Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Lemme Get This Straight

You know that commercial where a band of young adults are being targeted by a stereotypical killer...and they ultimately hide in a shed filled with chain saws? And the killer subtly shakes his head in disbelief?

Yeah, that's how I felt during the first days of Omicron...when officials said that closing borders was a bad idea because it would hurt South Africa's economy. 22 days later, Omicron has been detected in every State in the nation.

And now, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced that the City will require patrons of indoor dining, fitness and entertainment to provide proof of vaccination for entrance. Starting January 3rd.

Huh?

If there's a need to require such a measure...why wait two weeks? Because it will harm business and piss off voters if you impede their holiday celebrations? If so, this isn't about public health, is it? Because, if it was, you wouldn't wait two weeks.

I've arrived at a point where I simply don't give a shit anymore. In the beginning, I believed lockdowns were important because of the misinformation that was coming out of Washington. Hey, some people are easily swayed and local government needed to protect the mentally vulnerable.

But coming up on two years, everyone knows what's up and we've all made our choice. Those who have avoided the vaccine (outside of medical reasons) have their reasons and can be counted as people who care about themselves and their politics more than their fellow citizens. Those on the other side know to take precautions when they are warranted.

So...enough of the lockdowns. We're all adults and have made our decisions accordingly, however reckless some among us may be.

And with that...Happy Holidays to you all. And here's hoping we all make it to 2023.

When Politicians are Spokesmodels

For some reason, some elected officials believe their video invitations to visit their destination is a good idea. It typically isn't.

I can think of only one such ad that ever worked...and it featured Ocean City Mayor Ed Meehan back in 2010.

Until now...Newark Mayor Raz Baraka simply nails his turn in this video, recently released by the Greater Newark CVB.

To Ricardo and company...you've joined some rarified air with this inspired video. Nicely played.

One Family, indeed.

A Serious Level of Recognition

Count me among those that believed the importance of the travel and hospitality industry would finally be recognized as the plague ripped this sector of our economy apart. Thus, count me among those that were scratching their head in disbelief when the hardest hit sectors of our industry (independent businesses) struggle so to find assistance.

But, there are lights appearing on the horizon...highlighted last week by the Governor of New York announcing $450 million in a “Bring Back Tourism, Bring Back Jobs” recovery package to reinvigorate domestic and international tourism as borders reopened. $100 million of the package will go to hospitality workers. $100 million will be dedicated to incentivize employers to bring back staff. There is also money for State and local marketing.

Here in Wisconsin, the Governor just released $15 million for local DMOs saying, “Wisconsin’s tourism industry was one of the first and hardest hit industries of the COVID-19 pandemic, but our local folks at DMOs have been innovative, dedicated and resilient…and it’s because of them that this industry is bouncing back and better.” 

Thanks, Tony. Your recognition and respect for the job that DMOs do everyday is refreshing.

Back on the Circuit

To say it feels great to be back on the speaking circuit would be a supreme understatement.

Thanks to Destinations International for inviting me to moderate a panel last week with the amazing Nan Marchand Beauvoir (US Travel), Beth Potter (Travel Industry Association of Canada via Zoom)) and Bari Golin-Blaugrund from the Cruise Lines International Association at the Advocacy Summit in Houston. Great insights and great content.

And thanks this week to Amanda Davis (Miami OK CVB) and Debra Bailey (Oklahoma Travel Industry Association) for asking me to riff on the post-Plague future of our industry...and open for an amazing presentation from Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell. Dude connects the dots better than any elected official I've seen in years.

Yeah...so great to be back.

It's About Control

The City Council of Duluth MN recently voted to redirect funding from its Destination Marketing Organization to an ad agency 150 miles away. For those of us that know how this game is played...that's beyond lunacy.

Across the bay, in Superior WI, the Mayor is advancing a notion that there should be a "Commission" that decides how Room Tax funds are deployed. Make no mistake, the City Council has had this responsibility for years. But this concept will put the decision in the hands of residents that are appointed to the Commission by the Mayor. Thus, the Mayor takes control of where the money goes, as his minions will do his bidding.

A telling quote from a story from Wisconsin NPR: "I think that's a very real desire to have some say in what these marketing campaigns look like and how much we spend on them," said Paine. "That's a power we don't have now." 

Power. Control. I get it. Cities collect the tax and they have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure it is invested wisely.

But, can someone tell me why a Mayor thinks he knows how Destination Marketing works? That he has spent time doing the work that we all do to build campaigns based on data? And that his minions have a clue as they decide how Room Taxes should be invested?

As the authors of "Race for Relevance" so clearly state, "these are part-time amateurs." Well meaning, well intentioned...but, they don't do this work for a living. But because they are elected, believe they know how this all works.

DMOs do. So why are these politicians so hell bent on wresting that talent away from the people that know it best?

I know, I know...because they can. Not because it's right.

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 Challenge

Don't challenge us. That's the message from political leaders in Penticton BC.

There's a lot of weeds to traverse here...but, at the end of the day, hoteliers have apparently indicated they will not support an increase in the Room Tax if the increased revenues are not directed to the DMO.

The Mayor responded thus: "When I hear a threat that if we don't go along with what they want that there will be a chance that the accommodations will not go for that three per cent ... that puts the hair up on my back and I'm going to say no, darn it, you're not going to have your way just because."

Just because?

Sigh.

On Capping Municipal Investment in Destination Marketing

It doesn't appear likely to happen in an Alabama town...but a City Council member there recently suggested capping his City's investment in destination marketing. Such a suggestion has been floated before and Council has been sophisticated enough to dismiss the notion out of hand.

But, it keeps coming up. This time, the quote from the Council floor was, ""Tourism does a wonderful job, but I feel like there needs to be a cap there. There needs to be a place where we stop them from getting so much. I feel like $900,000 is a lot of money."

Yeah...did you just snort Diet Pepsi through your nose, too?

But, here's the thing. The cost of everything keeps going up. Capping income to a DMO (or any enterprise) means they'll be able to do less and less every year. And, as the competition only gets fiercer.

So, to the Councilman, I ask...whatever you're making now in your day job? Mind if we cap your income for the rest of your life? 

Just sayin...

New on DMOU: Steve Moore

The latest episode of the DMOU Podcast just dropped...and we were honored to have former Visit Phoenix CEO Steve Moore grace the microphone for a free-flowing conversation focusing on his 46 years in the DMO sector and his view on the future of destination development. From politics to leadership (and a fun Bonus Round question), this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Is America's Brand Recovering?

Earlier today, I was on a Zoom call with an industry peer in Israel. We've been following each other online for over a decade...but had never taken the time to actually talk. This morning we did...and, my Mom taught me better than to start a first conversation with a question about politics. But, given this weekend's ouster of the Israeli Prime Minister, I couldn't help but ask "what's next?"

He described a legislative body with the slimmest of margins and offered a hope that his country, which has gone through four elections in two years, would begin to get back to governing by, as the newspaper Maariv suggested, "the yearning for sanity. The wish of many Israelis to live in quiet, without incitement, without hatred."

It struck me how much that sounded like America...and how much calmer life has been in America since Donald Trump left office. And that most people I know (surely not all), aren't wound as tightly since the inauguration of President Biden. It's as if the government is being led by someone who knows how this all works, instead of someone who was more interesting in Tweeting insults than leading a nation.

And, a Pew Research study about international opinion confirms just that. Today, 62% of those in 16 developed countries have a favorable view of the U.S. That's up from 34% last year. 75% believe Biden will "do the right thing" regarding world affairs. That number was 17% last year.

I know that Americans remain deeply divided...but it's fascinating how the rest of the world views us compared to just last year.