iVisitorGuide

Insanity rules in DMO-land!

2013-05-17T17:35:00.000+01:00

Bill Geist's latest ZEITGEIST newsletter tells of a news story circulating in the DMO world this month that involves drama and Indiana in the same sentence. And not a small dollop of complete madness too!

If you don't subscribe to Bill's emails can I suggest you do - here's the link. In the meantime here's the transcript of Bill's latest main story. Please read on...

There’s a news story circulating in the DMO world this month that involves drama and Indiana in the same sentence...and my friends in the industry reach out to me and ask, “Spero, right?”

Yes, Spero Batistatos (CEO of the South Shore CVA) is a force of nature. He has a personality that can light up a room...and can set rival gangs on war footing. Nobody is ambivalent about Spero Batistatos. You love the guy...or hate him.

But, nobody can honestly deny his passion for destination marketing, economic development and enhancing the Quality of Life on the South Shore. All of the South Shore.

And, despite the fact that much of the drama is about style, regional opinion leaders are beginning to side with Spero on this one (here and here)

The latest dust up in Northwest Indiana concerns a DMO Director in an adjacent county requesting a legal opinion on whether the South Shore CVA can “do business” in his county. He’s miffed that the South Shore CVA has hotels and attractions in his county that have invested partnership revenues into their neighboring DMO. He says it confuses clients.

Except, these hotels and attractions wouldn’t be investing in the South Shore CVA if they didn’t see a value. The days of “for the good of the community” membership are over. Indeed, the South Shore CVA reports they booked more hotel room nights into the adjacent county than its own DMO generated last year. Yeah...these businesses see value to their bottom line and they are willing to pay for it.

If the offended DMO is serious about this “infringement” concept, it should be suing TripAdvisor or Yelp or Google...because they are all providing visitor information about his county, too. Just like the South Shore CVA, they’re “meddling” in the affairs of the DMO by providing broader and richer content than he does.

Or course, that’s insane. But, it doesn’t stop him from trying to prevent the South Shore CVA from bringing business into the region that benefits his county’s economy.

Here’s the deal...any attorney or judge that reads Indiana code to mean that a DMO cannot use locally derived room or casino tax to place business in another county (when such action will also positively impact the home county) is either an idiot or focused on political power over constituent needs.

Because, if such an opinion is rendered (and if it becomes precedent), there will be no more Super Bowls or Final Fours in Indianapolis... because Visit Indy will be blocked from pursuing events that require hotel rooms outside Marion County to land the business. And big events always do.

Really? Is this how short sighted some have become?

Visitors (and clients) don’t give a damn about geo-political boundaries. And those that still view the world through those glasses need to sit down, shut up and leave destination marketing to those of us that understand today’s competitive realities.

Bill Geist

visit http://www.zeitgeistconsulting.com/

The World's Biggest Social Media Team

2013-02-27T09:41:00.000Z

"An awesome demonstration of a quality execution of social strategy and terrific leadership and knowledge sharing from Australia's national tourism organisation"

So said Liz Ward (Board Director at Tourism Queensland) - set aside the 15 minutes needed to read this presentation by Tourism Australia.

The World's Biggest Social Media Team from TourismAustralia

Liz is right! Awesome.

Guide shows Wirral as a culinary capital

2013-02-15T11:17:00.000Z

A new guide showcasing the very best places to eat and drink in Wirral was launched yesterday in Merseyside's first 5 Star Hotel, Hillbark, Royden Park, Wirral

The Wirral Food and Drink Guide highlights around 100 places where residents and visitors alike can find whatever culinary treat they desire from breakfast, to afternoon tea and fine dining, from coffee shops to wine bars, delicatessens, butchers and farm shops.

The 76-page guide features some of Wirral's best know gastronomic attractions, such as Michelin starred Restaurant Fraiche in Oxton - one of the UK's top 25 eateries, according to the Which Good Food Guide.

Other celebrated restaurants featured in the guide include Stewart Warner at The Hillbark Hotel and Spa in Frankby which has received three AA Rosettes for its fine dining.

Da Piero in Irby, which has been named in The Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide for the past four years, is also included, along with the three AA Rosette 'Lawns' restaurant at The Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa and Richard Fox at The Leverhulme Hotel in Port Sunlight, which was also included in The Michelin Guide for a second time.
read more:
Guide shows why Wirral Is Liverpool City Region's culinary capital | Bay TV Liverpool

Arts Council England joins forces with VisitEngland to boost cultural tourism

2013-02-06T11:41:00.004Z

Arts Council England and the national tourist board, VisitEngland, have announced a new partnership to boost cultural tourism in England.

By working together to coordinate activity, Arts Council England and VisitEngland will grow the value of tourism by championing England’s cultural offer, stimulating local jobs and ensuring the sustainability of the cultural sector around the country.

The partnership statement sets out how Arts Council England and VisitEngland will work together. A key priority will be to encourage and support destinations that have real potential to grow and improve cultural tourism.

Arts Council Lottery funding of £3 million will be available to local culture and tourism partnerships. This fund, due to launch this summer, aims to encourage the development of arts and cultural experiences and targeted holiday packages for visitors that include cultural aspects as well as more traditional accommodation and transport elements.

Canadian Tourism Commission unveils new resources for industry

2013-02-05T14:48:00.001Z

Every picture tells a story runs the old truism; with that in mind, the Canadian Tourism Commission have published training videos for the Canadian tourism industry. They cover the value of tradeshows such as Rendez-vous Canada and GoMedia Canada Marketplace, working with travel media, selling in international markets and tips on building experiences. Here’s a peek at one:

If you’re seeking a competitive edge in the global tourism marketplace, then you need the best tools at hand.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has just sharpened its collection of resources for industry on the corporate website. Follow the links to find out more.

VisitScotland withdraw Online Booking facilities

2012-11-07T17:54:00.000Z

It's been a ten year disaster, a monumental waste of public sector funding, a process that ignored best available advice, a project driven by egos and finally with a couple of hundred words and no regrets, the Chief Executive of VisitScotland has finally done what should have been done a decade ago and pulled the VisitScotland Booking engine.

