A few DMO sector friends and I have been having a side conversation over the holidays regarding Skift, the online news and commentary (heavy on the commentary) site upon which so many of us in the travel industry check each morning. The gist of the debate has been Skift's seemingly dismissive attitude towards Destination Marketing as relevant.
In the give and take, one of us offered this analysis: "This guy and his publisher try to be 'Shock Jocks.' I am all for thought-provoking questions and posits...the problem is others take their quotes as ammo against the industry."
Of course, a couple days later, Skift admitted as such: "One of our goals is to always surprise our readers."
And, in their "Bold and Outrageous Predictions for the Travel Industry in 2020," their final prediction was that the Diversity and Inclusion Movement in American Travel will "grind to a halt."
Let's use this challenge to jointly galvanize our efforts to make sure that in no way comes to pass.
Surprise (see provoke thought and dialogue) the readers now and again...got it, luv it. Drop a defamatory and potentially destructive bomb on a segment of the industry they traffic in for the "surprise of it", that's BS. Maybe they should get out (pun intended) more. Just sayin...
Posted by: Lee T | January 08, 2020 at 09:28
Or, maybe (like the majority of Americans) they just don’t understand the power of Destination Marketing. Thus, it’s our role (Destinations International, US Travel, etc.) to work with Skift to have a broader view of the industry…and recognize their role in its success (or failure…which cannot be in Skift’s best interest).
Just a thought...
Posted by: Bill geist | January 08, 2020 at 11:02