Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Presidents' Dance

For the four Presidential "mascots" that are employed by Visit Rapid City to represent the destination at conventions, events and trade shows, the pandemic sidelined them, just as it did for so many in our industry. But like most, the DMO pivoted and used their characters to suggest ways to beat the boredom of the lockdown...and won this year's Upper Midwest CVB Conference's coveted Bruce Riley McDaniel Innovation Award.

Check out one of the initial videos in the series...and then, the Mount Rushmore Dance.

Congratulations to Julie Jensen and her intrepid crew for making us smile during a dark time.

COVID Dogs

As someone who has endured several flights over the years seated next to someone who is clearly toxic, I'm amazed that most airlines haven't resorted to temperature guns to reduce the number of clearly sick travelers from planes. And this goes way previous to COVID.

I still think they should (and have seen a few regional carriers do this) but you gotta love the ingenuity of whoever figured out that dogs can sense sickness in humans.

Temperature guns and dogs. Simply love the concept...unless you're too self-absorbed to care about your fellow passengers.

Just sayin.

The Yin and Yang of Travel

Destination Marketing Organizations pursue the visitor economy in a number of different markets. But for our hotel partners, they often view our responsibility in two distinct segments of the week...weekdays and weekends.

Weekdays are filled with corporate business and meetings & conventions. Weekends are when sports tournaments and family group activities fill rooms. And as we have all seen, the pent up demand in leisure travel, after a year and a half of being cooped up, is also filling weekends in this nation's hotels.

But, make no mistake. The most lucrative portion of the week for hotels is often weekdays. Depending on the destination, hotels can often make more on corporate and convention travel than weekend travel...and that's why this new study from the American Hotel & Lodging Association is so troubling. 67% of business travelers now say they will take fewer and shorter trips. Over 50% say they plan to cancel upcoming trips with no plan to reschedule. And, 66% say they will only travel to places they can drive to, unconvinced that air travel is safer. When it comes to Meetings and Conventions, 71% say they will attend fewer events. We were so hopeful for recovery...and that hope is now waning.

The Delta variant, and the remaining Americans that refuse to be vaccinated, is to blame for this. Political posturing is to blame for this. Bad actors on Social Media are to blame for this.

I understand why so many are resistant to getting vaccinated for political reasons or a fairly unwarranted fear of complications. I do.

But, if you knew there was a less than .01% chance of dying when you could rescue someone trapped in a burning building, would you spring to action? I believe you wouldn't hesitate.

There's a less than .01% chance of dying from the VAX, and, by getting a free shot in the arm, you can help save America's travel economy...and millions of jobs of good people who are looking to you for help. Begging for your help.

What's it gonna be?

The Hesitation Dance

"Hesitation Dance" was a song on Survivor's breakthrough album "Eye of the Tiger."

That's where we find ourselves in the travel space this month...in a Hesitation Dance. This article in the New York Times certainly sets the stage for a troublesome Fall. And this one that shares that travel optimism has crashed by 40% since June.

Me thinks we are back to the messaging of last summer..."when you're ready."

 

The Painful Retreat

As one might expect, the spike in infections from the Plague has spooked travelers and residents alike. In both the Destinations Analysts and Longwoods International traveler sentiment studies, the guidance indicates turbulence for destinations and local hospitality businesses. The record-breaking pace of revenge-tourism enjoyed in the first half of the Summer is likely to falter in the weeks ahead. Indeed, a restaurateur in our extended family followed New York City's lead yesterday and said proof of vaccination will be required for music events in his courtyard.

Which is in line with how Americans are viewing inbound international travel. According to Longwoods, half of Americans want proof of vaccination before allowing international travelers into the country. But, with Florida leading the nation in infections...wouldn't this be the same for those of us "welcoming" Sunshine State residents to the rest of the country to escape their heat?

As I suggested yesterday, this may be the time for more of us to say "No VAX, No Admission." While I certainly understand that there are those among us that have been medically advised to not get the vaccine, the vast majority of people who are clogging our hospitals are those that have willfully said "no." And, these are citizens that have put millions of Americans (indeed, citizens of the world) at risk because of their indignant belief that their "rights" come first.

Nothing comes before the collective good. The needs of the many, ya know (click the image).

 

Oh, What the Hell

How is it so hard for some to connect the dots between the States in which cases of the Plague are spiking and the States that have dropped any pretense of attempting to adhere to CDC guidance. Indeed, at least two of those States have gone as far as to ban vaccine passports altogether.

Throwing in the towel by saying, "well, we tried," is kind of like being down by 14 with a minute to go in a football game and you send in the second string. Except, you have Tom Brady, Travis Kelce, Davante Adams, Derek Henry and Stefon Diggs on your team...and you have the freakin' ball.

That's the attitude in New York City, where later this month (I actually think it should be tomorrow), the City will begin requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining, gyms, entertainment and performances.  It's clear that appealing to some people's sense of community and concern for the health (and life) of others doesn't work in this country like it once did. Taking experiences away from people that refuse to be part of the cure may be the only solution left to effectively stop this killer.

And, for those that are unvaccinated (by choice) that are gonna pitch a fit over restrictions like these, remember that this is on you.

Treasonous Anti-American Stupidity?

I'll just leave this here (click image to enlarge).

Image Credit: Los Angeles Times

The Next Round is Open

Earlier today, the U.S. Commerce Department unveiled how it will invest the $3 billion it was awarded in the Administration's American Rescue Plan. Within that pot of resources, $750 has been earmarked for "Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation." That's the good news.

Far from bad news (but not ideal), Destination Marketing Organizations are, again, not specifically named among the eligible entities to apply for funds through the Economic Development Administration (I mean really, WTF?). However, smart DMOs that have built mutually beneficial relationships with their Economic Development Agencies and local and State governments should be on the horn this afternoon (tomorrow at the latest) to outline how these funds can be most appropriately invested. After all, who knows better what our destinations need than DMOs?

And, don't limit your recommendations to the Tourism Fund...the other 5 funds underneath the $3 billion umbrella can easily be imagined to assist our communities build back better within a tourism lens. Just because it doesn't say "Tourism" doesn't mean we can't also recommend joint-venture projects that bring back jobs or provide planning assistance for our communities.

DMOs that don't have a relationship that permits that phone call and meeting by week's end? This is the wake-up call that you need to build that relationship by year's end.

Ready. Set. Go.

20 Voices

Just back from Destinations International's live, in person Annual Convention in Baltimore. Over 800 gathered last week in the Charm City...and suffice to say, it was good to be back. And, Al Hutchinson and his team at Visit Baltimore were the consummate hosts.

We'll do a recap of our take-aways in the Z-News later this week. In the meantime, we roamed the halls and meeting rooms asking DMO pros what they did differently during COVID that they will keep post-pandemic. And, you can hear those conversations in the latest episode of the DMOU Podcast.

Enjoy.

Not Out of the Woods Yet

Over the past few weeks, the media has been absolutely giddy over the return of tourism across America. And, we are too...though we are cognizant that it certainly isn't the case everywhere.

A new report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (and, they should know) holds that 21 of the top 25 hotel markets in America remain in "Depression" or "Recession" status. in May, San Francisco continued 70% off its May 2019 Rev/Par pace....and Boston, New York City and DC weren't far behind. Only Tampa and Miami were up over 2019 levels.

Let's certainly celebrate the return of travel...but let's not forget our partners in our urban centers.