Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

An Interesting Angle

In an effort to restart its tourism economy, Cyprus is offering to pay for the medical care for anyone who tests positive for "the VID" while on the island. At first blush, it's an interesting pitch that suggests they are confident that visitors won't get sick on the island, which has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe.

But, let's unpack this offer. Most who vacation there probably spend a week or so. With an up to 14-day gestation period, if one contracts the virus on island, one will likely be back home when they become symptomatic. Thus, this program only really works for people who are already carrying the virus when they arrive which, I would assume, are visitors the country really doesn't want.

Nice try, though. It caught my attention.

Here's (Another Reason) Why DMO Aid is Crucial

When a crisis hits, messaging from those impacted often becomes frantic and scattered. But, for some, it becomes crystalline. 

That was the case when thee Madison Room Tax Commission (a layer of oversight in Wisconsin that recommends to government how Room Tax revenues should be invested) met a couple weeks ago. In one of the best presentations I've seen by a DMO CEO, Deb Archer (beginning at the 44:30 mark) hit the perfect note at the perfect time: Destination Madison's work supports the livelihood of 22,000 people in her county. And, if Madison is anything like the national average...that means 11,000 residents need Destination Madison to be the first in line for funding...not the last (as the Manager of the attached Convention Center hotel said so eloquently at the 2:04.45 mark). For, if Destination Madison is budgetarily unable to attract visitors back to the Mad City, directing revenues to empty facilities is kinda counter-productive.

Over the weekend, I saw another angle that I had never considered...and it came from a column on Hospitality.net from Tom Hazinski and Joseph Hansel of HVS: the lack of federal support for Destination Marketing Organizations "has placed at risk the substantial investment of state and local governments in the tourism and hospitality industries."

In other words, without an aggressively funded marketing effort, State, City and County investments in convention centers, performing arts centers and other infrastructure assets will collapse, plunging local governments into facing drastic cuts to resident services.

Keep the innovative messages coming, people. We're gonna need every one to stave off the knee-jerk reaction of "we all need to share the pain evenly."

No. We don't. Not income generators like DMOs.

 

The Future of Culinary Tourism

It's what drove a significant amount of pre-VID tourism over the past five years; the sense that one can learn about a place through its food. Anthony Bourdain showed us this truth...and travel consumers bought into the concept.

As we watch the professional research firms reveal the thoughts of today's travel consumers, there are also the one-off polls that do not necessarily reflect America, but the readership of a particular online publication.

Such is the case with SmartBrief, a daily compilation of fascinating articles from around the world. The respondents to their polls could be expected to skew white-collar business professionals...and that's what is so concerning with last week's poll: Do you expect your dining habits to change after the pandemic?

Only a third of respondents said they would return to dining out like it was 2019...and 40% said they would be cooking more at home. To be sure, these responses aren't necessarily travel responses (as most of us can't cook in when we're on the road). But, it paints a distressing picture of a restaurant's base clientele's attitude.

Even more reason for DMOs, as they can, to help our culinary partners ideate ways to shift consumer sentiment. If, indeed, they want to cook in, attempt to facilitate that. The best restaurants source from specific farms. Our local butcher sources from only one farm for his beef tenderloin (and, it's awesome). Not taking away from the artistry of the chef, the source food is almost always better than supermarket, if they are not depending on a national distributor.

Hey, I know nothing about restaurants (other than I miss them). But, the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells offers to stock your cabin fridge with the same cuts of meat that they serve in their sensational Kaminski's Chop House. Seems like an idea that independent restaurants, regardless of the fare they serve, could emulate. People want to cook at home...show them the good stuff.

The farmers would benefit too. Win-Win.

Stay Strong.

How Can We Help?

One of the more fascinating aspects of the meltdown of the travel and hospitality industry in March was just how quickly so many Destination Marketing Organizations pivoted, reaching out to their restaurant communities to help promote pick-up and take-out services in an attempt to keep restaurants alive. Last month, some reached out to help local retailers set up and promote online sales. Others have coordinated streaming concerts as fundraising vehicles. In short, not what they teach in DMO school.

Destination Analysts has been releasing its weekly Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Study for the industry since the crisis began to help us make sense of the mindset of both travelers and residents. CEO Erin Francis-Cummings reached out the other day with an intriguing finding from last week's focus groups of local businesses. When Destination Analysts asked restauranteurs about how DMOs could help them now, they said it wasn't marketing...but leadership and advocacy. Leadership in helping them gather and understand the new health guidelines they would be expected to follow in the weeks ahead. And, advocacy to ensure that local governments consider their business plight.