It even sounds like it's a strategic decision and not one forced upon them by EC rulings. Well it's not strategic and the hundreds of businesses using their new online booking system (which was in fact only launched in April of THIS year) were certainly not told that it was going to have a lifespan of less than eight months. The fact of the matter is that the organisation knew that this was a possibility, we even asked them why they were going ahead specifically, and ignored it claiming instead at meeting after meeting that the position with the EC ruling was clear and they had the right to sell accommodation through their systems.

Well they were right, the ruling was clear, the direction from Brussels last November told VisitScotland to get out of the process. Instead they spent millions re branding their site and integrating another online booking facility that would last for just over two hundred days.

Read more at Tourism Matters

A Restaurant Menu on Instagram

2012-10-19T11:04:00.001+01:00

A restaurant in New York City has implemented what it’s calling an Instagram menu, directing customers to pictures of food posted on the popular photo-sharing site to help them decide what to order.

I'll let them tell the story in this video.

John Penrose Interview

2012-09-14T10:04:00.000+01:00

John Penrose talks to Radio Bristol following his departure as Minister for Tourism & Heritage at the DCMS.

In an official statement, John said: “I’m very proud of the work I did as part the DCMS team, boosting the tourism industry, cutting red tape and helping with a highly successful Olympic Games as well".

John leaves his portfolios in the hands of Ed Vizey (Heritage) and Hugh Robertson (Tourism). Since the announcement Martin Couchman, deputy chief executive at the British Hospitality Association, has responded to the news by saying that: "[John Penrose] was a great supporter of the tourism industry", words that were echoed by the Council for British Archaeology who thanked him for his work and labeled him "a champion for heritage within Government."

So remind me again - how important is tourism to this government?

Article Source: JohnPenrose.org

Growing Tourism Locally - #VisitEngland #RGF

2012-08-31T11:21:00.001+01:00

Go Lakes - one of the first RGF backed campaigns

This week saw the official launch of Visit England's ‘Growing Tourism Locally’, a new partnership project to deliver local and thematic campaigns throughout the country.

It is claimed that the three year project, aimed at inspiring Britons to take more holidays at home will generate £365million in additional tourism spend and will stimulate employment to grow jobs in the tourism sector by 9,100 over the three years.

The project, funded by £19.8m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) with contributions from VisitEngland and the private sector, has now received official sign off from Government and campaigns will start to roll out over the coming months. The investment focuses on working directly with destinations and private sector, to create a number of dedicated marketing campaigns throughout the country with emphasis on specific areas and themes. Themes will focus on what England is most loved for including: Heritage, Coast, Countryside, and Culture including Sport and Literature, with the first campaign launching towards the end of 2012.

The total cost of the campaign will be ￡41m including ￡20m from the Regional Growth Fund, ￡9m from VisitEngland and ￡12m leveraged from the national and local tourism sector.

Cumbria Tourism kick start the campaign with its, ‘Go Share Great Moments’ and ‘Go Take Your Breath Away’
options which were produced and created by Stockport-based Juiced Orange Marketing. The advertising will now be displayed around London’s key rail and underground stations aiming to generate late summer, autumn and winter bookings.

In late December a second wave of activity will commence hoping to boost bookings in the lead up to 2013 and stimulating jobs in the area. The overall campaign will be fully integrated with Cumbria Tourism’s existing marketing activity and will be supported by digital, PR and thematic campaigns.

Ian Stephens, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, added: “The Lake District is one of the UK's strongest and most recognised destination brands, yet with increased competition from places like Scotland, Wales and the South West, it is now more important than ever for us to keep our offering fresh". (Read more)

Visit York, will receive £666,666 from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund as part of a new three-year partnership project, coordinated by the national tourist board VisitEngland.The investment project called ‘Growing Tourism Locally’, aims to inspire more Britons to holiday in England and will deliver a series of campaigns across the country. The funds will be boosted by other partners, including East Coast Rail and City of York Council , to a new £1 million pound campaign over three years.

Visit York’s campaign aims to boost the local economy by 5 per cent, an estimated £22 million over the three years, creating an estimated 391 new jobs. UK-wide, the project is expected to generate £365 million in additional tourism spend and create 9,100 additional jobs. Visit York will receive £160,000 in the first year, which will fund a UK wide campaign targeting visitors from London, the South East, Midlands and Scotland. The first wave of activity will persuade visitors to choose York for a winter break between November and March, boosting revenue to the city in the off peak season.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said: "As a tourism agency, we have worked for over 25 years to promote our great city to the rest of the UK and we are now recognised globally as a world class destination. The RGF funding is a major coup for York and will enable us to take this awareness to the next level and inspire UK holidaymakers to choose York."

Marketing Birmingham will be a key partner on the three-year project, which will be a national campaign aimed at inspiring Britons to take more short breaks and holidays at home and in doing so, grow jobs in the tourism sector.

Tim Manson, Operations & Policy Director for Marketing Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to be a key destination partner for this project, which will provide an important lift for the tourism sector in this country. Through our marketing strategy, Visit Birmingham, the ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ campaign will help us to position the city and surrounding area as a key destination for visitors looking to holiday in England. In addition, it will also help us to create more jobs within the region, which is vital for our economic growth. We will be working closely with VisitEngland not only on our local marketing campaigns, but also on how we can capitalise on key national events to the benefit of Birmingham and surrounding area.”

Bath’s destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, (BTP) is set to invest an additional £1million into promoting Bath and North East Somerset over the next 3 years, as a result of receiving £500,000 from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). The additional funding will support marketing campaigns which will seek to attract high spending short break and premium shoppers markets and help grow the value of Bath’s visitor economy.

Nick Brooks-Sykes, Chief Executive at Bath Tourism Plus said: “This investment acknowledges the real value of Bath’s visitor economy and its ability to deliver real economic growth. By producing innovative and effective campaigns, we will be able to realise our ambition of raising the value of day visitors by 9%, growing domestic overnight visitors by the same amount and increasing business event delegates to 169,000, so that by 2014, tourism will be worth £400m to the local economy.”

