Amtrak Archives - The Travel Vertical

Tons of DMO Jobs, Amtrak is Hiring Big Time & an RFP

August 23, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr 2 Comments

Mexico Beach Community Development Council, Inc. is seeking submissions from advertising agencies with expertise in marketing, creative services in advertising and marketing, and media buying to promote the tourism industry of Mexico Beach, Florida. Complete details and guidelines for submission on the Request for Qualifications are found on the website.

Amtrak has more than 4,000 positions across a number of disciplines, including project management, finance, technology, onboard services, electrical, customer service and many more. To address this significant demand, Amtrak is hosting 54 hiring events and career fairs in FY23 to attract new talent, concentrating on Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Oakland, Philadelphia, Miami, and Wilmington. Love trains? Click for the animation: 50 Years of Amtrak Livery.

J O B S

President & CEO — Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, MO

President & CEO — Visit Tri-Cities, WA

President & CEO — Fredericksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, TX

President & CEO — Visit Bath, VA

President & CEO — Visit Greenville, SC

Chief Executive Officer AND Convention Sales Manager — Discover Santa Clara, CA

Executive Director — Visit Southern Idaho

Executive Director — Great Lakes Sports Commission, MI

Executive Director — Berkeley County Development Authority, WV

Executive Director — Wayne County Convention & Visitors Bureau, OH

Executive Director — Explore Sisters, OR

Executive Director — Visit Walla Walla, WA

Executive Director — Pacific County Tourism Bureau, WA

Executive Director — Explore Butte County, CA

Executive Director — Downtown Vacaville, CA

Executive Director — Visit Chico, CA

Executive Director — Muncie Visitors Bureau, IN

Executive Director/CEO — Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, LA

Executive Director — Discover Palm Beach County/Convention and Visitors Bureau, FL

CEO — Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)

Executive Director — Travel & Tourism Marketing Association

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

Vice President of Brand & Integrated Marketing AND Director of Content AND Leisure Sales Coordinator — Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing — Brand USA

Vice President for Enterprise Sales — American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) (new)

Senior Director of Human Resources & Culture — Destinations International (new)

Chief Marketing Officer —Visit Williamsburg

Senior Vice President of Community Engagement & Public Affairs AND Director Partnership & Visitor Services AND Marketing Manager Leisure AND Marketing Manager Meetings AND Public Relations Manager Meetings AND Events Manager AND Destination & Convention Services Manager AND National Account Director AND Graphic Designer AND Marketing Coordinator AND Office Coordinator AND Staff Accountant — Visit Seattle

Vice President of Sales — Bermuda Tourism Authority, NYC

Vice President of Marketing — VisitLEX, KY

Vice President of Sales — Visit Wichita

Vice President Business & Brand Development — Visit Oceanside, CA

Vice President Business Development AND Director of Marketing AND Director of Grants AND Public Information Manager AND Public Relations Manager AND Events & Engagement Manager AND Group Service Manager AND Editorial Content Creator AND Senior Sales Manager AND Group Service Coordinator AND Administrative Assistant AND Sales & Marketing Assistant — Explore Asheville

Vice President of Marketing & Communications — Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau

Vice President Marketing & Communications — Visit Baton Rouge

Vice President of Destination Development & Community Engagement — Visit Albuquerque

Vice President Convention Sales AND Marketing Manager AND National Sales Manager-West Coast — Choose Chicago

Director of the Film & Creative Industries Office — Visit Dallas

Senior Content Director AND Senior Video Editor AND Regional Director/Sales Manager AND Email Marketing & Personalization Coordinator AND Senior UX Designer AND Sales & Services Coordinator AND Administrative Assistant — NYC & Company

Director of Marketing & Communications — Texas Economic Development Corporation

Director of Marketing — Visit Macon

Director of Marketing AND Social Media Manager AND National Sales Manager — Experience Scottsdale

Director of Marketing & Communications — Experience Ruston, LA

Director of Communications — Visit Corpus Christi

Director of Communications — Tempe Tourism Office

Corporate Communications Manager — Visit Phoenix

Director of Communications — Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

Marketing & Communications Director — Visit Tuscaloosa, AL

Marketing and Communications Director — Utah Tourism Office

Manager of Multicultural Marketing AND Industry Engagement Support Specialist— Destination Cleveland

Manager International Marketing AND Content Manager AND Public Relations Manager AND Marketing Assistant — Visit California

Communications Manager AND Marketing Coordinator — Visit Florida

International Account Manager AND Meeting & Convention Services Manager AND Executive Assistant Project Manager — Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Director of Destination Services — Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (new)

