• The LTVA participates in Visit California’s Restaurant Month through our Restaurant Week called “Made with Altitude.”  Since we are a bi-state destination we absolutely include our excellent Nevada dining options.  Visit http://tahoesouth.com/restaurantweek/ for a complete listing and special offers from our 24 participating restaurants.  Thanks to the Tahoe Tribune, we will have an insert and an overrun available to offer your guests, complete with restaurant information and map.  I know there are places you’ve never tried or you haven’t visited for awhile so make your own resolution to take advantage of this promotion as well. 
• We’ve just seen what the fourth year of SnowGlobe can do for a destination.  Let us know what your observations are about the event and how it affected your business levels.   This event attracted 45,000 visitors this year, and is only 2^nd in attendance to one other event, the Harvey’s Outdoor Arena Concert Series. 
• The LTVA has been asked to host the Amgen Tour of California’s Women Stage 1 and Stage 2 races.  One of the two courses will be a lake lap and is co-sponsored by the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association and Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor and Convention Bureau.  The races are scheduled for May 8 and 9 and will feature 84 top women cyclists.  More as details are dialed.
• The Reno Tahoe International Airport continues to attract new air service, with the Volaris Guadalajara flight being the latest new departure/destination.  The South Tahoe Express has daily scheduled shuttle service from RTIA to five Stateline locations, but if your property is outside this district, STE now offers “Door to Door” service for your guests on an advance reservation basis.  Go to SouthTahoeExpress.com for the regular schedule and for the Door to Door reservation number. 
• Last item:  Think Snow!

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

Time to get back to the blog after a long hiatus while we maneuvered through the fireworks litigation to a successful lawsuit dismissal and the anticipation of a great show on July 4.  Thank you again, to all of you who supported the LTVA and one of our biggest and most important events of the year.  And, more thanks for those of you signed up to either adopt a beach for the season or help us on one of the five clean up days following the fireworks.  If you want more information on either one of these programs, go to www.adoptabeachtahoe.com.  A most important note on post-fireworks beach walks; if you suspect that you are seeing fireworks debris, please contact our hotline at  (775) 410-0417 or email us at teamfireworks@ltva.org and we will respond within 24 hours. 

Don’t blink, because on the heals of the holiday comes the 25^th Anniversary of the American Century Championship.  This is the biggest year ever with some great additions to the player roster and a goal of over 41,000 attendees during the six day event.  If you’d like to show your support of NBC’s longest running televised event, please call (530) 541-5255 or email info@LTVA.org and ask for your free “Welcome American Century Championship” buttons for you and your staff to wear.  Available on July 7th, this will help us demonstrate our appreciation and promote the event prior to and during the tournament. 

The LTVA staff hopes you are as busy as we are as the summer winds up.  We hear reports of “best year” as we are out and about.  And, we are excited about the Chateau retail area opening in July and the addition of Heavenly Mountain summer activities.  If we don’t know what’s new with you, please let us know by contacting anne@ltva.org who updates our website and keeps our visitor center staff informed. 

Okay, get back to work.  It’s busy out there and we deserve every penny of it! 

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

As one of the 37 destinations participating in the VisitCalifornia Restaurant Month, Tahoe South’s first year in the program, with “Made with Altitude” Restaurant Week, this past January 10-17 was a definite success.  With a goal of 10 restaurants offering specially priced, prix fixe and signature item menus, the LTVA promoted twice that number through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and blogs), radio and public relations.  VisitCalifornia supported the program with a robust marketing program earning over 70,000,000 impressions for the California destinations. 

Participating restaurants featured specially-priced and prix fixe menus highlighting the theme “Made with Altitude,” January 10-17, 2014. Participating restaurants included:

• 11th Frame Diner
• Après Wine Co
• Basecamp Pizza
• The Beacon Bar & Grill at Camp Richardson
• Boathouse on the Pier
• Edgewood Tahoe
• Getaway Café
• Gunbarrel Tavern
• Hard Rock Cafe
• The Landing Resort & Spa
• MacDuff's
• Red Hut Café (three South Shore Locations)
• Riva Grill
• Sorensen's Resort
• Sushi Kai (inside Gi Fu Loh)
• Toast!
• Zephyr Cove Restaurant

Highlights of the program include the facts that there were no marketing dollars invested on the part of the LTVA and there were no participation fees for the restaurants.  All of the restaurants who have provided feedback have indicated enthusiasm for a second year as all saw either an increase in business or no change over last year (in a marginal snow season, we interpret this as good news), and many comments and requests regarding the promotion.  It is also worth mentioning that while this was a California statewide promotion, we welcomed our Nevada partners.  Next year, the program will receive a modest local marketing budget to supplement the state and LTVA campaigns. 