Marketing Leeds has secured over £500,000 of funding from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to increase tourism to Leeds, increase visitor spend and boost employment in the sector. The programme is expected to grow the value of international conferences, events and conventions and create 300 new jobs in the city and 9,100 jobs nationally.

Visit Peak District & Derbyshire will receive £600,000 over the next three years. The tourist body can now press on with its planned strategy, based on the themes of The Great Escape and Active Peak, as part of national tourist board VisitEngland's partnership project Growing Tourism Locally.

Not all are happy with these arrangements though. Despite the funding now allocated for Marketing Leeds and Visit York, Welcome To Yorkshire and VHEY will not receive any.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome To Yorkshire, said: "We're delighted that funding is being made available for tourism, which is now such an important part of our economy, and we look forward to working with Marketing Leeds and Visit York to grow the tourism economy even further.

"However, we do have doubts about this scatter-gun approach to funding and many parts of the country are wondering why they have not received any.

"We feel it is a missed opportunity not to give the funding to Yorkshire as a whole to build on the success of Brand Yorkshire."

If you are a destination (unlike Yorkshire) and want to get involved there is still time. The project is subject to on-going evaluation and development during the three years, so there will be opportunities available at different stages over this period. Involvement in more than one campaign is also possible if it meets your objectives. It is however important that you contact the VE team as soon as possible stating your interest, even if you are unable to participate in this financial year.

To express your destinations interest or to find out more about the campaigns contact Georgina Heathcote, Marketing Partnerships Manager on Georgina.Heathcote@visitengland.org or call 020 7578 1400 or visit the website.

Canberra's 'Human Brochure' Campaign

2012-08-27T12:52:00.005+01:00

'The Human Brochure' campaign has been launched with the aim of increasing visits to Australia's capital by getting social-media aware Aussies to share their experience of Canberra via social media.

The vast amount of content produced (stories, photos, videos) will literally form the world's first Human Brochure.

The campaign will promote Canberra as a short break destination by building a community of advocates for Canberra and increasing the volume of sentiment and social chat about it as a destination.

Watch the video:

It provides an interesting and unique channel to challenge perceptions and change the way Australians traditionally think about the tourism offer; rather than telling Australians what to think, it lets them decide for themselves.

The idea behind it is a simple one based on the best marketing tool in the business - word of mouth from a trusted source. This is particularly relevant for travel, with research proving people seek peer recommendations when booking travel and that bragability is key, particularly on social media.

Research also shows the vast majority of visitors to Canberra have their expectations met or exceeded - so Australian Capital Tourism is bringing 500 social media savvy Australians to Canberra, to experience and judge it for themselves.

Participants will be selected from all over Australia to travel to Canberra for the weekend - the first group in October 2012, and the second group in February 2013.

The initial entry phase of the campaign will run until Friday 21 September 2012, with people driven to enter campaign via 500humans.com.au, as well as a facebook and mobile app. Winners will be announced on Monday 1 October.

Participants will be divided into four key interest groups based on their key interests: arts and culture, foodies, family fun and soft adventure

In return for their weekend, participants will share their experiences with family, friends, networks and peers using their own words, pictures and videos on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Article source: CampaignBrief

Special Report on Google acquiring Frommer’s: 4 things a CVB or DMO should do right now

2012-08-15T16:32:00.002+01:00

Article Source: Tourism Currents

If there was ever any doubt about whether tourism and hospitality organizations need to step up their game as online publishers and content creators, much of that was erased today by the announcement that Google is acquiring the travel guide site Frommer’s.

What does this mean for CVBs (Convention & Visitors Bureaus,) DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations,) Tourist Boards and the hotel/lodging industry?

Does it mean that Frommer’s content will be bumped to the top of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) in Google the way that Google+ content seems to be favored in their SERPs? Some have said that there are antitrust issues when Google tries to be both a search provider and a content provider.

It’s most likely that Frommer’s content will get prominent placement in local search results, like Zagat’s now often are; remember that Google acquired Zagat in September 2011.

Bottom line: Can CVBs/DMOs compete with the world’s #1 search engine combined with tons of travel content?

YES, and here is why...
because good destination marketers know their town and its wonderful stories better than anyone, including behemoth search engines and travel sites with content from a bunch of different writers.

Even one, single person in a small town Chamber of Commerce or CVB has the online tools, authentic voice, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit to make a run against anyone.

Someone like, say, Kristy Vandegriff, who fearlessly launched the Jewett, Texas Chamber bloglast month in addition to her nice work for the Chamber on Facebook and Twitter. Someone like Brian Matson, who put Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota on the online map by creating over 100 videos for the Fargo/Moorhead CVB YouTube channel and also made a big splash with the Woodchipper Facebook Page, based on a famous scene in the movie Fargo.

One woman. One man. Moving mountains because they care enough to do so.

Whether you have one person on staff or twenty, here are 4 moves that we think you need to make, starting right now, to ensure that you stop living and dying over whatever company Google acquires next, and set yourself up to run your own race:

Control What YOU Can Control

Action 1: Commit to expending your primary marketing effort on platforms that you control. For starters, that means your email lists, RSS subscribers, snail mail lists, the best website you can create and your own self-hosted blog (the most powerful social media tool of all.)

There are also plenty of social networks that are not owned or controlled by Google, so build relationships with your visitors and guests on whichever ones make sense for your market, but keep in mind that it is fundamentally a risk to do that because you do not own or control anything on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

They should be the “spokes” of your efforts, never the hub.

Most of you also have something that Google andFrommer’s will never have: a brick-and-mortar Visitor’s/Welcome Center. Even if it’s just a kiosk somewhere, like the Seattle CVB’s satellite stall in Pike Place Market, make the most of it! Arrange your Center so that when visitors stop by, they can easily sign up for your emails, “Like” your Facebook Page, get a Foursquare checkin special and follow you on Twitter on the spot, or via posted QR codes. Take their photo, be your in-the-flesh friendly, helpful self and smile, because you cannot be beaten at it by Google or a Frommer’s author.