And, that's what the relevant DMO of the future must do, as it is able.

Lead and Advocate.

This is How DMOs Pivot

I've been sitting on this one for a few days for fear that it could provide unsophisticated community leaders the idea that Hotel Room Tax is just "funny money" (a Texas Mayor once actually said that to me) that could be diverted from DMOs to other purposes. But then, I began to believe that this is a learning moment for us all. 

I've always been a fan of placing a portion of Room Tax into a fund designated for destination development projects that increase the magnetism of a place. Asheville, Fox Cities and Fargo are just a handful of communities that do this.

So...there's this pot of money sitting there, waiting for a cool destination-enhancing project to come along. And, right now...that just ain't happening.

But today, there are our industry friends and partners out there who are hurting. So, let's run the philosophy. The money was designated to enhance the community. The way we enhance the community is to build new stuff. Can we make the case that maintaining our base in these dark days is just as important when developers are not knocking on our doors?

I think we all know the answer to that...and kudos to our friends at the Fargo Moorhead CVB.

The Board recently voted to take $500,000 out of its Destination Development Fund on a COVID-19 relief payment to hotels in the destination to help them through these times. It also approved a Matching Grant Fund of up to $400,000 for non-profit local attractions that face continuing negative impacts related to the pandemic.

These revenues were designated to incent future development (not general DMO operations). Today, they may just offer survival. Who else but a DMO with such a fund is coming to the aid of those most stricken by this nation's response to the virus? 

Yeah...pretty much nobody.

Hats off to Charley Johnson, his Board and crew. You make us all proud.

Are Residents Ready?

In our zeal to get back to business, communities are slowly opening back up. Here in Wisconsin, the Supreme Court struck down the Governor's "Stay Home" Order yesterday afternoon...and the bars were (predictably) packed last night.

Many Destination Marketing Organizations, widely expected to lead their communities back from the precipice, are conflicted. Our job is to invite the world. But, what if our residents (our true customers) aren't ready?

Research indicates that a significant number of our residents aren't ready for an influx of visitors. And yet, without visitors, an economy eats itself.

Kudos to our friends at Great Rivers & Routes Tourism for actually asking the community if they are ready.

Smart.

It's About Safe

Last month, we shared a LinkedIn post from our friend Spero Batistatos (South Shore CVA) that suggested that, when it's time to re-enter the marketplace, our message needs to be about the safety of our customers. And, while most Destination Marketing messaging has been about experiences, lots of research (pre COVID-19) has shown that the feeling of safety is one of the most important aspects of visitor choice.

It just became more so with this friggin' virus.

Our friends at Travel Lane County have moved into that space with videos addressing both hotel and restaurant protocols that their destination's businesses will be taking.

Nicely played...

The Xenophobia Around the Corner

Forget the President's attacks on China for the pandemic that has paralyzed our economy. The real xenophobia that threatens us is domestic.

Here in Wisconsin, residents in the rural north are pushing back on second-homers that have tried to escape their urban enclaves to go back home. We've heard the same from friends in California that have been told by locals to "go home" when they arrive to hang out in their cabins. Nasty notes slipped into mailboxes. Anonymous voice mails that are malicious.

And, then there's this. An op-ed piece in the Galveston TX newspaper that suggests that there should be an effort to attract a "better" clientele.

On one hand, the elitist tone of the piece is distasteful.

Or...is it? Should a community aspire to a higher standard? Should we begin to discourage the drunks and miscreants? Is that our future role in Destination Marketing? 

If so...this is the time to change our messaging.

The Great Pivot

As travel stopped in this country, Destination Marketing Organizations realized, perhaps faster than any community agency, that they were needed on the front line of business. 

Matt Stiker (formerly SF Travel) has written a great piece for Skift that outlines how 23 DMOs have responded to the crisis. There are so many more inspirational stories out there. Shoot them to Matt for future features.

Thanks, my friend. Today's DMO are too busy doing to chronicle what they've done. This is a history that needs to be recorded for us all.

Still Work to Do

You hear it. We hear it. The hushed conversations at City Hall and at County Board meetings.

"We don't need to forward last quarter's room tax to the DMO; they're not marketing anymore in this time of COVID."

Au contraire, mon amie.

You wanna know what today's DMOs have been doing? Check out this op-ed piece from Visit Sarasota's Virginia Haley.

Uh-huh.

And...thank you.