Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Teach 'em Some Respect

As we look hopefully to the return of travel around the world, it behooves us all to reconsider how that will look when cabin-fevered consumers collectively feel they've been given a green light. For those that have received their second shot...that time is sooner than later. For every such person we've talked to...indeed, it is now.

To avoid returning to "over-tourism" complaints by residents in some communities, many Destination Marketers are shifting where and how they plan to re-enter the marketplace to attract a more discerning consumer. In British Columbia, a number of DMOs are working with the Sea to Sky Corridor Destination Development Council to educate inbound visitors to "the concepts of respect, proper outdoor conduct, preparedness, environmental awareness and responsible social media use." In other words, encouraging visitors to stop acting like they were raised by feral pigs when they're in-market.

Pique published a great piece on the initiative that is worth your read. And, here's hoping it inspires others to take steps, while we still can, to mitigate the crowds we know will return.

Are We Ready for the Return?

Over the weekend, I found myself reflecting on one of the better webinars I've seen this year. Part of Connect Travel's "See Tomorrow" series, last week's episode focused on resident sentiment with Colorado's Cathy Ritter, Park City's Jennifer Wesselhoff, Hawaii's Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā and Longwoods International's Amir Eylon, moderated by TripAdvisor's Steve Paganelli. If you didn't catch it live...make time to catch up with the recording in the next week or so.

Why sooner than later? If the pace of vaccinations continues on its forward trajectory and the fourth spike sputters, Destination Marketing Organizations will be returning to the marketplace with invitations for consumers to visit. The "when you're ready" message will increasingly be replaced by "we're ready for you." But, is your community really ready?

As Amir reminded viewers, 4 out of 10 residents remain wary of their community unfurling the welcome mat...and that's too close to 50-50 for me.

Despite the pressure to get back into the game, the question must be asked, will residents be happy to see visitors again? And, have they come to enjoy the relative quiet of the past year in many of our communities?

A lot of residents of Big Sur are kinda diggin' that Highway One collapsed, cutting off outside access to the community. In a recent story, one resident said she is "celebrating the tranquility."

How many of your residents feel the same way?

 

Reimagine a Floor?

Many restaurants that have managed to remain open for the past year are hanging on by a thread, praying for the weather for outdoor dining to return, government restrictions to relax and consumer fear to subside. 

I'm not sure how I missed this piece by Laurie Jo Miller Farr that ran last month in The Travel Vertical, but the concept of restaurants and hotels partnering at a high level is brilliant. As she opined: "Urban hotels are removing beds, dressers, nightstands from hotel suites and re-furnishing them as private dining rooms. Limiting interaction with others, there’s a waiter to serve plated meals from a nearby restaurant and some of the guests are opting for an overnight stay. Aimed at a local targeted audience, why not?"

If you missed the story too, catch it here. This could be the bridge to Summer.

Image Credit: Le Crocodile in Brooklyn

Delta v. Problem Children

We love Delta.

Which is so weird...because when I started down this path of consulting Destination Marketing Organizations and hopping on planes almost every week, I loathed them. But something happened after they absorbed Northwest Airlines. The customer suddenly came first. Coincidence? I have no idea...but as a Northwest fan, I'd certainly like to think so.

Last month, Delta CEO Ed Bastian took a stand for civility:

“Please know that respect and civility to others on our planes, at our airports, in our workplaces and in our society — even when we have differences of opinion — have always been a requirement for our people and our customers. Those who refuse to display basic civility to our people or their fellow travelers are not welcome on Delta. Their actions will not be tolerated, and they will not have the privilege of flying our airline ever again.”

Oh, hell yeah.

Every other airline? I'm waiting.....

Delta for the Win

One of the most quoted TV lines of its time was made famous by Telly Savalas through his character Kojak..."Who loves 'ya, baby?"

Today, that would be Delta Airlines, which announced they would be extending their blocking of the middle seat on flights through April. And, that's why Delta is our preferred carrier. A survey this week of business travelers showed that 82% of us felt safer when the middle seat was blocked. Yeah...82%.

One has to wonder what the other carriers are thinking.