Embrace Your Niche Visitor Opportunities

Action 2: Commit to being THE source of information and inspiration for your niche visitors.

Do less of the Eat/Stay/Play, “We have something for everyone!” formulaic pabulum, and really crank up the heat telling people about your unique assets. Connect with those birders, history nuts, music lovers, foodies, quilters, railfans, gardeners – love on ‘em every chance you can get and be visible where they hang out online. Write helpful blog posts (with the keywords that they use to search – it’s “birders”, not “birdwatching,” for example.) Shoot helpful videos & optimize them for search using keyword-rich titles, descriptions and tags. Take lots of great photos and optimize those, too.

YOU are the font of detailed, specific local knowledge, not Google.

If you’re going to expend effort on search engines, focus on long tail search terms where you’re unbeatable. For example, unless you’re Hawaii or Florida, you will have a hard time staying atop search engine results for general “best beaches” keywords, but if you’re Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf Coast, you can dominate searches for “whooping cranes;” that’s your special niche since they winter near your town and nowhere else in the United States.

More Social. Less Media

Action 3: Commit to more social and less media on social media. Use social networks for, um, NETWORKING.

Serve your visitors on them, build relationships and word-of-mouth momentum. Social media is a digital Visitor’s Center, not a digital bullhorn to pop up content at 10 am EST on Wednesday because some marketer told you that was the “optimal time.” Be more of a helpful digital concierge and less of a hawker.

Google excels at search algorithms and Frommer’s has lots of content, but they are not human. You are. They cannot build love and loyalty for the people and experiences of a destination. You can.

Mobile. Mobile. Mobile.

Action 4: Commit to being as visible as possible in mobile. Relationships will win in mobile (including SMS/text, which is heavily used by so many people and yet often foolishly ignored in mobile marketing discussions) because it’s a very personal experience to have someone access you in your purse or pocket.

Big brands like Google and Facebook are all trying to figure it out, but do not be overawed by them. No one really has the answer yet, and many marketers are asleep at the wheel about the power of mobile, just like they were about the web in general and social media more recently. Don’t make the same mistake.

The smaller, more nimble DMO has an advantage over those big companies all scrambling to “monetize” everyone’s mobile devices. Take a 10,000 foot view of your organization’s mobile presence – be the kind of helpful, friendly resource that visitors would welcome into their personal space.

Contact Tourism Currents or visit their wonderful website.

Domestic tourism receives £2m funding

2012-08-15T00:29:00.002+01:00

British tourism is to receive a further £2 million additional funding from the government, Jeremy Hunt announced today.

The extra money will be used to push its ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign and raise the country’s profile amidst the Jubilee and Olympic year. VisitEngland welcomed the announcement and said it would look to boost the number of short breaks through the trade.

“We are delighted that the Government has shown their belief and confidence in the British tourism industry as an economic generator, and in VisitEngland in harnessing that potential through the extension of the Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign,” said James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland. “The additional £2million, to be awarded by Government, will be used by VisitEngland to further stimulate the short break market working in conjunction with the travel trade.”

Read the full story at: TravelDailyMedia

Google to Buy Frommer's Travel Brand

2012-08-13T17:34:00.003+01:00

Google is acquiring the Frommer's travel brand from publicly traded John Wiley & Sons Inc. for an undisclosed price in order to bolster its offerings of local reviews around the world.
In Frommer's, Google sees an opportunity to broaden its consumer offerings outside of restaurant reviews. That Frommer's provides information about hotels and destinations globally made the acquisition that much more attractive.

FULL ARTICLE: Wall Street Journal

see also TNOOZ - Google has made another strategic acquisition in the travel space, snapping up guidebook and online destination content publisher Frommers for an undisclosed fee.

DMOs and my problem with the Staycation

2012-08-07T13:03:00.000+01:00

Staycation or vacation?

The role of a DMO is under international review.

What we understand them to be now is not what they will be in the very near future.

Already on this site we have a link to an international survey questioning "How good is Tourism Marketing where you live?" and we've been discussing DMOs at some length in a LinkedIn group "A New Model for Destination Marketing" (if you have any interest in the future of Destination Marketing you should join).

In a world where the only certainty is change, DMOs are now under pressure from consumers, tourism businesses, funding sources and politicians to recognise that the current model doesn't work any more. They may not want to recognise this for themselves, or indeed want to but the time for change is now.

Over in Seattle recently they held the Destination Marketing annual conference. Attendees were tweeting using #DMAI12 so from my 'luxury' office by the sea in West Kirby, England I could still get a great sense of what was being talked about and a key topic was the future of DMOs.

The current DMO structure won't be around in 5 years, those that are will struggle to rationalize their existence. Boom! #DMAI12
— Rodney Payne (@rodneyp) July 17, 2012

The US definition of a DMO is different to the UK. Here we talk about Destination Management Organisation whereas in the US they mean Destination Marketing Organisation. The trend in the UK though for the last ten years or more has been for our Management organisations to involve themselves more and more in Marketing - consumer marketing but paid for from the public purse. The long standing argument was that the Public Sector HAD to perform Destination Marketing in response to the perceived market failure caused by the inability of private sector tourism businesses to market their own destination themselves.

In the US the performance of Destination Marketing is critical to private sector support for the activity - DMOs must provide a Return On Investment. Because the private sector is much more directly linked to the DMOs core funding they expect, no demand to see some bang for their buck.

In the UK we see no evidence of Return On Investment - we hear much about the size, strength and importance of the tourism economy but has a decade of not inconsiderable investment into marketing helped support this sector - has it made a difference?

This year we saw the launch of a well publicised Staycation television advertising campaign featuring Stephen Fry, Julie Walsh and Rupert Grint extolling the virtues of our green and pleasant land. The campaign had its critics but the message was sound. Holidaying in the UK can be a great option and is good for our economy. Why indeed go to Bondi when you can go to Bridlington?

But how did we get to the point though where the government itself has to try and persuade us to holiday at home?

Isn't that what why we invested so heavily into our DMOs for more than a decade?

