Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Can You Say "Schizophrenia?"

It's been am interesting month so far for this nation's leaders as they take their first meaningful steps to develop a Tourism Strategy for America.

This good news, of course, is that the Commerce Department unveiled its strategy for reaching 100 million international visitors by 2021 last Thursday. And, for the most part, reviews have been favorable.

At the same time, however, the President used a mallet to address a problem with which the government had already dealt...namely, the GSA mess. Instead of moving on, the the Obama administration has placed new restrictions on federal travel and meetings. A 30% reduction from 2010 levels has been ordered to be the law of the land through 2016.

Then there was the good news that the U.S. Travel Association's Geoff Freeman has been named Chair of the Passenger Advocacy Subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee at the Transportation Security Administration. A shorter way of saying that is what Geoff said in a prepared statement: "Travelers deserve to have a voice in Washington when it comes to the aviation screening process and entry procedures." True Dat.

At the same time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (the what?) announced that demand for gasoline this summer will be at an 11 year low. At the same time, MMGY Global and U.S. Travel revealed that intent to travel this summer is up significantly over last year.

What's it all mean? America has a tourism strategy (at least until the Republican House takes another whack at it). Cutting federal meetings and travel is a typically hamhanded response to a media-inflamed issue. Summer travel will be up but we'll drive shorter distances.

And, there is finally a glimmer of hope that TSA might become more customer focused.

OK...not really. But, we're excited that Geoff will shake a few cages in the process.

You'd Think the Phone Companies Might Be Concerned

I've often considered where a company's responsibility lies when a product it sells and services is used improperably. Of course, it's fairly easy when bodily injury results. Government steps in and makes the company fix the defect or stop producing the product.

But, when the government fails to step in and stop (and, instead, encourages) the wrongful use of a product...what then? And, what if that wrongful use actually threatens the company's future profitability on one of it's legacy product lines? What if Congress actually causes the company's former flagship product to fail?

Outside of very lonely people, nobody likes to be robo-called. And, my friend Debbie Monterrey posted this telling line on her Facebook page yesterday:

"I am so close to canceling our landline. It rings all day with robo-telemarketing calls that I can't make stop!!"

Phone companies and candidates alike should know that the future viability of both enterprises is tied to stopping this kind of rampant abuse.

But, I doubt Congress will let them.

Honestly?

Is this what it has come to?

Win a date with the President?

Of the United Stares?

Sigh....

A Golden Opportunity

While there are those in the Hospitality space that are insanely innovative, most of us follow each other around. How else to explain the sad state of air travel in this country?

So, when the Wall Street Journal publishes a story about how some of the best hotels in the country are focusing on the first 15 minutes of interaction with their guests, you can bet other hoteliers are sitting up and taking notice. Thus, if you are a Destination Marketing pro, this could be a golden opportunity, as smart hotels step up their employee training programs.

Connect with them now and encourage them to include you in the training program to help their employees understand the informational resources you provide. A smile, correct posture and a cookie are all well and fine...but guests will really brighten when they hear suggestions for great restaurants, nightspots and cultural opportunities nearby.

If your hotel partners are training...make sure that training includes the most important things.

And, that ain't a cookie.

 

The Price of Copy-Catting

When the Black Wolf Waterpark Resort opened in Wisconsin Dells, it was one of the first indoor waterpark resorts in America. It was the epitome of a game changer.

No good idea goes uncopied. And, the proliferation of indoor waterparks was swift and national.

In time, the Black Wolf shifted its brand to Great Wolf and, ultimately, built 11 indoor waterpark resorts across the country and became the largest chain of indoor waterparks in America.

Yesterday, Great Wolf sold their 10 waterparks to an investment manager for $158 million.

That's less than $16 million per resort.

Sigh.

Contribution vs. Investment

I know it may be semantics to some...but it's a huge difference when a City "contributes" money versus "invests" it.

And we saw it again last week in a news story in Columbus Business First: "The Columbus City Council approved the city’s $6.44 million contribution to the convention and visitor’s bureau’s 2012 budget at a meeting Monday night. Last year, the city contributed $5.4 million to Experience Columbus."

If that's the way the Council viewed it, who am I to complain? But I'm guessing that is far from why the Council appropriated over $6 million dollars to its DMO. Without being there for the vote, I'm quite sure they expect a Return-on-Investment for these dollars.

The challenge we all face is that today's cash-strapped media is employing less sophisticated reporters (like the one that thought the Wisconsin State flag was a union banner). Which means that we all have a responsibility to educate the people who the populace expects to educate them.

Otherwise, our news media will continue to tell stories that are hardly accurate.

Where Are You Investing Your Money?

Destination Marketing Organizations like to say they are "the trusted source" for travel information. And, for the most part, DMOs are more trustworthy than other sources.

But, do consumers think so? After reviewing the results from an Iconoculture survey, it's hard to tell...as "DMO" was not one of the sources tracked by the researchers.

Even if they had, though, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have rated as high as the two top answers: The Internet (62%) and Family & Friends (56%). The rest of the sources? No more than quarter of respondents called them "trusted sources."

Rather than fighting to become "trusted," I think I'd invest in being as visible in the spheres that are already trusted. And that means online and social.

You?

Where Do They Find These Guys?

Colorado has been the poster child for the importance of government investment in Tourism Promotion. In the early 1990s, the State shuttered its Tourism Department. Within five years, the number of visitors to Colorado had dropped by a third.

As did the State taxes generated by those visitors.

In a flash of economic realization, Colorado re-established its Tourism Department. And, the visitors returned. And dropped off more tax revenue for the State. What a concept...and one that has been documented by some of the top researchers in the country.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper understands this dynamic all too well...which is why, in the face of declining resources to run his government, his budget proposal holds the investment in Tourism Promotion steady at $14.6 million for the next fiscal year.

But, there is a "Budget Analyst" squirreled away somewhere in the bowels of a State office building that just released a recommendation that the Legislature slash next year's budget by 35%.

WTF?

Honestly...what are the qualifications for being a Budget Analyst? That you are breathing? Because it certainly has nothing to do with being able to read economic analysis documents and form a logical response.

Sigh...

Creepy...but Kinda Cool

Word from Wired (via Iconoculture) is that KLM Royal Dutch Airline will be debuting a new service called "Meet and Seat" this year, allowing passengers to select their seatmates based on their social media profiles.

And, for all of us beautiful, trim and exceptionally interesting conversationalists, this sounds like a pretty cool idea. A little creepy...but cool.

Except, I have this nagging image of all the people that never got selected for pick-up games in elementary school or asked out on dates all ending up awkwardly bunched together in the back.

Or the front.

A Trillion and Counting

After a Trillion Dollars poured into the rat hole that is TSA, it still can't buy a clue.

Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of TSA agents I have met in my travels across this country genuinely believe they are making the skies safer for us. A few are just picking up a paycheck. A handful have power issues. And, a few are stealing our shit while we get wanded.

But, it's the inane directives and processes coming down from the TSA mothership that gives all the well-meaning agents a black eye. Confiscating holiday snow globes, cupcakes and insulin pumps. Patting down 90-year grandmothers and 6-year old children.

The newest? Deporting a couple of Irishmen at LAX after TSA reviewed Tweets from one that said he planned to "destroy America."

Except "destroy" is British slang for "get drunk."

As a Gizmodo UK writer said: "it's a little amazing and a lot disconcerting that the DHS mess up your holiday because it never learned its context clues."

Context indeed.

 

Thanks to my friend Josh Schamberger for the catch!