The Travel Vertical

Weekly stories curated exclusively for digital tourism marketers

Arizona Tourism Partners With Bandwango to Launch Digital Route 66 Passport

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Did you know? The longest stretch of America’s famous Mother Road runs through Northern Arizona. Thanks to the preservation efforts of Angel Delgadillo, the main founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, the state can claim the longest stretch of the original Route 66, stretching 350-plus miles from the town of Lupton on the Arizona-New Mexico border to just west of Kingman near California.

Launched just in time for the Labor Day Weekend drive market, the Arizona Office of Tourism provides access to a free digital map and passport, delivered instantly to phones and mobile devices after a quick sign-up. 

“Route 66’s colorful history, quirky attractions, lively dining and beautiful landscapes are the types of treasures that beg to be shared,” said Debbie Johnson, Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “Our latest passport is a perfect invitation to explore it for the first time or get reacquainted and find something new.”   

Visitors are enticed to spot quirky landmarks along the historic road (that will mark its centennial in 2026) “…where you’ll find a wigwam-shaped motel, a petrified forest, kitschy shops, a street corner dedicated to an Eagles song, and so much more…” with the Route 66 Check-in Challenge Passport and interactive map.

At each location, there’s a check in to be automatically entered to win prizes from the Arizona Office of Tourism and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona.
4 Check-ins = A Route 66 Sticker Pack
7 Check-ins = A Retro Route 66 Magnet

Also, there’s a call to “upload your photos using #RockTheRouteAZ” because “…we may float a Random Act of Sunshine into your DMs.” (Housekeeping detail: Prize winners are notified via the passport app.)

The state’s new Route 66 Passport is powered by Bandwango, the travel technology platform empowering event and destination promoters to offer digitally delivered access to places and experiences that was initially introduced at the eTourism Summit in 2015. The platform also partnered with the state’s tourism office on a virtual Arizona Wine Trail Passport and AZ Parks Passport.

Visit Orlando Launches Largest-Ever UK Campaign

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If Visit Orlando has anything to say about it, international tourism (from the UK and Ireland, anyway) will return despite seriously unfavorable currency exchange rates. Last month, it was announced that Finn Partners had won the PR account for Visit Orlando in the UK and Ireland.

The launch of Unbelievably Real, the destination’s newest campaign, stands to be Visit Orlando’s largest-ever campaign in the UK and Ireland. It will highlight the diverse range of attractions and experiences across the destination, highlighting what is authentic about the Theme Park Capital of the World.

National television, digital, social media and search engine marketing will run across the UK and Ireland, as well as high-impact OOH advertising placements at London’s most iconic sights.

High-impact advertising placements across London include art murals, an immersive wrapped corridor at Waterloo, and branding on the capital’s black cabs.

“By launching our largest ever campaign, Orlando’s commitment to the UK market is clear,” said Casandra Matej, President & CEO of Visit Orlando. “With entry restrictions to the US lifted, it is the optimum time to inspire travel to Orlando ahead of the peak booking periods for our destination’s largest overseas market.”

The bulk of the campaign will roll out nationally, whilst the OOH advertising placements are scheduled across 12 major cities, with billboards and advertising lighting up the Piccadilly Lights.

The campaign’s call-to-action will drive consumers to Visit Orlando’s UK and Ireland websites for information on theme parks, things to do and see, safety updates and more.

Travel advisors are encouraged to complete the Orlando Travel Academy to stay up to date on the latest developments in Orlando. The DMO will also be hosting interactive Orlando Live! agent training events across the UK this September.

Guest Post: Jake Steinman, Founder/CEO of TravelAbility, On ‘The 7 Unintended Consequences of Becoming Accessible’

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Jake Steinman, also the founder of eTourism Summit in 2000, writes: “It’s been over three years since we started TravelAbility, and in that time, I’ve learned a great deal from the DMOs that have embraced accessibility to become more inclusive and welcoming to everyone. It inspired our tagline: ‘All Means All’ and resulted in many unintended consequences that have surprised destination leaders.”

In this lighthearted guest post, Jake runs through seven things — all positive and some unexpected — that will happen when a destination embraces accessibility for everyone…and acts on it. >>> Read on for the wedding story.