All the money that went into the local promotion of virtually every part of this country - was that not intended to convince us that we should holiday in the UK? Why did we end up with tourism's equivalent of "Your Country Needs You"?

And how will this get escalated if we still don't Staycation in the numbers that the government want? If the many, many £millions invested over a decade, the creation of a nationwide network of DMOs all desperately marketing their differing local regions and finally a £4m TV campaign doesn't persuade us to holiday in the UK - then what next? Close all our ports and build an iron curtain round our coastline?

The worst part about the Staycation TV campaign was that we reached the point where it was even needed in the first place.

Opinion: Britain must reap the tourism rewards of this special year

2012-08-07T10:38:00.003+01:00

The iconic Hollywood film director of the early 20th century, Cecil B DeMille, once famously said: "The way to make a film is to begin with an earthquake and work up to a climax."

And iconic 21st century film director, Danny Boyle, definitely took that comment to heart with his magnificent Olympic opening ceremony.

With still a week or so for the Olympics to play out we wait to see if Danny Boyle’s earthquake builds up to a climax – but the smart money seems to say that the Olympics has definitely put the UK on the map of global tourism.

For me the sense of anxiety I feel at the moment is not about how the world will see the UK as a tourist destination.

After the pomp and patriotism of the Diamond Jubilee followed by the opening ceremony of the Olympics, watched by a vast worldwide television audience, the UK was showcased magnificently (alright, the weather could have been better but we are the UK).

There is little doubt that overseas tourists will have the “British bug” and want to visit us.

No - my sense of anxiety comes from a feeling that the government and our politicians will squander the opportunity that this past few weeks has presented.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: TravelWeekly written by Steve Dunne, executive chairman of the Brighter Group

Survey: How good is Tourism Marketing where you live?

2012-08-01T08:43:00.000+01:00

Tourism (or Destination) Marketing is under serious scrutiny right now.

Issues about Public Sector funding, responsible tourism, the legality of consumer marketing by the Public Sector, how to better engage the Private Sector and many others are being discussed at many levels right across the planet.

click on the image to go to the survey

It would be really good to get YOUR opinion on how you feel your local area is being marketed. Please spare a few minutes to take the survey. Thanks in advance.

The survey is particularly interested in finding out how 'good' you believe Tourism Marketing to be where you live.
This is a joint initiative by the WHL Group, the Local Travel Movement and Planeta.com, a pioneering website focusing on conscious travel around the globe.

They have set-up a short (eight-question) survey, through which they are endeavouring to understand how localities are promoted, to review how satisfied (or not) you are with processes in place and then to curate good practices and suggestions for improving tourism promotion.

Ethan Gelber writing in TravelWord says "Against all expectations in our constantly squabbling tourism industry, a sort of consensus seems to be emerging about how ably the majority of tourism marketing organisations are representing their clients: not really all that well, especially when it comes to today’s swiftly changing travel climate and to representing the interests of local communities and travellers keen on interacting with them."

Are you involved in tourism in your locale? Do you have a strong feeling about the nature and quality of your locale’s marketing and promotional efforts? They are very eager to hear from you. Your participation is completely voluntary (of course) and your survey responses will be held in strict confidence. The results will be shared online, but only anonymously and/or in the aggregate, thus protecting your identity.

Whatever your relationship to tourism is, your opinion is really valued. Take the survey.

Article Source: The TravelWord

Some Simple yet Effective Ideas for Hotel Blog Content

2012-07-31T08:32:00.002+01:00

here's one we prepared earlier

Every tourism business needs a Blog.

Without a Blog your Social Media strategy will be incomplete, flawed and incapable of driving the business benefits you require.

But for some reason Hotels are not using them as often or as effectively as they should be and this is a mistake.

The humble Blog should actually be the cornerstone of your Social Media marketing activity.

Blogs are simple to create, easy to maintain and cost nothing. They enable you to post regular up to date local information, new photos and customer feedback. Services like Blogger automatically render a Mobile friendly version of the site so your content can be accessed by smartphone users.

Importantly, Google has changed the way it rates websites in the last year: Sites with regular updates of new content do better than static sites. A Blog embedded or linked to your main website is the easiest way to refresh your website. Google Likes Blogs!

I hear many people tell me that they don't know what content to put on a Blog. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Going Out
List the best five restaurants within walking distance of your hotel - i.e. the best in YOUR opinion, customers are interested in your recommendation and why.

Most hotel guests spend most of their time close to their hotel or apartments. When they go out to eat most of them walk to a nearby restaurant but don’t know which are the best ones. By recommending the best you are helping them get the most out of their stay which they'll remember you for.

Don't be afraid to include your own restaurant but don't assume that people will want to eat there every night of their stay.

A Blog post containing the five top restaurants within easy walking distance of your hotel is the perfect way to help your guests. Include directions on how to get there and link to a Google map showing each restaurant’s exact location (great for SEO).

You can do the same for local Visitor Attractions, Shopping and Nightspots.

FAQ
Provide answers to the five most common questions your guests ask your receptionist. Your guests probably ask the same questions repeatedly at your reception desk.

Why not answer the five most common questions on your Blog, creating a separate post for each one? This not only helps your guests, but is also a great way of letting them know about your Blog.

Interviews with happy customers
Offer satisfied customers a free meal in exchange for an interview about the holiday in your hotel. Take some quality photos of them enjoying the facilities and publish the interview as a Blog post.

There is nothing better for social media engagement than showing real people enjoying your facilities. These same people will also share this content via their own Social Networks spreading your reputation even further.

The recipe for your bar’s most successful cocktail
Do your guests love the mojitos, or are they fans of your barman’s own creations? Why not share the recipe with your Blog readers and Facebook fans, along with a great photo of people enjoying their drinks?

You can even include a how to video showing people exactly how to prepare it. NB Google Likes Video too!

Events
Provide details of what events are on locally. This information should be easily sourced from your local tourist board or events listing magazines. Give people more ideas and reasons why they should stay with you, how much they will enjoy themselves and how much you care that they do.

