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?

 

10,000

When we relaunched DMOU (Destination Marketing Organization University) as a podcast in the Summer of 2019, I'm not sure we had a goal in mind...other than to share compelling stories from people in and around the Destination Marketing space. It's what we love to do; shining a light on people who are making a difference.

But, waking up this morning to the fact that, overnight, DMOU passed the 10,000 download mark? That's cause for humble celebration.

Thanks to the over 50 guests over the past year and a half that have taken time out of often brutal schedules to share their truths. You inspire us...and we're thrilled to give your voices wings. And, to those that have powered the downloads, thanks for valuing what we've created.

And, if you've yet to listen, the entire library of conversations is available here, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms...including our latest episode with Visit Alexandria's Patricia Washington.

Here's to 20,000!

DMOs to the Rescue

Back in the '70s, there was a band called Black Oak Arkansas that experienced a meteoric arc with a handful of Southern-rock hits, most notably "Jim Dandy to the Rescue."

And, isn't that what Destination Marketing Organizations have been doing for the past year? Coming to the rescue of their independent businesses and working with community assets to keep the lights on as we wait for a post-COVID world?

The song popped into my mind as I've been following the saga of the Sea Turtles off the Texas Coast. For those that have somehow missed it (it has captured international media attention), last week's record-breaking cold in Texas not only impacted residents but "cold-stunned" thousands of turtles, causing them to lose motor skills and orientation. The non-profit conservancy on South Padre Island that would normally handle this kind of crisis was overwhelmed, as over 5,000 turtles were delivered to the facility by volunteers on the beach.

Our friend Ed Caum, the Director of the South Padre Island CVB, came to the rescue by arranging for the Convention Center to serve as a warming center for the turtles...and has been chronicling the process on the CVB's Facebook page. 

While it's just what we do...Ed, you make us all proud. 

Eddie Caum to the Rescue, indeed.

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.

Please, Don't be Another Train

If this weekend's Super Bowl parties don't result in another debilitating COVID spike over the next two weeks, that light at the end of the tunnel might be called "travel."

Our friends at Destination Analysts and Longwoods International have both been supplying DMOs and the travel industry with insights into how consumers are feeling about getting back out on the road and in the air. And, as we bounced from holiday spike to holiday spike, consumers hung on the safety bar of their personal roller coaster as travel sentiment rose and fell.

But today, as Americans feel more hopeful that the strategy for immunization is becoming more coherent, they also indicate that they are itching to get back out there. According to Destination Analysts' latest weekly study, consumers' openness to travel inspiration (marketing) is at its highest point since the pandemic reared its ugly head. And, today's release of Longwoods' latest research reveals that 81% of us say that we plan to travel in the next six months...up from 65% in mid-January and the highest since last March.

That's the kind of news we all need.

Tourist Censorship

Over-Tourism was a pre-pandemic term that referred to destinations where the sheer number of tourists was resulting in a loss of a quality experience for residents. Many of us in the front lines of Destination Marketing pushed back on the term saying that it isn't "over-tourism," it's just badly managed tourism.

As we recover from the pandemic, some communities are saying that they intend to better manage their promotional efforts to only focus on "high-value" visitors. The concept is to welcome fewer bodies...but bodies that will spend more. That should satisfy everyone, right?

We stumbled upon an interesting op-ed piece the other day that called such a move in Breckenridge to be overly elitist...and there is a certain truth to that. Food for thought as we re-imagine our Destination Marketing strategies for the future, knowing that our residents are watching.

Image Credit: Tourism Economics