Missing a Market?

As Americans over 65 are increasingly in line for their vaccinations across the country, one could make the case that they may be the first back out on the road.

Indeed, TravelAbility's Jake Steinman said as much in an article he posted earlier this week, adding that this cohort is also sitting on 70% of this nation's discretionary spending power. They're also more likely to require special accessibility features in hotels, restaurants and attractions.

Sounds like a perfect time to start re-imagining how we all serve this growing market. To get you motivated, check out our conversations with Jake, Greater Lansing's Julie Pingston and Visit Mesa's Marc Garcia on DMOU podcasts.

Make it Worth It

As a "Loyalty Member" at a regional movie house chain, I annually get a Birthday e-mail offering me a random free "gift" to entice me back to the theatre. And, I got one this weekend, offering me a free fountain drink as my Birthday gift.

This may have been the offer I got last year. I really don't remember, because offering me a 16 oz. Diet Pepsi won't entice me to drive 30 minutes to see a show I wasn't already considering. And, with the 'VID, the offer would have to be substantially higher to encourage me to place myself in an enclosed space with unknown protocols and no control over potentially sick patrons in the row behind me. Indeed, part of me thinks the Marketing Department forgot to update their traditional Birthday e-mail offer to better reflect pandemic reality.

You want me to put aside my health concerns and come to your theatre again? How about a free family 4-pack of tickets for my birthday? That way, you not only get us through the doors but another couple or family members as well to re-engage with your product. You lose nothing, because your seats aren't full and you gain all the overpriced concessions we'll consume. And, if we don't get sick in the next 10 days, you'll have encouraged us to return because your protocols work.

Offering me a Diet Pepsi? You simply look tone deaf. And cheap.

For those in the hospitality space that believe that special offers can kick start your recovery...go large or go home.

Abandonment

It's a pretty powerful word: Abandoned.

But that's what millions in the hospitality industry are feeling. We've shared op ed pieces and communiques from restauranteurs on this blog that encapsulate the pain. But the message fails to motivate those that we have elected to take meaningful action.

So, we try again. This time, the missive is from Edward Lee, who has been forced to close 4 restaurants during the government's response to the pandemic.

From his piece in Bon Appetit: "Unfortunately for restaurant people, our skill set doesn’t translate well to other industries. We’re hyper-focused on one thing: hospitality. And when the industry crumbles, you have an entire population of people not equipped to do other jobs. I’ve devoted 29 years of my life to this; I can’t just go sell neckties or insurance. Yet the people in power don’t see that. They don’t see restaurant workers as a valuable sector of our society. Their attitudes are, ‘Well, they can go find other jobs.’ That’s just not the case."

So True. And, so sad that we have de-evolved into a culture where partisan politics ignores human suffering.

The Next Step for DMOs

As the 'VID began to surge across America in March, Destination Marketing Organizations executed the ultimate pivot; one that was unthinkable just weeks before. Before the pandemic, DMOs helped restaurants, hotels, attractions and retail by promoting their destinations to add more potential customers to the community than just residents.

Within days, after governments shut down their hospitality economies, DMOs were racing to assist these businesses (primarily restaurants) by marketing their revised hours of operation, delivery and take-out options and more...to residents, as travel ground to a halt.

In my mind, the next step for DMOs was to find a way to assist local retailers...not an easy initiative. But, Visit Fort Collins may have cracked the code. They've just launched a new service to let residents and consumers across the country buy goods and services from local vendors from one centralized website and payment system.

Bravo...and we can't wait to see more of this type of innovation as we move into the new year!

Open for Business

While weddings, concerts and large events have been shown to be potential super-spreader events, we have been excited to see a number of larger conventions and meetings that have been staged without any transmission of the ‘VID. And, that’s because these events are run by professionals for professionals…in other words, people who take safety protocols seriously.

Greg Edwards and his crew at Catch Des Moines recently released a promotional video, assuring meeting and event professionals that the DMO is just as serious about health and safety as they are. And, it carries with it that conspiratorial wink for which Catch Des Moines (and, more specifically, Greg) is known.

Nicely played.