Sharing this type of information encourages loyalty, gets people talking about how good your service is and keeps Google happy.

As ever, if you need help with Blogging and Social Media training please GET IN TOUCH

Why Tourism’s Impact is Hardly Noticed – a response

2012-07-24T10:48:00.001+01:00

The following article was written by Anna Pollock and originally posted on her ConsciousTourism blog.

It's time to wake up guys!

The following post titled Tourism’s Huge Impact Hardly Noticed caught my attention recently and stimulated me to pose a contrarian view. Martyn re-posted an article in support of Rob Gialloreto, CEO of Tourism Victoria (BC, Canada) about declining public funding and lack of action by presumably (it’s not clear) government agencies. Best to read Gailloreto’s article here first although I have paraphrased the key points.

Having spent over 25 years working towards building a vibrant tourism economy in western Canada, I might be expected to agree with the sentiments in the article but I don’t. I’m not saying tourism shouldn’t receive more support but the approach taken by Rob is one pursued for decades and it’s not working.

One of the reasons - and there are many – why tourism is not perceived as popular with the Treasury Boards of the western world is that they also get tired of this form of whining and rarely does tourism have all its data act together to justify its position. Leaders are loquacious about benefits (employment, foreign exchange, peace etc) but pretty quiet about costs, net return and productivity. Another is that public spending on tourism is shared across all levels of government as well as to different sub sectors so the precise total investment is often not appreciated.

Tourism is not different from other sectors in its complexity and diversity. Healthcare, education, and food production affect everyone’s lives even more cogently than tourism and are also comprised of heterogenous agencies (SMEs. Independent professionals, small numbers of large enterprises large pharmaceutical or grocery retailers, large numbers of micro enterprises (doctors, dentists, physiotherpapists, home care helpers, farmers, vets etc).

Tourism is an export business but so are software, mining, animation graphics, fashion, manufacturing, education and some forms of healthcare.

Rob says we treat tourism like a test that we didn’t study for and we cross our fingers and..."we hope that the airport runway will be extended to bring in direct flights from the UK."

It’s true that international destinations need planes and the airports to enable them to land but it’s also true that trees have to be cut down to export lumber or furniture; open pit mines are gouged out of the earth to sell off coal, pipelines are needed to oil shale and quotas placed on fishing boats. As populations and consumer demand for goods increase, the decisions about what infrastructure the public sector needs to build when and where will, I hope, come under increasing scrutiny as the consequences become more complex, intense and diverse. Tourism isn’t being singled out here – it’s just being asked to think and act responsibly and play by the new rules…

Rob observes “we hope that marketing will be enough to bring visitors here despite rising ferry fares, order issues and economic hardship in the US and Europe.” Well again, the truth is that most factors affecting the ebb and flow of tourism are, in reality, out of our control (in the short run) whether they be currency exchange rates, terrorism, ash from volcanoes or other natural hazards, epidemics and financial collapse. Some of these factors are place specific and others affect the majority. Again it’s the way things are based on our core model of production and consumption. Tourism isn’t being singled out or victimised.

If tourism is going to survive in this chaotic and uncertain world we have created for ourselves, its hosts will have to be relentlessly nimble, adaptable and irrepressibly creative and curious. More money spent in the UK on more direct flights will be of no help given that most of us in the UK can barely afford the train fare to Heathrow.

No one doubts that folks in tourism don’t work any less hard than people in other sectors but sometimes it seems as if they are emulating the reputation that farmers used to have for being chronic complainers.

Of course tourism is vital to the economies of developed and developing countries. In fact in many ways it is now a victim of its own success. Having boasted for years about its resilience and its ability to bounce back, many government personnel took notice and realised what a potential cash cow tourism could become. In the UK, for example, the Treasury now appears to consider the Airport Passenger Duty on the same level as the so called “sin taxes” applied to liquor, wine and cigarettes because they know their imposition won’t stop people either drinking, smoking or travelling in sufficient numbers despite the moans of industry.

So what I am suggesting is that it’s time to stop behaving like the adolescent boy pouting because he’s spent his pocket money; his Dad won’t lend him the family car which is out of fuel to go on a hot date and his Mum is imposing a curfew.

Perhaps I am being as harsh as I believe Rob was being indulgent but I honestly believe that tourism – as a sector – would be taken more seriously by policy makers and might get the kind of political attention it craves, if it (i.e. the people making a living from tourism):

1. Wakes up to the changes occurring in the world at large;

2. Grows Up and stops repeating the same old complaints or expecting special treatment;

3. Lives up to its true potential and generates a higher net return from its environmental and cultural resources;

4. Opens up to be more inclusive in its approach – by attracting people to places not selling destinations;

5. Steps up and takes responsibility for addressing the problems of our time – ecological destruction, social injustice and a growing sense of spiritual/psychological despair among affluent and poor alike; and

6. Meets up – forms small but powerful groups of committed conscious hosts in destination who decide to stop complaining and think differently.

If any of the above prescriptions for success are of interest, read on. If not – find a bar and tell your woes to the bartender. he’ll likely be an attentive listener but he won’t be able to do much about it either.

1. Wakes Up as in became conscious of the fact that the world is changing and the next 60 years will be both different and a lot harder than the past 60. Public treasuries pretty well everywhere are running on empty and incurring huge debts; all kinds of pubic costs are rising; populations are aging, incomes in real terms are declining in most households. Public funding for tourism – especially in established western economies – will continue to plummet and we’ll have to make do and depend on each other and not the state for a change. The tourism community has to wake up to the fact that a drop in funding is not the end of the world considering that we are living through one of the most environmentally, financially, politically and socially hazardous yet potentially the most creative, exciting period of history. When some of the world’s most reputable scientists suggest we only have a 50-50 chance of surviving the century, then tourism should stop sweating the small stuff.

2. Grows Up – if tourism wants to be taken seriously, it needs to show what it’s doing to address the solutions to the key challenges of our time. The question proposed by J.F. Kennedy is pertinent

“ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”

A sign of personal maturity occurs when an individual starts to recognize that being part of a family brings with it responsibilities as well as rights and there is awareness that it’s not all about me or I but “we. ” That’s something that Millennials or Gen Y seem to understand intuitively but they are not running tourism just yet. This generation wants to be working for companies that have a real sense of purpose higher than just making money – the latter is taken as a given.

The venues run by people in travel and hospitality are the hubs in any community and their operators can be the true connectors. It’s through connections that places and people become smart and create the conditions for innovation and creativity. It’s through being exposed to worldviews or ways of perceiving that differ from their own that help us wake up to the fact that our worldview is one of many and likely needs to change, There is no reason for tourism hosts to be nothing more than the writers of invitations and the silent pourers of coffee. Travels hosts (i.e., tourism providers) can become agents of change and find greater meaning and purpose in their work by actively protecting, preserving and rejuvenating the preciously unique ecosystems and cultures that make up their home – their unique place.

3. Lives Up – to its potential. The real definition of the word sin is to miss the mark – not to be all we can be. Travel isn’t a sin in the traditional sense as the Bishop of London once implied from his pulpit – although denying our responsibility for reducing our share of waste and and over use of scarce resources such as water, land and energy might be. No, the sin comes from not delivering the highest and best return on the gift of a unique place and culture we call the destination. That’s the sin and it’s committed every time when we panic and sell ourselves short through sales, discounting and excessive couponing and suggest to our customers that cheap travel is their right and no one has to pay for the hidden costs of our fun & pleasure.

4. Opens Up – tourism has kept a tight rein on its domain for too long. It’s no longer just about marketing destinations but ensuring that “places” can attract visitors, students, residents, investors, talent and capital to thrive. It’s time to break down the invisible walls that deny our own interdependence with all sector of society and the economy and acknowledge our utter dependence on a healthy biosphere. We need to break down the walls that separate tourism from economic development , inward investment and cut our costs and pool our resources .

5. Steps up. Tourism’s ubiquity, pervasiveness and size, combined with its embeddedness in all aspects of what is now a global economy (“tourism is everybody’s business”), could enable its hosts to become effective agents of change, in the communities. Our purpose (the higher purpose of tourism) is to heal, to connect and to revitalize that deep sense of wonder and awe of Nature that re-connects human beings with their source. People – yes the human beings working in the travel community – are in the best position to inspire our guests to take better care of their planetary home but only if we shed our tendency to see sacred places as products (objects) and our customers as walking wallets (more objects)

6. Meets up. 99% of enterprises in tourism are small and most operate in relative isolation – that’s our source of weakness. But across the globe, there’s growing recognition that we cannot depend on “top down” solutions from old-style command and control organizations to fix global problems by policy or diktat. Change will not occur because self or institution-made leaders with titles write declarations but because ordinary men and women, in community, decide to do things differently.

The fastest most effective change occurs at the grassroot community level when individuals come together and decide to take back responsibility. Within any tourism community it does not take ALL hosts – simply a minority of brave, highly committed, open minded, collaborative, curious sometime heretical individuals willing to experiment, innovate, try, fail, learn and try again as we implement a vision for tourism that does more harm than good.

That’s what Conscious Travel is all about – working with small groups of committed hosts in places where tourism providers want to make change happen.

Perfect Curve's Digital Strategy - Twenty Twelve

2012-07-16T23:57:00.003+01:00

Truth be told there is an awful lot of rubbish spouted about Social Media.

For something that should actually be quite simple there can be some pretty impressive attempts by Agencies, Consultancies and Social Media 'gurus' to over complicate, confuse and bamboozle us ordinary folks. Take a look.

If you meet someone who, in real life speaks like Siobhan in this video...run! Run as quickly as you can, as far as you can as soon as you can!

This video is of course taken from the BBC2 'Twenty Twelve' Olympic spoof programme - it's not real but I have actually met quite a few people like Siobhan in my time though :)

More about this video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01f87nh Digital is one of the most crucial things for a modern brand manager to get right, so the pressure is on for Siobhan to explain her strategy. Twitter, Facebook, Mashable and even MySpace all have their part to play in creating the digital legacy for the games.

Hotel Marketing Infographic – Weighing the Costs and Value

2012-07-13T16:00:00.000+01:00

Buuteeq have partnered with Killer Infographics to produce this hotel marketing infographic that combines some of the best hotel marketing knowledge out there with buuteeq’s unique insights.

Here are some of the key things to take away from the hotel marketing infographic:

It is cheaper to gain an online booking from your website than from both online travel agencies (OTAs) and phone bookings.
Hotels that engage with social media increase bookings, while those that ignore it lose bookings.
The largest margin of profit comes from mobile bookers.
Social media campaigns encourage more bookings than traditional email campaigns.

Hotel Marketing Infographic

Hotel Marketing Infographic by buuteeq

Article source: Buuteeq

How Facebook is Shaping Your Travel Decisions

2012-07-13T12:19:00.000+01:00

Social engagement at Innovation Norway

Believe it or not, Facebook may help you plan your next trip.

Recent studies reveal that what matters most when planning a trip is not where you’re going, but rather who you know that has already traveled to that destination. Without a doubt, the ubiquitous marketing tool’s unique brand interaction is setting a new beat to the travel pulse.

While trusted travel brands unquestionably provide valuable trip advice, word of mouth from a loyal group of friends may be more worthwhile. That all-too-familiar computer screen gaze at flashing photographs of friends in exotic places around the world is apparently enough for daydreamers to start packing. According to a 2011 poll featured on UK-based flight comparison site Skyscanner.com, 52% of Facebook users stated that seeing friends’ vacation pictures inspired them to book a trip to that particular place.

Read the full article at Forbes

Four Seasons Hotel Boston Announce “Pin to Win” National Family Month Contest

2012-07-12T18:02:00.004+01:00

Continuing their love affair with all things Social Media, Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, MA have launched a combined Facebook and Pinterest competition.

To be eligible to win, entrants simply create a “Boston Fantasy Family Getaway” Pin to Win Board on Pinterest between July 10 and 30, 2012, with 10-20 pins representing their ideal Family Summer Vacation to Boston.

