Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is on Broadway in a revival of "Betrayal." He shed a tear on stage the other night...but, was it scripted?
Enjoy, if you will, one of the best theatrical reviews I've read in years.
And, an indictment of every single person so self-absorbed that they don't turn off their mobile devices during performances.
I remember debating a community development consultant on the Sharing Economy about five years ago. I argued for the need for regulation to level the playing field; that people who played by the rules (taxi drivers) faced losing their jobs (or worse) in the face of a free-for-all of "cabbies" that simply had to sign up on an online platform to compete. She chided me for being "old-school" and not realizing where the economy was headed.
That's the point. I did.
Fast forward to the present and home-sharing plays like Airbnb. Today, it's not so much that we can all be innkeepers without health inspections and, in some cases, not paying the appropriate taxes. The lodging community seems to have absorbed most of the hit in most communities. But, the unintended consequence is far more insidious.
Here in Madison, there was an initial move to limit the number of Airbnbs in a block as on-street parking downtown is already notoriously difficult for residents. Multiply three couples (with three cars) renting a house on a game-day weekend by 5 houses on a block and you've got a problem. Once again, those who play by the rules (hotels) must provide parking. Those who don't, don't. Of course, the State of Wisconsin swooped in and made that conscious consideration mute with a "hey, whatever" law that would supersede ours.
Which is kinda what has happened in Arizona, where a State law now prevents communities from effectively regulating home-sharing. And, particularly hard hit has been Sedona, as 20% of the housing stock there has been taken over by short-term rentals. That means residential housing is becoming scarce...and scarcity drives price.
Many people who work in the area can no longer afford to live in the area.
Sold to the public as a way for homeowners to make extra money, one legislator now says "We never anticipated that somebody would go into a neighborhood, purchase a home and turn it into a mini-hotel." And, that's because no one ever anticipates unintended consequences...until it's too late.
Which is why (as much as it is a creative buzz kill) we should all seriously consider the "what could go wrong" factor for every new initiative that sounds so right.
In what was probably my favorite class in my quest for my MBA, our professor would pit members of his class against each other in search of the truth amidst an ethical dilemma. The results were often fascinating, opening our eyes to concepts and realities we had never considered.
An interesting conundrum is facing my city of Madison. The genesis of a project in our downtown core that was initially designed to provide a second HQ hotel for our convention center has de-evolved into a hodge-podge of special interests that includes office space, retail and residential (and, not surprisingly, not nearly the required rooms needed for the Center). And, it's the residential component that is now gumming up the works.
To make the project financially feasible, a developer has proposed a number of residential units with spectacular views of the lakes and the Capitol, from which the resulting revenue will make the financial package work. The City has requested the developer make a number of the units "affordable." The developer agreed...and set aside some of the lower floors for these units, floors from which they couldn't command top dollar for the somewhat diminished view.
Ahhh, but not so fast. That's not fair, according to the City...which is pushing for "affordable" units throughout the structure so that disparate socio-economic citizens can co-mingle as equals. Noble, to be sure. But, according to the developer, the numbers don't work.
So...here's the dilemma. Should City taxpayers be on the hook to subsidize these units to make the developer whole in the name of social equality?
Thoughts?
Image: Gebhart Development
It's always dangerous to base an opinion regarding a destination news story on one source; nuance is everything.
But, the story coming out of Putnam County NY over the past few weeks is almost too weird not to believe it. I mean, you simply can't make some of this stuff up.
The Putnam County Legislature has been pressuring its CVB for more accountability over the past year. The CVB has, for whatever reason resisted. Frustrated, the County placed an ad for a new Executive Director in May, even though the CVB is an independent agency.
At some point, the CVB Board and its CEO decided to close up shop, shut down the website, close the office and returned State grant funds. And, sometime around July 1, they actually did it. Now, County Legislators are facing the rest of the summer season with no destination website and no Plan B.
Destination Marketing Organizations have often had to tread carefully with their funding partners for fear of retribution in the form of canceling a contract, regardless of the pain that shuttering a DMO would have on local businesses.
Now, government will have to weigh whether messing with a DMO could result in the same pain visited upon their constituents if the organization says, "screw it," and closes up shop.
Crazy...
Over the past decade, Iceland rapidly became one of those destinations that moved up on everybody's Bucket Lists. It got to the point over the past couple years that some on the island country were bemoaning the crush of visitors and encouraging the government to do something to stem visitation.
