Remember the Rhode Island Tourism debacle of the late winter, early spring of 2016. Remember the slogan, Warmer and Cooler. Remember the video, with that skateboarder, yes, the skateboarder from Reykjavik. The state blew up that program and chose Lara Salamano, the Commerce Department’s Chief Marketing Officer, to fix the program. Some $4.3 million was allocated to the project, and much of it put in the hands of three advertising/public relations companies. How has the program worked?

We found out answers to some of those questions, and more, as Lara Salamano, joined me recently on AM 1540 WADK Newport. Salamano is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, leading the coordinated, data-driven, statewide, marketing campaign to bring more tourists and more businesses to Rhode Island.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...