However at least one pin on the board must be from each of the following: Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Boston Duck Tours, Georgetown Cupcake and the World’s Only Curious George Store websites.

So it's not exactly your 'ideal' Boston break.

However, you next have to visit the “Boston Fantasy Family Getaway” tab on Four Seasons Hotel Boston Facebook fan page and submit contact details and the URL link to the entry for “Boston Fantasy Family Getaway” Pinterest Board.

The lucky prizewinner will receive a complimentary two-night family getaway at Four Seasons Hotel Boston on Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19, 2012 complete with:

Luxurious accommodations for a family of up to five guests
Valet parking for one vehicle
Food and beverage while on property
Exclusive amenities through the Kid-Kation package
A private VIP Boston Duck Tour experience, with pick up and drop off right at Four Seasons Hotel Boston
USD 100.00 shopping spree at the World’s Only Curious George Store in Harvard Square
A dozen complimentary cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake Boston

Entrants have to become a fan of Four Seasons Hotel Boston on Facebook to view the official contest details, and then simply start pinning to win.

VisitScotland Social Media - Yup They Get It!

2012-07-10T16:52:00.000+01:00

WARNING - This is a rant and if I was Irish I'd be saying 'fecking' quite frequently. (So please feel free to fill them in where you think appropriate!)

This article first appeared on the TourismMatters blog on 2nd July 2012.

One paragraph of background first.

It is hard to quantify what the public bodies have spent on VisitScotland.com since they embarked on their "new" digital strategy ten years ago but it could be well in excess of £30 million all in when you take all the externals, buy outs, redesigns, restructurings, pay offs, legal bills, salaries, consultants, EC meetings; they will maybe contest the detail but you get the picture.
It's been a shed load of investment. The current campaign for Brave which is by VisitScotland's own hyperbole the next big thing for Scottish Tourism has had £7 million earmarked on it. We heard maybe more.

Scene set?

The UK/European launch of Brave took place in Edinburgh on Saturday with a host of stars and politicians and media - and remember that £7 million that VisitScotland have invested in joint marketing and the recent all singing all dancing launch of the new VisitScotland digital strategy - and here's how it is represented online with VisitScotland. First Facebook:

Yup that's right folks, we're with you all the way on this new fangled social media stuff and we'll tell you about on Monday when we get back into the office. We understand the immediacy of social media and we recognise that we can get access to pictures that others can't and we'll tell you about it on Monday. We also recognise that our Chairman and First Minister have fronted a publicly funded £7 million campaign and we'll try and get it online for you but it may be after morning coffee as there's a lot to talk about first.

Seven or eight posts on their Twitter account and not a word on Facebook? (Not even a Facebook post to say why don't you follow us at the event on Twitter. Too obvious?) Too much bother having to write real sentences or something? No blogs. No website feature pages. Nothing on the industry website. Nothing on LinkedIn.

SEVEN MILLION QUID - the difference is in the detail. How often have we heard it's the little things that we do that differentiate us from the competition. There was a whole tourism strategy launched last week based on such differences.

Now anyone who has read any of our posts knows we do not believe that Social Media is anything but a small part of a hospitality business' distribution strategy but with the resources that VisitScotland have to hand you'd think they could at least make a bloody effort.

Does it really matter?

We don't have the clout or distribution and it may be that it will just be written off as another insignificant moan at VisitScotland.com but perhaps it should be seen as a clear indication of an organsiation claiming one thing but clearly not getting it. They wouldn't be the first Scottish institution that needed closer examination. Is it a further reflection of a disjointed digital strategy that has no real understanding of what online destination marketing should be about and reinforces once again that they should just leave this to the private sector to deal with.

Stop playing at being a poor man's search engine; stop trying to sell things online that you have no authentic experience of; stop spending millions of public money on things that others are already doing a lot better.

For a decade, VisitScotland, and the succesive governments funding them, have played at it with millions of taxpayers money with no fear of being held to account for more than a decade of failing to get any of it right.

The blog hasn't had an update since 18th of June and this is with the new online marketing strategy in place? The booking engine doesn't work properly, comments we have is that their extranet is more complicated than the one they've just upgraded from; the website is dark and underwhelming and they are in the process of having to contract another third party for the provision of a "channel manager" to handle online reservations. It always was and always will be beyond the public sector to drive an online marketing strategy from the top down.

No-one held account for failure, or the U turns, or the increasing costs, or the missed deadlines and failed deliveries. Now it may not be the scale of Barclays or the RBS or the trams or but you know what - it is all cut from the same cloth. A lack of corporate responsibility and accountability.

Plus ca change...

You know posting about a Monday to Friday social media presence may seem a small thing but I'm not sure that there is anything that reflects more clearly on a complete lack of understanding of the media and spotlights the whole fragmented strategy than something so simple.

However does anyone in Scotland actually give a feck?

...stop spending millions of public money on things that others are already doing a lot better. buff.ly/Ng0ID8 Damn via @planb2b.
— Troy Thompson (@travel2dot0) July 10, 2012

Article Source: TourismMatters

Social media for DMOs - the Social Web and Tourism

2012-07-10T07:56:00.000+01:00

Great presentation from Martin Hatchuel on the Social web and Tourism.

"Let go. You can’t control the conversation. But you’ve employed adults: No need to treat them like children"

Social media for DMOs 9 7-12 Martin Hatchuel

View more presentations from Martin Hatchuel

About Martin and About BarefootClients

BarefootClients provides communications services (copy writing, advertising, project management and that kind of stuff) as well as strategy planning and creative thought for select clients who share our Barefoot On The Beach approach to business.

Read his blog - which is mostly (mostly!) about Web 2.0 and how it affects the tourism industry: http://www.thistourismweek.co.za/

How's this for Marketing?

2012-07-09T19:22:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Scott Stratten of UnMarketing for pointing out this Sprite marketing gimmick on a beach in Israel.

As he says "When it's awesome, marketing works."

Just need a Vodka one to go next to it

Now surely Destinations and Commercial partners can come up with equally clever and memorable marketing ideas?