Then Wow Airlines collapsed...and inbound travel to the country for 2019 is projected to drop by 17%. Visitation was down 24% last month. Unemployment is up and the Airport is laying off 315 workers. Hotels are slashing prices. The country's total economy is now projected to drop by roughly 2% after a decade of growth.
So, to all those who clamored for the "tourist problem to go away?" How do you like us now?
It's simplistic and unsophisticated to say that tourists are the problem (we are more often the solution). The sophisticated response is to better manage the visitor economy, n'est pas?
Destination Marketing used to be easy; we simply played the hand we were dealt. We marketed our assets and went home at night.
Today, the "mandates" on successful DMOs continue to grow. Be involved in Destination Advocacy. Diversify our revenue streams. Evolve into a Shared Community Value. Be part of the solution for Homelessness and Hunger.
Our DMOs look almost nothing like they did in the last century. And, that's a good thing...because our communities need us to be more than we have been. And, it's time to add Sustainability to the list.
The Global Destination Sustainability Index, originally a Scandinavian initiative, has just released a powerful White Paper on the role of DMOs in this new mandate. It pulls no punches...and, for those that buy into the premise that "There is No Planet B," it's pretty clear: Take the Lead. Develop a Master Plan. Integrate the Plan into the Core Strategy. And Become a Master Collaborator.
These are all topics that we bridge with every one of our DMO clients...but, I've never seen them bundled in such a compelling manner.
The article in Meetings & Conventions is so worth your read...and I'll be surprised if you don't request the White Paper.
It's like that Def Leppard song.
Both sides in their respective corners...one side acting like they want to work it out, the other saying there cannot be a solution as long as the other takes breath. So, maybe it's more like the theme song of Rocky IV.
My friend, brand-meister Duane Knapp, and I have been bouncing this conversation around for a few months: the term "Over-Tourism" needs to be stricken from our shared lexicon. It does nothing but inflame...and isn't even accurate. Communities do not suffer from too many tourists. If they suffer, it is from poor management of the visitors that, at one time, sounded like a pretty good idea.
After all, let's not forget, the residents causing the most ruckus surely benefit from non-resident taxes, lower unemployment and more cool stuff to do in their towns than if visitors didn't drop off boatloads of cash each year. And, yes...their counter-arguments are just as valid. Tourists can be self-absorbed pigs.
But, a recent story from Juneau AK exemplifies why we need to stop the name calling. Some local activists, calling themselves "Juneau Neighborhoods Affected by Tourism," called a meeting to discuss their grievances about the travel industry...without the travel industry in the room.
Organizers were beyond miffed when some industry representatives showed up to the meeting, one even asking them to vacate seats up front so that those that wanted to bitch could be seated. Astonished, representatives from cruise-lines and other hospitality businesses replied that they were only there to hear the concerns so they could attempt some form of mitigation.
But, no. Let's not enter into meaningful conversation to find a mutually beneficial solution. Let's just keep pointing fingers.
Destination Marketing Organizations have a role here...and we need to engage, pronto.
Image Credit: Der Spiegel
Home sharing plays, such as Airbnb, have not only disrupted the taxi industry...but, according to many, neighborhoods that report increasingly unaffordable housing, lack of sufficient parking for residents and the "evisceration" of the character locals love. And, as tourism must work first for residents, that's not a good thing.
Enter Fairbnb, a Dutch start-up that is about to launch a sharing play that gives back to the community to fund projects in the neighborhood, selected by the residents being impacted. It's not a perfect solution, but this story from City Lab offers hope to neighborhoods what welcome Fairbnb into their homes.
Sometimes, we are so consumed with the job at hand that we can't see the opportunity before us. Sometimes we get comfortable with the "norm" of how business has always been done. And, that's when innovation is an orphan.
My alma mater DMO, Destination Madison is starting to pick up some serious industry buzz for its recent roll-out of a concept that is deceptively simple. One that sort of paraphrases Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" to "Start with the Customer."
The Destination Madison Team took the time to break down the challenges faced by today's meeting and event professional. And, juggling contract upon contract from each of the hotels they planned to use certainly floated to the top as one of a planner's biggest pain points.
How to solve the dilemma? Design one contract for all the hotels in the city the planner intends to use.
They call it "One City. One Contract."
It's One brilliant idea.
Kudos to Deb, John and the Team that makes those of us that call Madison home so proud...
And, not just because I'm quoted.
Skift's Hannah Sampson does a masterful job of comparing and contrasting all sides of the argument...as there appears to be a ray of hope for the continuation of Visit Florida.
Read and weep? Nah, read and take action.
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