Carol Chaplin is the Executive Director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

Tahoe South has been nominated for Best Ski Destination by USA Today.  In competition both regionally and nationally, Tahoe South needs your help by voting once per day per device through 8:59 am December 30.  Make sure your employees and friends are doing the same and we’d also appreciate it if you’d post our flyer and hand out the info cards we’ve made available.  Just as the Best Lake designation last year gave us incredible media exposure, winning this accolade really leverages our vacation choice position with potential visitors. 

Leverage and exposure is what it is all about with Visit California’s Restaurant Month and our participation with that promotion with our own “Made with Altitude” Restaurant Week January 10-17.  Seventeen restaurants have stepped up to participate, knowing that it’s free exposure with over 77 million impressions through the CVA’s efforts and the LTVA’s additional impressions through our own.  Check out the link to our restaurants and their offerings during this week and make sure you recommend these to your guests.  And, since these establishments are going out of their way to highlight their signature dishes through pre-fixe and specially priced items, consider supporting them by visiting yourselves. 

Visit California has an incredible reach, and since posting special packages is free, it is a no-brainer to list any offers you might have on the Winter Deals page.  The Winter Deals is backed by the VCA winter paid advertising.  Send your deals to Anne@ltva.org so that we can submit for you and post on TahoeSouth.com as well. 

Operation Sierra Storm is back January 8-10, offering another educational opportunity open to the public on Friday, January 10.  This meteorologist conference, sponsored by the LTVA, TDVA, TRPA, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Tahoe, MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, Subaru,  Nevada Commission on Tourism, South Tahoe Express, the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel and more bring top meteorologists to Tahoe South to learn about our winter destination and weather related topics.  They will broadcast live and afford us national exposure as well as give us the opportunity to solidify our relationships with weather forecasters and reporters so we can assure accurate information about snow and road conditions.  On Friday, January 10 in the morning we invite you to join them to hear Bill Collins speak about climate change, which promises to be on the same incredible level as Chris Fields was last year.  Save the date on the calendar and look for more details coming soon. 

Along with all of the upcoming events, including Heavenly Holidays and SnowGlobe, enjoy the season and the business.  We look forward to supporting your efforts in 2014! 

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

Light up South Lake Tahoe – The City of South Lake Tahoe offers low cost outdoor lighting so that your business can participate in making Highway 50 cheerful and welcoming.  Join us as we flip on our winter lights on December 7 as the decorated Fire truck, snow plow and police vehicles parade down the street.  The more businesses that participate, the more unified and inviting our community is to our visitors.  www.cityofslt.us/lightupslt for details.

Visit California, the State’s official destination marketing organization, has claimed January as California Restaurant Month and invites all destinations to take advantage of the potential of millions of impressions through its paid and earned media plan.  Tahoe South will participate along with over 30 other California destinations this year with its first “Made with Altitude” Restaurant Week, January 10-17.  There is no fee for a restaurant to participate and the program is very flexible, allowing our restaurants to offer pre-fix menus or specially priced signature dishes.  Our destination is prominently featured on the VCA website and each restaurant is listed and linked.   The final date for registration is December 10.

Another opportunity through Visit California can be found here http://staging.visitcalifornia.com/winter-Deals/  VCA is looking for winter deals that have either ski/ride or other winter activity components.  So that your package is listed on both Tahoe South and VCA, you can send the details (and images) to anne@ltva.org. 

Lastly, this is an opportunity for all of us to make a difference to someone this year by donating food or a toy during the LTVA’s Drive and Drop for Christmas Cheer, beginning Monday, December 9.  Christmas Cheer feeds over 400 families regularly, all year long, and the need for wholesome meals is even more important to those with children who are out of school at the holiday and do not have the daily reduced meal programs to depend on during the school break.  Help us help them.  No need to get out of the car, just drive through at the 3066 Highway 50 Visitors Center and we’ll take it from there. 

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

Destination marketing is based on storytelling, but here in Tahoe South, we knew that already.

We’ve all heard the fairy tales, the tall tales, and the tipsy escapades. The need to tell a compelling story is as old as paintings in a cave. Probably older than that. To differentiate ourselves from the rest of the world, our stories need to be as unique as snowflakes.

Stories are how we take a concept like skiable acres, and share the experience of skiing for the first time.

Stories are how we look out across 39 trillion gallons of clear blue water, and share the wonder of standup paddle boarding; how we count 1,307 campsites, and convey the smell of smoky marshmallows.

Stories are how we gather two states, one incorporated city, three counties, diverse backgrounds, and more activities than you can shake a stick at into a true sense of place, and a feeling of community. How we take a vendor listing, and turn it into inspiration for your next Best. Day. Ever.

Stories are how a destination sets itself apart in the crowded world of advertising and social media. What used to be a glossy print ad is now a post, a tweet, and a blog. It needs to be shareable, both in content and format. If there’s music in the background, even better.

From Glenbrook to Emerald Bay, from shoreline to zip-line, we continue to tell the story of Tahoe South.

We are pleased to be the title sponsor of the 6^th annual Blue Ribbon Awards, and specifically the Tourism Award. We love sharing our beautiful lake with the world, and encouraging our community to take part in the next great story. We’d love to hear yours!

