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Opinion: ‘Brand USA Authorization Crucial for Cash-Strapped DMOs’

June 25, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

We’re sharing an opinion piece by Johanna Jainchill, News Editor of Travel Weekly.

photo credit: Shutterstock

Jainchill writes from IPW in Anaheim earlier this month, “As marketing groups like Visit Florida contend with the perennial slashing of their budgets, Brand USA, the national marketing arm, is emerging as an ever more important tool to promote U.S. destinations abroad.”

But this year, Brand USA’s existence is just as vulnerable as that of any other destination marketing organization.”

Read more from key industry voices: Roger Dow, US Travel Association; Chris Thompson, Brand USA; David Lorenz, Pure Michigan; Gerardo Llanes, Visit Florida. Click here.

People on the Move, Places Doing Things

May 14, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Phillip Jones has left as CEO of VisitDallas in a “mutual decision” following 15 years in the post. Mayor Mike Rawlings and VisitDallas announced the Interim CEO, Sam Coats, a former airline executive, business and civic leader. Coats is also a former board chairman of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, who has said it’s a priority to get the city to renew the VisitDallas contract early in order to attract high caliber candidates. Coats will serve until a new chief executive officer is appointed by the board following a search led by Joyce Williams, VisitDallas incoming board chair.

The names of three finalists for president and CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater have been released. Jim Dean was recently brought on board as Interim CEO after the resignation of long-time head David Downing, but Dean has since departed to become CEO of the Memphis Zoo. The shortlist: Brent DeRaad, president and CEO, Visit Tucson; Tamara Pigott, executive director, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau; Tim Ramsberger, COO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. Here’s a different approach: The local tourism industry is invited to a meet-and-greet with the three finalists on the evening of May 15 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort.

Josh Collins, Digital Communications Manager at Visit Franklin for more than five years, has joined Streetsense as Destination Activations + Marketing. In his new role, Collins will assist DMOs in learning how to better connect with their audiences. Congrats, Josh!

U.S. Travel Association has announced Angie Briggs as vice president of industry relations. Briggs joins from Miles Partnership where she served as vice president of new business development for the past eight years.

Howard Tietjen has taken a new position as director – sales for travel & tourism at Conversant, a leader in personalized digital marketing, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Tietjen was previously senior vice president at Madden Media for nearly 19 years.

Lindsay Vidrine has been named vice president of destination management for the Oklahoma City CVB. She comes to the post from Saxum, an Oklahoma City-based public relations, digital and advertising agency. Previously, Vidrine had served as director of communications and publications for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

California Gold Country has found their treasure in native son Martin Huberty. Selected from a field of 27 to run the Calaveras Visitors Bureau. Huberty replaces Lisa Boulton who leaves to return to her native England. Huberty has sixth generation ties to an original Gold Rush family, has served as chief of staff for the Duchess of York, and is a former Hollywood producer, including “Fried Green Tomatoes.” He impressed the board with a multi-media presentation at the interview.

Congrats to @CurbFreeWithCoryLee, who has won the Webby Award for Best Personal Blog. At the 23rd annual award ceremony on May 13, Cory will deliver his acceptance speech in just five words, a tradition at the event. Whatever he says, this is an awesome recognition for the self-proclaimed travel addict. Go, Cory!

In New Orleans, a landmark reorganization of destination marketing is in the works. New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., a municipal agency with 10 employees, will fold its functions into New Orleans and Company, the former convention and visitors bureau with 85 employees headed by Steven Perry, president and CEO. The merger is meant to provide more funds for the city’s Sewerage & Water Board for much-needed infrastructure repairs and authorize a 1,200-room hotel adjacent to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Did you know? There are 17 places named Montgomery County in America—that’s why the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board doesn’t promote the “Montgomery County” part of their location up front. Clever. Ed Harris, Chief Marketing Officer, spends 10 minutes in a podcast to explain the DMO job and the nuances that separate destination marketing from product marketing. Listen here.

Fred Dixon and Gonzalo Robredo — NYC & Company CEO Fred Dixon
and Buenos Aires Tourism CEO Gonzalo Robredo.

NYC & Company and Buenos Aires Tourism have forged a strategic city-to-city two-year partnership to boost tourism. Under the agreement, New York City campaign ads will be featured on signs and municipal advertising boards and in underground metro stops throughout Buenos Aires from May through June, while Buenos Aires ads will appear on select bus stop shelters and LinkNYC advertising screens across New York City for one month starting in late July. The two cities will exchange best practices in tourism marketing. Currently, there are approximately 21 nonstop flights per week between New York-area airports and Buenos Aires.