Director of Market Research — Meet Minneapolis

Director of Research AND Marketing Coordinator — Arizona Department of Tourism

Business Analyst CRM Engagement — Destination Toronto

International Marketing Manager — Virginia Tourism Corporation

Director of Public Relations — Visit Yosemite | Madera County, CA

Director of Community Relations AND Public Relations Manager AND Client Services Coordinator — Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, CA

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

Marketing & Social Media Manager — Experience Grand Rapids (new)

Digital Marketing Manager AND Senior Business Development Manager — Visit Lauderdale (new)

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

Digital & Social Media Producer AND Events Manager AND PR & Communications Coordinator AND Graphic Designer — Visit SLO CAL, San Luis Obispo, CA

Digital Marketing Manager — South Haven Van Buren County C&VB, MI (new)

Website Manager AND National Accounts Manager (mid-Atlantic) AND Digital Design Specialist — Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Partnership Development Manager AND Sales Manager — Visit KC

Media Relations Manager AND Domestic Tourism Specialist AND Sales Manager — Visit Detroit

Strategic Marketing Manager — Visit Mesa

Business Development Coordinator — Visit Carlsbad (new)

Community & Partner Relations Manager — Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, UT

Community & Partner Relations Manager — Washington County, IA

Communications Manager — Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, NC

Communications Manager — Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, AZ

Communications Manager — Sonoma County Tourism, CA

Communications Manager — Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau

Public Relations Manager — Wyoming Office of Tourism (new)

Director of Communications AND Design and Production Manager AND National Sales Director-Citywide Chicago AND Site Experience Manager AND Client Services Manager AND Administrative Assistant — San Diego Tourism Authority

Director Visitor Experience & Engagement AND Director Destination Events AND Manager Consumer Marketing AND Manager Content Marketing AND Manager Convention Services US AND Manager, Meeting & Convention Sales Canada & International AND Specialist, Social Media, Trade, Meeting & Conventions AND Finance Specialist, Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable AND Research Analyst — Destination Vancouver

Associate Director Events AND Senior Manager In-House Group Sales Membership Manager AND Partnerships Manager AND Talent Acquisition Manager AND Communications Coordinator — Destination DC

Convention Sales & Sports Commission Coordinator — Visit Sacramento, CA

Sports Sales Manager — Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau (new)

Sports Tourism Manager — Billings Chamber of Commerce, MT

Sports Manager — College Station Economic Development & Tourism Department

Sports & Special Events Liaison — Destination Panama City

Sports Services Specialist AND Office Coordinator— Fargo-Morehead Convention & Visitors Bureau, ND (new)

Sales Manager — Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau, MI

Communications Specialist — Visit Sitka, AK

Tourism Marketing Manager — Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, SC

Marketing & Communications Specialist — Shenandoah Convention & Visitors Bureau, TX

Regional Director of Sales-West Coast — Visit Baltimore (new)

Director of Convention Sales — Visit Jacksonville

Director of Group Sales — Visit Vancouver WA

National Sales Manager — Visit Glendale, AZ

National Sales Manager — Visit Aurora, CO

Sales Manager — Discover Green Bay

Group Travel Sales Manager — Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, KY (new)

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

Tourism Development Manager — Visit Greater Palm Springs (new)

Tourism Director — Discover Front Royal, VA

Tourism Marketing Manager — City of Middleton, WI

Copywriter — Colorado Tourism Office

Social Media Coordinator AND Sales Coordinator — Visit Anaheim

Media Relations Coordinator — Travel Portland, OR (new)

Media Relations Coordinator — Visit San Antonio (new)

Marketing Coordinator — Visit Denver

Marketing Coordinator — Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, IL

Travel Tech Reporter — Skift, remote

Senior Media Planner-Digital Focus — Paradise Advertising & Marketing (new)

Senior Account Executive AND Account Executive AND Account Supervisor And Account Coordinator x3— MMGY NJF

Account Executive Public Relations — Lou Hammond Group, NYC

Web & Digital Assets Coordinator — Roots

Customer Success Manager — Flip.to

Vice President Sales Travel & Tourism AND Digital Account Manager — Epsilon

Director Destination Strategy — Madden Media

Senior Product Manager AND Data Project Manager AND Strategic Advisor AND Implementation Specialist AND Data Scientist AND Product Designer AND Full Stack Developer AND Front End Developer AND Data Engineer AND Backend Testing & Quality Engineer — Zartico

Project/Administrative Assistant — Tourism Diversity Matters

Senior Manager Marketing — Hong Kong Tourism Association, Los Angeles

Communications Coordinator — Visit Britain, NYC

Research Services Manager AND Research Analyst — Longwoods International

Director Customer Success AND Events Manager AND Account Executive AND IT Specialist AND Revenue Operations Technology Analyst AND Senior iOS Developer AND Staff Engineer AND Software Architect — CrowdRiff