1.    The DMOs who are accessible for people who are disabled today, will also be accessible for baby boomers tomorrow. According to available research from Open Doors Organization and Harris Research, the number of people traveling with disabilities will triple to 33.8 million by 2028. Why? Because, according to Health Day 40% of those over 65—a.k.a.boomers— self-identify as having a disability; they have an average net worth of $1 mn and control over 70% of all discretional spending in the U.S. Additionally, 73.4% are retired with the time to travel.

 2.    Destinations will have found a way to address what some refer to as “DE&I fatigue.” “I” is for inclusive. Destinations that began their DE&I journey with racial diversity are now reporting pushback from board members—and even some elected officials—about their DE&I advocacy becoming too political; several are turning to accessibility, which is inherently non-political, as one way to turn down the controversy temperature and reframe the initiative with a more expansive approach.

3.    DMOs will be part of a growing movement that is becoming more mainstream. Need some evidence? The movie “CODA,” about a deaf family in a New England fishing town, won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2022; Tommy Hilfiger, as well as eight other apparel lines have developed adaptive apparel, while Unilever introduced the world’s first inclusive deodorant, “Degree Inclusive,” so models on the Runway of Dreams fashion show, several of whom were recruited from a new pool of talent agencies such as the Outlyer Group, that have sprung up representing models and actors with a variety of disabilities, could avoid embarrassing perspiration.  Meanwhile, both Pottery Barn and Ikea have launched adaptive furniture collections while Nike, Reebok, and Zappos have released adaptive footwear. Target even introduced HIDE and EEK, adaptive costumes for kids with sensory needs.

4.    Becoming accessible for visitors with disabilities also has the unintended consequence of benefitting locals. Uncovering accessibility assets and organizing them all in one place on the destination’s website serves the local community as well as visitors and makes the DMO more relevant to both. It even aids the hotel community which have accessible rooms to accommodate those locals whose homes are not accessible to friends and family members with a disability when they visit. 

5.    Destinations find they are developing new product without knowing it.  Compared with developing new attractions, hotels and convention centers, product development around accessibility is simple. The assets are already there waiting to be found by stitching together the major attractions, museums, zoos and restaurants that are already accessible into an itinerary, add hotels from accessible booking engines such as Wheel the World or AccessibleGO, and you have a marketable product that can be sold through travel agents.

6.    Destinations may experience reduced staff turnover. In a survey of TravelAbility attendees, 74.3% stated they felt “much better” (34.4%) or “better” (39.7%)about their work. During a follow up call with several DMOs, nearly all commented that their work now included the purpose of helping people as a new way to promote their destinations.

7.    Destination Leaders may be receiving kudos from board members and elected officials instead of criticism. Accessibility is appealing to elected officials, who see it as a safe and non-controversial asset with economic benefits for visitors as well as local voters, especially in an election year.

And then there was the wedding.  At least that’s what happened to me. Last year I attended a wedding and during the reception dinner we were seated with strangers. The person on my right was an accidental philanthropist—he owned a pool cleaning company and had inherited $10 million with the stipulation that he could keep $3 million if he donated the remaining $7 million. The next person was an entrepreneur who had founded four companies and his wife was head of wealth management at Morgan Stanley. And the person to my right was a world-renowned National Geographic photographer.

When it was my turn, I told them I produce a conference that helps the travel industry become more inclusive for people with disabilities. Suddenly, while I felt like the least accomplished person at the table, I was the most interesting to the other guests. They showered me with questions. Two of them commented that accessibility was “cool.”  It dawned on me that there is an inherent attraction to people who are perceived as doing good work in the world. I’ve spoken with DMO executives who have related that they have also experienced this same unexpected cachet.

 While many destination leaders consider accessibility a “nice to have” but not a “must have,” in between nice to have and must have lives “cool to have,” which no destination should miss out on. Unexpected consequences? It’s more like unexpected benefits that can help everyone. 

Jake Steinman is the founder of TravelAbility. Contact him at info@travelability.net.

Good News: Fuel Prices Down, Travel Sentiment Steps On the Gas

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September Headline:  Continued Gas Price Declines Motivate Consumers to Travel

Continued gas price declines motivate consumers to travel this fall, as those saying gas prices will greatly impact their decision to travel have dropped a tremendous 16 points since July (from 43% to 27% of American travelers).

The latest monthly update (Wave 65) in the ongoing American Travel Sentiment Update from Longwoods International is just released, thanks to Amir Eylon, President & CEO.