“BeLONG on LONG ISLAND” is the new tourism promotion by Discover Long Island to redefine the brand and stimulate emotional connections. A new interactive itinerary builder assists website visitors to find where they “BeLONG on Long Island” by identifying particular interests and personality traits. Pinterest users can explore the destination (“Do you long for a place…?“) based on what they want to be: pampered, outdoorsy, adventurous, etc…

The integrated campaign includes print, video, digital, social, broadcast, OTT, OOH, and AI/AR platforms. “BeLONG on Long Island” will be featured on 65 bus shelters and 1,700 digital Link Share Screens across NYC’s five boroughs and make a first-time appearance in the Philadelphia market. Check out the new destination video (Summerland Creative) here.

Always ready for any combination of horses, humor, and bourbon, VisitLEX has declared that “bourbon hunting” is a big thing, so…they’re introducing the first-ever fashion line of Bourbon Camoflage® in three exciting patterns:

Liquor Store
Grocery Store
Rite Aid

The T-shirts will be available exclusively at the VisitLEX Visitor Center on Friday, June 14 at 10 a.m. to provide bourbon-stalking visitors with a discreet advantage “to get their hands on some of Kentucky’s most elusive bottles of bourbon.” LOL.

Speaking of shopping as a travel motivator, Simon Shopping Destinations has contacted The Travel Vertical to share this job search being conducted by their VP of tourism & marketing alliances. Hiring: a director of global tourism marketing, Las Vegas-based. See the job description here.

Steal this idea? Visit Cheyenne wants to help local businesses improve their online presence. Via Truly 360, a certified Google Partner, the DMO is providing free training on Google Search, Google Maps and Street View. Darren Rudloff, President and CEO of Visit Cheyenne, said, “We’re competing against not just Nebraska, not just Fort Collins, we’re competing with cities around the globe.”

Sedona Chamber of Commerce + Tourism Bureau has unveiled a “Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan,” in an Arizona first. The DMO is poised to become a national leader in sustainable tourism, says Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarity. The destination’s 10,000 residents are exposed to three million visitors per year, creating the need for environmental stewardship for the famous red rocks, bluffs, and pine forests. An 18-month process has produced a four-pillar plan with action points around sustainable principles. Read more here.

What about the redwood trees? The historic seaport town of Eureka, California in Humboldt County, is home to the world’s tallest, promoted by the DMO for four decades. City officials are now choosing among three agencies for a new approach to its tourism marketing…and Eureka-Humboldt Visitors Bureau is not among the finalists. The city council RFP calls for more attention to the arts scene, the Sequoia Park Zoo, and the cannabis culture.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce has been notified its contract may not be renewed. The DMO’s contract is up in November 2020 and the town must give 12 months’ notice if it plans not to renew. The move comes after nearly a year of scrutiny by the mayor and town council over the chamber’s use of $2.5 million in accommodations tax funds, including advertising. In particular, an ad in August 2018 Travel + Leisure (featuring Hilton Head as #1 island in the continental USA for the third consecutive year) had a special effects grainy texture to represent sand. Read more here.

At the annual conference of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (ILGTA) in New York City this week, DiversityInc’s Top 50 Hall of Fame winners for 2019 were announced: Disney Destinations, Hilton, and Marriott received platinum and MGM Resorts received gold.

National Geographic has published its Best Trips 2019 highlighting 28 of “the world’s most exciting places for the year ahead.” The four North American destinations selected are Kansas City, Missouri; Oakland, California; New Mexico’s Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness; and South Walton County, Florida.

Congratulations to CrowdRiff, named one of Canada’s Top 100 Small & Medium Employers 2019. The new award will look good next to the 2018 Top Startups in Canada and Best Workplaces in Technology awards. CrowdRiff is hiring a director of customer success and has other roles, too— seen here.

Visit Florida Gets a Lease on Life and What’s With Tourism Marketing Dollars?

April 30, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Tallahassee, FL — This week, last-minute Florida House and Senate budget negotiations put $50 million (a reduction from the requested $76 million) toward Visit Florida, extending it until June 30, 2020. Legislators agreed to an additional nine months for the agency, extending its life beyond a looming Oct. 1 sunset date.

A thoughtful piece in Skift takes a closer look at the dramatic, tough trends in DMO funding. From a defunct Mexico Tourism Board to an at-risk Brand USA, in big cities and smaller communities, tourism agencies are under fire in the battle over scarce resources. Importantly, a significant amount of destination marketing money comes in the form of a bed tax from people living outside the constituency.

Meanwhile, some tourism leaders are calling for a new way for DMOs to articulate their mission—beyond heads in beds and counting convention delegates—that is, emphasizing benefits to the audience in one’s own backyard. (The Travel Vertical, 4/22/2019).

“You need to keep them involved, you need a community outreach plan, you need to have them support you in what you’re doing and the elected officials will follow,” said Jack Johnson, chief advocacy officer for Destinations International, as reported by Skift.

Do you agree? It’s important reading for DMOs, found here.

People on the Move, New Jobs, Updates, and a Bit of Green Slime

April 22, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

National Travel and Tourism Week is May 5-11, 2019. Access a digital tool kit from U.S. Travel Association with a sample press release, logo, stats, tweets, daily themes, talking points, blog posts, proclamation, and more. Click here.

A new candidate search for Associate VP – Integrated Marketing for Discover the Palm Beaches, Florida is being conducted by SearchWide Global.

Visit Anaheim is seeking a business intelligence officer at director level.

In NYC, Macy’s is hiring a manager – tourism marketing to help drive international and domestic visitor traffic.

Keiko Matsudo Orrall has been named executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Prior to her appointment, Orrall served in the Massachusetts Legislature for four terms. She succeeds Francois-Laurent Nivaud, a management consultant and former hotelier who held the post for three years.

Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz has named Tom Riford as assistant secretary responsible for managing the Division of Tourism, Film, and the Arts and the Department of Marketing and Communications. Riford was most recently the executive director of the Thomas Kennedy Center Inc. Riford served for more than a decade as the president and CEO of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Cathy Tull, chief marketing officer for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, resigned abruptly after 14 years’ service, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The article states that Tull was the target of investigations by the newspaper and the local police department looking into allegations of misspending. More reporting is found here. Note: “The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands Corp. operates the Sands Expo & Convention Center, which competes with the LVCVA-operated Las Vegas Convention Center,” the newspaper by way of disclosure.

Mike Waterman has not had his contract renewed as president and CEO of Visit Houston. He held the post since May 2015 and also served as chief sales and marketing officer for Houston First, which runs the George R. Brown Convention Center, a hotel, multiple major downtown cultural facilities, plazas, and more. Visit Houston (formerly Houston CVB) was structurally aligned within Houston First several years ago.

Brenda Bazan, Houston First’s inaugural CFO when the corporation was founded in 2011, was named president and CEO in February 2018 after Dawn Ullrich was abruptly dismissed. She will immediately assume oversight responsibilities for the management of the sales, tourism and marketing divisions.

“Maryland, America in Miniature,” evolved into “We’re Open for Business,” which is being leveraged into “Maryland — Open For It.” (Hmm. Google it up and you’ll get the Maryland Open Golf Championship.) ‘Open For It’ was developed over the past 18 months by the agency of record, Columbia, Maryland-based Marriner Marketing Communications.

Targeted markets include the New York metro area, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The campaign also includes print advertising in national and regional magazines, as well as companion radio, digital and social media campaigns. Multiple versions of ‘Maryland – Open for It’ began running this week on television and will continue throughout the spring. Here’s the 30-second video.

Quadricentennial alert! America’s oldest seaport, Gloucester, Massachusetts, is one of the nation’s first destinations to prepare for a 400th anniversary. Depicting a fisherman steering his boat over powerful waves, the log designed by a 13th generation local resident has been selected ahead of Gloucester400 in 2023.

The Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations delivered “green slime” (gooey, green glow-in-the-dark putty) last week to Florida’s legislators with a clear message about the importance of reauthorizing and fully funding Visit Florida, reported Sunshine State News. Visit Florida will dissolve in October if lawmakers don’t approve funding. Watch more here from ABC TV-WTXL, Tallahassee.

Madden Media, destination marketing services provider based in Tucson, announced an agreement with Burghardt+Doré, full-service creative agency focused on travel and tourism, to join forces.

This partnership started six years ago when Madden Media, a Google Premier Partner, began providing digital marketing services to clients of Burghardt-Doré. Principals Jeff Burghardt and Nicole Doré (pictured here), and others from the Carmel, California office will join the 100-strong Madden Media team.

One of Brand USA’s new mobile content creation labs. (Courtesy Brand USA)

Brand USA announced a new partnership with Marriott International and Marriott Bonvoy, its loyalty program, to boost the “United Stories” campaign (see The Travel Vertical, 1/22/2019). So far in 2019, the United Stories mobile content lab has traveled to Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. “At each destination, United Stories content creators spotlight first-person perspectives of American culture via locals, influencers, and travelers,” reports Travel Pulse. Read more here.

