For years, Destination Marketing was pegged with the quote "Heads in Beds." And, a curse be placed on the house of whoever said it first, as it relegates Destination Marketing to a special interest group. As we've said for decades, "It's more than Heads in Beds. It's also Cheeks in Seats, Torsos through Turnstiles, Feet on the Street, Fans in the Stands and More in the Store."
After the Longwoods International "Halo Study" was released, we coined the phrase "Tourism is the First Date for Economic Development." But, it's more than our quotes. Maura Gast's "If you build a place" mantra may be the most impactful in communicating the power of Destination Marketing. The late Phil Craig's "You gotta be there before you gotta be there," is crucial to anyone's understanding of Political Advocacy. And Jack Johnson's concept of a "Community Shared Value" causes us all to reconsider who is the real client of our work.
Another quote emerged today during the Sports Tourism Funding webinar hosted by our friends at Civitas. Placer Valley Tourism's Dave Attaway tossed off this gem: "Destination Marketing lives at the intersection of Community and Commerce."
Oh, I like that. I like it a lot.
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