Key takeaways:

  1. Clearly, the ongoing drop in fuel prices is really improving travel sentiment in regard to all the finance and travel spend areas this survey captures.
  2. While obviously having a much reduced impact on travel, the pandemic is still clearly in the back of the minds of many travelers as the key sentiment indicators around them have really plateaued and not declined since the spring.  Likely, this is a result of the virulence of new variants regularly emerging.
  3. Fall activities among travelers this year appear to be balancing out, getting back to a more similar pattern such as one would have expected pre-pandemic.

Key survey points supporting these takeaways:

  1. Demand is not waning as we head into the fall season, with 90% of American Travelers still reporting plans to go somewhere within the next six months.
  2. Concerns about one’s own personal finances greatly impacting their decision to travel has dropped a significant 8 points (from 31% to 23%) in just two months.
  3. Similarly, concerns about gas prices greatly impacting one’s decision to travel have dropped a tremendous 16 points since July (from 43% to 27%).
  4. The economy tops the list of biggest causes of hesitation to travel with 61% reporting inflation; 38% COVID-19; 34% flight delays/cancellations; and only 22% reporting no hesitations whatsoever about traveling at this time! (Note: new data on monkeypox and crime).
  5. Traveler sentiment towards COVID-19 continues to plateau rather than diminish: 19% still saying it will greatly impact their decision to travel; 41% still changing plans as a result; and the most telling plateau of still only four out of ten travelers (41%) saying the pandemic no longer influences their decision…we still can’t seem to get to that majority yet.
  6. Top of the list of fall activities travelers plan to engage in this fall are: Visiting friends and relatives (56%), taking a road trip (43%), and visiting national/state parks (28%).

Check out these and other insights into the top fall activities and key issues currently causing motivation and hesitancy to travel from the ongoing tracking study from Longwoods International and Miles Partnership, found here.

 

People Updates, Jobs, and RFPs

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Zeek Coleman has announced in a “bittersweet update” that he will be joining Adam Sacks and the team at Tourism Economics as Vice President, Americas. “Translating complex analytics into meaningful insights is my passion. In this role, I’ll do just that, while spearheading the delivery of economics-based solutions to DMO, association, and corporate clients.”

A widely admired professional on the eTourism Summit stage (and other industry conferences) over the years, Zeek departs Adara, Inc. as Head of Marketing-Tourism & Hospitality. Prior to joining Adara in 2021, Zeek served as Director of Data Intelligence at Visit Savannah, where he worked for over a decade.

President — Discover Stillwater, MN (new)

President & CEO — Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, MO

President & CEO — Visit Bath, VA

President & CEO — Visit Greenville, SC

Chief Executive Officer — Discover Santa Clara, CA

Executive Director — Visit Gilroy, CA

Executive Director — Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau, OH

Executive Director — Explore Sisters, OR

Executive Director — Explore Butte County, CA

Executive Director — Downtown Vacaville, CA

Executive Director — Visit Walla Walla, WA

Executive Director — Pacific County Tourism Bureau, WA

Executive Director — Great Lakes Sports Commission, MI

Assistant Commissioner of Marketing — Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (new)

Managing Director — Kansas City Area Development Council / Team KC (new)

Senior Vice President of Community Engagement & Public Affairs — Visit Seattle

Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing — Brand USA

Vice President of Business Development — Explore Asheville

Vice President of Brand and Integrated Marketing — Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

Vice President of Marketing and Communications AND Director of Downtown Initiatives — Experience Fayetteville

Vice President of Sales — Visit Wichita

Vice President of Sales — Bermuda Tourism Authority, NYC

Chief Marketing Officer — Visit Williamsburg

Senior Director of Human Resources & Culture — Destinations International

Director of Communications — Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (new)

Director of Communications — Visit Corpus Christi

Director of Research — Arizona Office of Tourism

Director of Market Research — Meet Minneapolis

Director of Marketing AND Director of Advocacy & Stewardship — Discover Long Island, NY (new)

Director of Marketing — Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau, MI

Deputy Director of Marketing — Destin-Fort Walton Beach

Director of Community Engagement & Destination Stewardship — Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission, MT

Director of the Film & Creative Industries Office — Visit Dallas

Senior National Accounts Director AND Digital Design Specialist AND Website Manager — Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Senior Manager Public Relations & Communications AND Public Relations Manager AND Digital Marketing Manager — Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