More news from Marriott International: The world’s tallest modular hotel is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City, made from prefabricated and pre-furnished guest rooms. ” Its 168 guest rooms will be assembled in a factory in Poland, shipped overseas and trucked into New York in the middle of the night when the city streets can accommodate the oversized loads,” reports Bloomberg News. The 360-foot-tall tower will take only 90 days to erect, a milestone in Marriott’s initiative encouraging hotel developers to embrace modular for new construction projects. The AC Hotel New York NoMad will have a modular rooftop bar as well. Read more here.

On the 50th anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, Orbitz lists the top 10 US cities travelers are booking for Pride Month. Based on data pulled from their microsite tailored to LGBT travel and a survey, Provincetown, Massachusetts tops the list. Get the details here.

Like. Celebrate. Love. Insightful. Curious. According to Search Engine Journal, LinkedIn is rolling out four new emotional reactions to sit alongside the current ‘like’ button for posts. Read more here.

Meantime, Mashable reports that Instagram might start hiding the number of likes on a post. So, whatever…more here.

Snapping up talent. Per LinkedIn observers, Chinese social media company TikTok has already successfully recruited 14 key hires from rival Snap. One of the most downloaded apps of 2018, now with 500 million-plus users, the LA-based company is making a push into the US market. Is TikTok a lot of teens doing Disney lip syncs or is there a lot more appeal and opportunity behind its short-form mobile video technology?

The United States Department of Homeland Security says U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working toward implementation of biometric exit technology to cover more than 97% of departing commercial air travelers within the next four years, reports Phocuswire. Read more here.

Sports Betting Interactive Infographic and a DMO Funding News Roundup

April 9, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Oh, buoy. Florida. In this follow-up to an earlier news item (see sunscreen controversy in The Travel Vertical, 3/25/2018), Skift takes a closer look at what’s going on in Tallahassee. Read more in “Visit Florida’s Future is Up in the Air (Again).”

A raft of states has been extending their gambling provisions, aiming to benefit from a Supreme Court decision in May 2018 to legalize sports betting. Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New Hampshire are demonstrating an appetite for getting into the game.

Meantime, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo showed disinterest, saying, “Sports betting, first of all, does not make you that much money. New Jersey has sports betting, it’s on TV all the time. You can’t turn on the darn TV without seeing it. They raised something like $13 million dollars—$13 million dollars is a rounding error in our state. So, I don’t even think the economic benefit is there.”

The “State of Sports Betting” is an interactive map with updates on the status in all 50 states. Click here to play.

Sweeping changes? The state’s tourism office could soon be turned into a quasi-governmental agency (see The Travel Vertical, 2/18/2019). Legislation authorizing the change has passed both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly and is now headed to Governor Eric Holcomb’s desk. House Enrolled Act 1115 creating Indiana Destination Development Corp. would replace the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, with a transition date set as July 2020. A report recently released by the IOTD says total visitor spending in 2017 reached a record high of $12.7 billion, creating $9 billion in economic impact.

Hawaii Tourism Authority has re-allocated an additional $2.5 million in support of ongoing marketing efforts on Hawaii Island to boost tourism from Japan and the US following the volcanic eruption of 2018.

The New Orleans Advocate headline asks: “What’s Fair Use of Tourism Dollars?” The newspaper reports, “The contentious debate over how to use New Orleans tourism tax dollars that has rumbled along largely behind closed doors spilled out in public…” The YouTube video of a community debate runs 2.5 hours…but in a nutshell, city officials are concerned that less than $19 million of the New Orleans hotel taxes of $200 million are going toward repairs of an aging city infrastructure that they say would benefit both residents and visitors.

Meantime, Nebraska (the “Least Likely State to Visit”) aims to make money on mugs. With a vote of 40-0, lawmakers gave first round approval to legislation that authorizes the Nebraska Tourism Commission to sell promotional products associated with statewide marketing campaigns. Last summer’s attention-grabbing “Honestly, it’s not for everyone” tagline (see The Travel Vertical, 10/23/2018) will be appearing on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and more. Pending the governor’s (likely) approval, the commission will be able to contract with private vendors to produce, sell, and distribute branded merchandise.

Meanwhile…The predictive Leading Travel Index prepared by Oxford Economics and published by the US Travel Association is a sluggish one at the moment. The report released on April 2, 2019 is projecting a slowdown with dwindling tourism numbers, both domestic and international. Click here for more details.

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Opinion: ‘Brand USA Authorization Crucial for Cash-Strapped DMOs’

People on the Move, Places Doing Things

Visit Florida Gets a Lease on Life and What’s With Tourism Marketing Dollars?

People on the Move, New Jobs, Updates, and a Bit of Green Slime

Sports Betting Interactive Infographic and a DMO Funding News Roundup

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