Carol Chaplin is the Executive Director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. Read more Tahoe South stories at tahoesouth.com/blog.

If you haven’t heard, SnowGlobe is back, December 29-31 and the LTVA will support the marketing of the event this year.  Lodging properties should look to a strong holiday period with Heavenly Holidays and SnowGlobe during the last two weeks of December and with the New Year holiday on Wednesday, making it a neat, five day stay, from Friday through Tuesday.  And, if you haven’t also heard, the Almanac’s forecast is for a cold, snowy winter http://storm-central.com/significant-snowfalls-farmers-almanac-releases-shivery-winter-2013-14-forecast/. 

In the meantime, enjoy the fall breather and an older, relaxed or international visitor.  The LTVA Visitor Centers are a great resource for these folks, as they tend to enjoy the historical and cultural information our staff has time to engage in.  We find that we can spend up to 20 minutes or so with the fall visitor, who is time and activity flexible.  Both the CA and NV centers are open daily and we welcome your guests and their questions.   

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

At the same time, the Obama administration, in partnership with the travel and tourism industry, is budgeted to spend $150 million in 2013 for the “Discover America, Brand USA” campaign. The campaign has offices in nine countries, working to promote U.S. travel to tour operators and media, and is scheduled to open six more, including offices in China and India. More than 1 million Chinese visitors came to the U.S. in 2011, up from 493,000 in 2008. The Commerce Department reported that it expects arrivals to rise 259 percent between 2011 and 2017.

How Tahoe South can make the most of this trend will be a main topic for the Annual Tourism Forum scheduled for April 18 in Harveys Cabaret Theater. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority co-sponsors the Tourism Forum with the TahoeChamber. This event has evolved into an incredible educational opportunity that would be difficult to obtain without traveling outside of Tahoe.

One of the headliners for the forum is Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. Beteta is in charge of implementing Visit California’s $50 million global marketing program and serves as the lead spokesperson for California’s $102.3 billion travel industry. Under her leadership, California’s share of U.S. domestic travel has grown by 1.3 percent – the equivalent of approximately 39 million trips in 2011. 

Denise Pirrotti Hummel is the CEO and founder of Universal Consensus and a cross-cultural strategist. She helps clients prepare for and attract international visitors. Hummel was recently the keynote speaker at Visit California China Ready conference in Beverly Hills. Hummel and her colleague Andreas Fried will be talking about the “changing visitor.” This refers to visitors that are younger, as well as visitors that are more ethnically and culturally diverse. They will provide tips for a culturally sophisticated guest service philosophy that appeals to a more global audience.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority mission is to market the South Shore of Lake Tahoe as a unique, world-class year-round resort destination. Beteta and Hummel will bring a wealth of knowledge and insights about what international and domestic tourists are expecting and how we can best attract them to Tahoe South.  

The forum is April 18 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. There will be a business after hour mixer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission to the forum is $15 for TahoeChamber members and $25 for non-members.

This event is also supported by El Dorado County and the South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts.

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

The winter shoot is scheduled for early March and we will also make those assets available.  

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

*SnowGlobe was good for us and the four night minimum and holiday rates did not detour that demographic from booking.  
*Businesses (lodging, retail, attraction, resort) report beating plan or last year by 10-30%. Generally, occupancy was dramatically up while ADR remained flat to last year. 

Ski conditions are incredible, entertainment options are as great, which would bode well for the coming months.  However, I just read that the US Travel Association is looking at the federal falderal as threats to leisure and group travel. View article here. Before you giddily reproject revenues based upon early season success, read this article for sobering caution. 

To be on the safe side, the LTVA Marketing Advisory Committee and Board of Directors voted to carve out a modest sum from the advertising budget for winter messaging in Sacramento and the Bay Area.  The digital boards in the media buy will be changeable as the snow flies, with up to date accumulations.  

Next week Operation Sierra Storm is revived in Tahoe South after a multi-year hiatus.  If you missed the invitation, we have Chris Fields, a member of a Nobel Prize-winning team speaking on Global Warming on January 10.  The LTVA has made it possible for the public to attend his speaking engagement.  (see invite).  RSVPs are requested as space at Harveys Improv Theater is limited.  

Last muse:  I took my son, who turned 15 on New Year’s Day to Naked Fish for his birthday dinner.  The wait was up to two hours as the holiday crowds had found their way to this great local restaurant.  A local couple came in, but finding the wait too long for the stomach to stomach, stomped out, throwing a disappointing diatribe out over their shoulder (not without expletives, which made it all the uglier) for at least 30-40 to hear that they couldn’t wait for these people to leave and go home from where they came from.  

This year, enjoy your visitors, the business they bring, the money they leave behind and the satisfaction they go with as a result of your service.  They are our livelihoods and the reason we can all stay, work and play in the place we love.  Happy 2013!  

Carol Chaplin, Executive Director
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority