May 12, 2008



(Ocean Springs) – During National Tourism Week, May 10-18, businesses throughout the Coast will showcase what they have at the Jackson County Welcome Center and Hancock County Welcome Center.

On Wednesday, May 14, the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce – Main Street – Tourism Bureau will be visiting the Jackson County Welcome Center with a diverse amount of food, music, art and more.

The Ocean Springs Chamber will have a booth set up offering food from Tato-Nut, Candy Cottage, Alberti’s Restaurant, Phoenicia Gourmet, and On the Menu, live music by Tom Beavers, artists’ demonstrations and artwork, a variety of informational pieces, and giveaways to inform and invite tourists to Ocean Springs.

“This is a great opportunity to market the City,” said Margaret Miller, executive director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce – Main Street – Tourism Bureau.

Each year, tourism brings in millions of dollars annually to Mississippi. According to the Mississippi Development Authority, 22 million individuals visited Mississippi in 2007 where they spent $5 million dollars. The Ocean Springs Chamber will also visit the Hancock County Welcome Center on Friday, May 16.

For more information, please contact the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce – Main Street – Tourism Bureau at 228-875-4424.



April 28, 2008


(Ocean Springs) – Ocean Springs Main Street has been accredited as a 2008 National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center®. Ocean Springs Main Street joins over 700 other Main Street™ revitalization programs being recognized as 2008 National Main Street Programs. Each year, the National Trust Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited National Main Street Programs around the country that have demonstrated their ability to follow the Main Street methodology.

“We congratulate this year’s accredited National Main Street Programs for meeting our established performance standards,” says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Rebuilding a district’s economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support, in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success.”

The National Trust Main Street Center works in partnership with Coordinating Main Street Programs throughout the nation to identify the local programs that meet the National Trust Main Street Center’s ten basic performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach™ to commercial district revitalization. The evaluation criteria and standards include developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress and preserving historic buildings.

“This achievement is just another achievement of how we as a Coast is continuing to recover and rebuild,” says Margaret Miller, executive director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce – Main Street – Tourism Bureau. “This accreditation helps to commend the works of the small businesses throughout downtown and Bienville Blvd.”

The organization’s performance was evaluated by the Mississippi Main Street Association.

For more information, please contact the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce – Main Street – Tourism Bureau at 228-875-4424.