The Lafayette International Center Foundation, which serves as the advisory board for the Lafayette International Center, is pleased to announce that the 24th International Achievement Award was bestowed upon Lafayette Travel.
A ceremony was held at the International Center in downtown Lafayette, on Thursday, April 25, 2024, before a gathering of City-Parish officials, local and international friends and business partners, past award recipients, and members and past members of the Foundation.
Dave Domingue, Director of the Lafayette International Center, stated during the awarding ceremony of the award: “For fifty years, the entire Lafayette region has benefited from the work of Lafayette Travel. It is Lafayette Travel that takes on the responsibility of coordinating the various efforts to market southwest Louisiana as a tourism destination, and a site for conventions, sports gatherings and cultural events. For half of a century, their teams have worked with various media and diverse local partners to publicize our colorful and rich culture throughout the United States and the world.”
Domingue continued, “Throughout this time, the executive directors have assembled and maintained a remarkable group of talented specialists, dedicated to their mission of sharing our wonderful city and parish with others. They have also been eager to work with partner organizations on a number of shared goals and projects, such as the Lieutenant Governor’s office, the tourism offices of surrounding parishes, the nearby cities and towns, festivals, and food and sports organizations in the area, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and with the Lafayette International Center.”
Domingue concluded by saying, “By their diligent efforts to entice others to come to Lafayette, Lafayette Travel cements the importance of tourism as a major element of the state and local economy, and contributes enormously to the quality of life in the City and Parish of Lafayette.”
Ben Berthelot, President & CEO of Lafayette Travel, thanked the IAA committee for this nomination and said, “Lafayette International Center is a tremendous asset for our community and does a wonderful job in accomplishing its mission to facilitate global awareness and engagement in our community and region. Lafayette Travel has been proud to partner with the Lafayette International Center on many projects over the years that have helped place Lafayette Parish and Acadiana on the international stage. We are honored to receive this award and we look forward to collaborating with the Lafayette International Center for years to come.”
Lafayette Travel, also known as Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission (LCVC), was created in 1974 to serve as tourism promotion and marketing coordinator for all of Lafayette Parish. Lafayette Travel’s mission is to provide leadership in initiating as well as coordinating the marketing of Lafayette throughout the world as a highly desirable vacation, group, convention, and sports destination. They also solicit and service conventions and other related group business, and engage in visitor promotions, which generate overnight stays for Lafayette, thereby enhancing and developing the economic fabric of the community.
The International Achievement Award was created to honor an organization or individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Lafayette’s international image and connections. The award was first presented in 1998 and has been given annually to various recipients representing many sectors including Oil & Gas, Music & Visual Arts, Manufacturing, Food, Tourism & Hospitality, Education, and Finance.
Established in 1998, the International Achievement Award honors an outstanding individual, company, or organization that has significantly enhanced the international reputation of Lafayette and Acadiana through international commerce, tourism, arts, and music or goodwill ambassadorship. The most recent recipient was Philippe Gustin in 2023, who presented the 2024 award to Ben Berthelot, President and CEO of Lafayette Travel.