Director of Strategic Partnerships AND Account Associate — Simpleview

DMO Success Manager AND Content Strategist AND Content Manager AND Account Supervisor — Miles Partnership, remote

Digital Advertising Specialist — Datafy

Account Supervisor — BVK

Copywriter — Bellweather Agency, remote

Senior Vice President-Travel, Leisure and Hospitality — Ketchum, NYC

Associate Vice President-Travel Lifestyle PR — FINN Partners, NYC

Tourism PR Account Executive AND Junior Destination Sales Executive — Destination Counsellors International, NYC

22 More Random Destination Facts for Our Transformational Times

December 21, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

There’s something about “random” that just seems to suit our transformational times, you know?

1. Optimism! In the Northern Hemisphere, winter solstice is behind us now and the daylight hours can begin getting longer.

2. Coming up: January 25 is National Plan for Vacation Day, observed on the last Tuesday of January as a day to encourage Americans to plan their time off. Follow U.S. Travel Association for industry activations and a social media tool kit.

3. All change! Amtrak has appointed its third CEO in just four years. Long time staffer Stephen Gardener, currently serving as president, takes over as the beleaguered national passenger railroad system is flush with cash from the new infrastructure legislation, however work is unlikely to begin for another year or so.

4. The busiest days at TSA security checkpoints for Christmas/New Year holiday travel are expected to be Thursday, Dec. 23 and Monday, Jan. 3.

TSA advice is: “Arrive early, wear a mask, expect airports to be busy, pack your patience.” For travelers taking gifts, more advice here —>

President Biden has issued an executive order requesting the State Department move passport renewals to an online platform.

ICYMI: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for getting a REAL ID, the new identification card, which is now pushed ahead to May 3, 2023.

5. Ugh. ITB Berlin 2022 is cancelled for the third year in a row. Various virtual programming options will be announced shortly. The plan is that ITB Berlin 2023 will open on March 8.

6. The Netherlands is back in strict lockdown over Christmas, called “unavoidable” by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Non-essential businesses, services and schools are to be closed through at least mid-January 2022, while not more than two people may gather indoors or outdoors.

7. New travel rules for Canadians have kicked in. As of Dec. 21, all Canadians who leave the country need a negative PCR test to re-enter Canada, even if the traveler has only been gone for a couple days.

8. Elsewhere, the U.K. has not ruled out tighter restrictions before Christmas. At Radio City Music Hall in New York City, The Rockettes have ended their Christmas Spectacular early. Mayor de Blasio says the famous ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is getting a second look. And the NFL and NHL are postponing games.

9. The National Football League has selected Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to host Super Bowl LVIII (58) in February 2024, a first for this city.

10. In a high stakes game of check your calendar for conflicts, Super Bowl LVIII was originally slated to be in New Orleans, but because of Mardi Gras dates, they’ll host in 2025 (the contract had a clause allowing New Orleans to get the next available date). SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California hosts in 2022 and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in 2023.

11. The Las Vegas Strip may be getting its own guitar-shaped hotel. Last week, Hard Rock announced its plans with the acquisition of The Mirage Hotel & Casino from MGM Resorts International, approval pending. President & CEO Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority called this “is a defining moment in the history of Las Vegas.”

12. What’s 18 feet tall, 17 feet wide, weighs one ton and still glows in florescent pink? Answer: The letter “M” from the retro Moulin Rouge sign that adorned the Las Vegas casino resort until it was shuttered in 1955. It’s one of 800 dusty artifacts, including 250 on display in the Neon Boneyard, at the (reopened) Neon Museum in Downtown Las Vegas, that attracted 325K visitors annually pre-Covid. Docents lead 45-minute night time walking tours at the 2.3-acre outdoor campus.

13. A California Disneyland passholder is suing Disney theme parks over alleged deceptive practices for Magic Key policies. In her suit, she noted that while she had purchased a $1,399 Dream Key annual pass, the most expensive one available, she encountered many blackout dates, including weekends, when trying to make a reservation for November.

14. Chicago was named Best Big City in the U.S. for an unprecedented 5th consecutive year in the 2021 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Also, O’Hare International was named Best Airport in North America for the 18th year running.

15. PLAY is a new low-cost airline based in Iceland, announcing service to/from Baltimore-Wash DC from April 20, 2022 to/from Boston commencing May 11, 2022. The route map shows connecting flights serving two dozen European cities.

