Researches from Anglia Ruskin University have determined that the best places to live out the final days of humanity would be New Zealand and Australia (especially Tasmania), along with a few other island nations.
Not to be dismissive of their work...but, if we read or saw "On the Beach," didn't we already know that?
Just sayin...
On the DMOU podcast, we've talked with DMO CEOs about creating sensational culture within their organizations. Pre-Plague, Anchorage's Julie Saupe said that she didn't want to risk her culture by allowing remote work. Sounds quaint now...but it made tons of sense then.
South Shore's Spero Batistatos built culture by creating a daycare in his office for staff with newborns. And, mid-Plague, Fired Up's Tammy Blount shared her thoughts on maintaining culture through a crisis.
Friends...it's about to get a whole lot tougher. Slack recently surveyed 10,000 knowledge workers...and the numbers are scary (tip of the hat to Fortune's CEO Daily for these chilling stats:
—76% of those surveyed want flexibility on where they work.
—93% want flexibility on when they work.
—56% are open to new job opportunities that may provide them more flexibility.
—21% are likely to jump ship in order to get that flexibility.
—Flexibility is second only to compensation in the factors leading people to change jobs.
—Black, Hispanic and Asian-American workers are more desirous of flexibility, and far more open to changing jobs to achieve it.
And, as most non-profit DMOs pay below private sector market rate and we, as a sector, are desperate to diversify our offices, this isn't good news.
But, as DMOs did last Spring, we'll figure a path through this new reality.
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.
If you are a political partisan, you likely love or loath Frank Luntz. For those of us that are fiercely independent, he is an enigma. Once a conservative operative, his recent research into the minds of Americans is simply fascinating (as it always has been).
He recently attempted to convince a focus group of anti-Vaxers to change their minds. This segment of This American Life (jump to Act Two) is worth a listen.
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?
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!
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.
Months before the 'VID darkened all our lives, research was suggesting that we were, as a consumer base, beginning to cocoon.
That this data from PGAV and H2R was initially published before the pandemic could cause some to discount it...but, 2019’s data provides a critical baseline understanding for when the tourism industry reopens, for consumers that desperately want to return to 2019.
"Destinations must quickly advance to offer exciting, new, high-fidelity experiences that “outsell” the comforts of home, enriched by the opportunities only you can offer, the stories and knowledge only you possess, and the comfort and growth only you can offer in times of unrest."
Truer words, my friends....good stuff. Despite the 'VID.
For those of us that vote for candidates we believe will work to enhance our lives, it's a head scratcher when we watch friends and colleagues steadfastly stick with an incumbent when they have repeatedly failed to do just that.
New research provides the answer. And, to channel Duke Tumatoe, "it's not their fault."
From Fast Company Compass, researchers at John Hopkins have studied babies that randomly pick a block from a room full of identical ones and then ignore all the other blocks. This indicates that we like things because we choose them; not that we choose things because we like them.
Thus, humans are apparently hardwired to double down on choices they've already made, regardless of whether it is the right choice.
Isn't science marvelous?
A recent study by Engagious found that respondents were equally divided on whether they would be more upset if their candidate lost in the upcoming Presidential Election or if the College Football season was canceled.
I think I want to cry.
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