Social Media Manager AND National Sales Manager — Experience Scottsdale (new)

Manager of International Marketing — Visit California

Strategic Marketing Manager — Visit Mesa

Manager of Multicultural Marketing AND Senior Manager Convention Sales-Southwest & West— Destination Cleveland

Marketing Manager — Destination Bryan, TX

Digital Marketing & Content Manager — Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority, NC

Communications Manager — Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, NC 

Advertising & Marketing Manager — Visit Winston-Salem, NC (new)

Destination Development Specialist — Virginia Tourism Corporation (new)

Advertising Specialist — City of Ocean City, MD (new)

Media Relations Manager — Choose Chicago (new)

Media Relations Coordinator — Visit San Antonio

Marketing, Film & Music Administrator — City of San Antonio (new)

Director of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment — City of Boston

Director of Destination Services — Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

Visitor Services Manager — Visit Billings, MT

Tourism Marketing Manager — Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, SC

Senior Sales & Event Supervisor — Visit Central Florida / Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing

Sales and Service Manager — Visit Oakland (new)

Sports Service Specialist — Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau, ND

Sports Sales Manager — Oklahoma Convention & Visitors Bureau

Coordinator Sales and International Tourism —  Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (new)

Business Analyst AND Data Scientist AND Data Analyst — Visit Grand Junction, CO

Partnerships Manager — Destination DC

Public Relations Manager — Wyoming Office of Tourism

Public Relations Manager — Visit Panama City Beach, FL

Member Engagement Specialist — Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, MA

Executive Assistant to the CEO — Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, MA

Marketing Coordinator AND Public Relations / Communications Coordinator AND Corporate Citywide Sales Manager AND Mid-Market Sales Manager AND Tourism Coordinator — Visit Denver

Public Relations Specialist — Experience Columbus, OH (new)

Public Relations & Communications Coordinator — Visit Denver (new)

Tourism Coordinator — The Chickasaw Nation, OK

Tourism Development Coordinator — Highlands County Board of County Commissioners, FL

Manager, Meetings & Events — Singapore Tourism Board-Americas, San Francisco

Senior Business Development Manager-Media Sales — Expedia Group Media Solutions

Product Marketing Manager — Sojern

Paid Media Analyst AND Graphic Designer AND DMO Success Manager AND Content Manager — Miles Partnership, Remote 

Account Supervisor — BVK (new)

Group Director AND Project Manager AND Senior Media Planner-Digital AND Media Planner — Paradise Advertising & Marketing (new)

CEO — Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)

General Manager — Baltimore Convention Center (new)

General Manager — Charlotte Convention Center

General Manager — Los Angeles Convention Center

Digital Engagement & Community Manager — California Academy of the Sciences, San Francisco (new)

Vice President of Marketing and Communications — California Science Center, Los Angeles

Manager-Loyalty Partnerships — Amtrak, Washington DC

Social Media and Digital Content Manager — LEGOLAND Florida

R F P s

Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is seeking a full-service agency to provide strategic guidance and creative and media services to develop the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visit Park City brand and promote tourism, driving overnight visitation while reinforcing Park City’s sustainable tourism initiatives. 

The agency is required to be  a full-service agency with strong research and strategic planning, creative development, CRM, website design and  development, media and measurement, analytics and content production, with tourism experience. 

The initial scope of work will be from award date, anticipated as January 2023, through June 2025, with the option of three one-year extensions to be explored at that time. Proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. MDT on Sept. 29, 2022. Contact: gingerwicks@icloud.com

Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for Syndicated Tourism Survey Services for Fiscal Years 2023- 2025. The contractor shall provide access to a business intelligence system which includes aggregated data, collected, and compiled by the contractor. Offer due date is 09/30/2022 at 4:00 p.m. local time. More details are found here.

Franklin County, Florida, in the Sunshine State’s panhandle along the Gulf of Mexico, has issued a series of Request for Qualifications for firms that can perform marketing duties for the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.

New York State’s Rockland County plans to hire a firm to promote tourism to the “Gateway to the Hudson Valley” region.

Pine County, Minnesota, home to the Grand Casino Hinckley, is seeking proposals from firms that can devise a new brand, slogan and logo that attracts visitors to the county as well as future businesses and residents.

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Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Editor
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