Gulf seafood, Southern holiday traditions, and influencer-driven tourism marketing are converging this December as Coastal Mississippi names Landon Bryant — the comedian and storyteller known online as LandonTalks — its Official Guide to the Holidays for the 2026 season. The partnership puts a pop-culture spotlight on a destination where food, hospitality, and coastal character are central to the visitor experience.
Bryant, a Laurel, Mississippi native with more than a million followers across social platforms, built his audience through warmly humorous content about Southern customs, family gatherings, and — notably for the hospitality industry — the culture and rituals surrounding Southern food. His quote for this campaign leans directly into the culinary draw: "The holidays mean family, and Coastal Mississippi is the place to bring them, whether you're knocking out the Christmas shopping or eating your weight in Gulf seafood."
The Operator Opportunity
For restaurants, resorts, and food-and-beverage operators along the Mississippi Gulf Coast — spanning Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties — the campaign represents a targeted effort to drive holiday foot traffic during what is traditionally a quieter shoulder season for Gulf Coast tourism. Unlike ski-country or northern winter destinations, Coastal Mississippi markets itself on mild weather, waterfront dining, illuminated boat parades, and holiday markets, positioning the region as an accessible December getaway built around food and community.
Bryant is scheduled to visit the Coast December 4–6, making appearances at holiday events and generating original social media content that will reach his national following. That content pipeline — built around authentic storytelling rather than traditional advertising — reflects the broader hospitality industry trend toward influencer-led destination marketing as a tool for filling restaurant seats and hotel rooms in off-peak windows.
Southern Food Culture as Destination Brand
What makes the partnership strategically coherent is Bryant's specific identity as a chronicler of Southern food culture. His social media franchise is built on "Let's discuss" conversations about Southern dining customs, family meal traditions, and the unwritten rules of eating in the South — content that resonates precisely with the audiences most likely to travel for a food-driven holiday experience. Coastal Mississippi CEO Judy Young called Bryant "a natural fit for a destination where the holiday season is celebrated with equal parts nostalgia, hospitality and coastal flair."
Bryant is also the author of Bless Your Heart: A Field Guide to All Things Southern and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Y'all, and writes a column for Good Grit magazine — credentials that reinforce his authority as a voice on Southern regional identity, including its food and beverage traditions. His next book, How to Speak Southern, is forthcoming from Running Press.
For operators tracking how destination marketing organizations are activating culinary tourism this holiday season, the Coastal Mississippi model — pairing a food-and-culture influencer with a region defined by Gulf seafood, Southern hospitality, and community dining traditions — offers a replicable framework for driving visitation through storytelling rather than discounting. Full details on holiday events and dining experiences are at CoastalMississippi.com/holiday.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
