strategic brand management, executive-level production, and community-centered engagement. A respected leader within the travel and tourism industry, she currently serves as President of SKÅL International Washington, DC, a global organization of travel and tourism professionals dedicated to advancing responsible tourism and industry collaboration. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the DC Chamber of Commerce, and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. She also served as Chair of Visit Loudoun, the official destination marketing organization for Loudoun County, Virginia.
Throughout her career, she has successfully led the planning, production, and management of more than 2,600 conferences, meetings, summits, tourism initiatives, community celebrations, and other types of events throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Her work has consistently focused on bringing people together, increasing destination visibility, supporting local businesses, and creating memorable experiences that generate meaningful economic and community impact.
About Amber Batchelor, Head of Tourism Operations, Strategy, and Implementation
Amber Batchelor brings a Millennial leadership perspective shaped by organizational management, chamber and nonprofit experience, tourism operations, destination strategy, and measurable implementation. An HBCU graduate of St Augustine’s University, she is also a 501(c)(6) certified executive with the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organization Management, where she also serves as faculty at Villanova University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Carolyn and Amber have also worked on projects with Florida tourism professionals, the United States Virgin Islands, Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, O Mansion, among other destinations and organizations, together and/or separately.
For press inquiries, contact (240) 200-4002 or welcome@destinationmustvisit.org