16. Ultra low-cost Flair Airlines announces flights to NYC and Chicago to and from Toronto. JFK service begins April 7 and flights to O’Hare/ORD start May 17. P.S. Remember WOW airlines (2012-2019)? Anyone else notice the naming / branding choices behind these new (no frills) airlines…are they telling us that it’s fun to fly?)

17. Milwaukee-based ad agency BVK has been awarded a tourism promotion contract with the Town of Ocean City, Maryland. For 20 years, the agency partner was MGH Advertising out of Baltimore.

18. Louisiana Tourism is going all-in on parade floats. Inspired by media coverage of the state’s alligator-themed float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the DMO has made a commitment to the 133rd Tournament of Roses Parade as the event’s only state.

Louisiana Tourism budgeted $750,000 for parade expenses, which include the $350,000 float and $200,000 in travel and entertainment costs. American Idol winner, Louisiana native Laine Hardy, and the Hot 8 Band are set to perform mid-stage.

The float will be decorated with moss-draped cypress trees, a Cajun fisherman in a pirogue, sculptured magnolias, pelicans, crawfish, crabs, powdered sugar-covered beignets and adorned with 34,000 roses.

19. Greenest: “The World’s Most Sustainable Museums” are named by blooloop, a source for attraction industry professionals. Shout outs to The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Wash., DC; The Field Museum in Chicago; California Academy of Sciences and the Exploratorium in San Francisco; Grand Rapids Art Museum; The Climate Museum in New York City; Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City; and the Boston Children’s Museum.

20. “It was just a matter of time before TikTok got into the restaurant business. Food and recipe videos have become a key part of the video platform’s programming…” — AdAge

21. Not a destination, but a digital trendsetter. Pantone Color of the Year 2022 is Very Peri. The newly created color, rather than being a selection from the vast Pantone library, is meant to represent our transformative times.

22. Discover Reno Tahoe got the message and turned the Pantone Veri Peri story into captivating content.

Steal This Idea: Make a Reopening Splash

June 15, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Visit California is leading the statewide charge. “Let’s make sure travelers hear that California is open for business. On Tuesday, June 15, California’s tiered system of restrictions will expire, and visitors can travel freely. Join Visit California in a coordinated social media blitz to share the good news.”

The state tourism office has created a free toolkit with social media graphics, images, messaging, and hashtags to announce that the state is open for business. They’re asking everybody to join the communications effort by activating their social media channels.

President & CEO Caroline Beteta says, “DMO websites continue to serve as trusted information sources for consumers, so along with activating on social media, please update your travel advisory guidance to reinforce an ‘open for business’ message.”

What else? Real people. During the week of June 21-25, Visit California’s “Dreaming On in California” campaign turns into a celebration for tourism’s recovery. A weeklong series of experiences is planned for dozens of actual travelers who missed key milestones in 2020, in some cases under heartbreaking circumstances.

Think prizes in the spotlight: An epic sunset dinner prepared by a celebrity chef, fairytale weddings at the luxurious seaside and wine country resorts, VIP access to MLB games, Disneyland vacations, and Marriott-hosted road trips.

P.S. Even if your destination is already open, it’s not too late for this idea of creating a community-wide welcome.

P.P.S. Alternatively, take it in another direction by continuing to encourage in-state tourism. It’s a win-win to jumpstart the economy.

*(image Crater Lake by Art Bromage, Pixabay.com)*

Nearly 500 travel and tourism professionals—ranging from tour guides and outfitters to regional destination marketing organizations, chambers of commerce, lodging establishments to wineries and microbreweries— gathered virtually for the annual Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism to set the stage for a statewide economic recovery.

Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon, said, “We continue to actively listen to the needs of Oregonians, communities and businesses to be as responsive as possible. And I am excited to build on that information and lessons learned from this last year to chart our strategy going forward.”

To continue supporting economic recovery efforts as the state reopens to travel, Travel Oregon is launching the agency’s Rebuild Strategic Plan on July 1, 2021. This plan includes current activities in support of the state’s economic recovery and places equity and inclusion at the forefront of its strategic vision. A longer-term Transformational Plan is next, for which the DMO will seek input and guidance from the people and communities at the heart of the tourism industry to develop a roadmap that will extend to 2025.

Fold a free attraction into an urban itinerary?

Visit Reno tells us the city’s latest mural, Locomotion, will be completed any day now. Downtown Reno Partnership is behind the 15,000-square-foot colorful mural, latest in a city known for its public art installations. Nearly 200 hundred local volunteers were recruited via Facebook to help lead artist Brad Carney complete the artwork in 12 days, using 21 vibrant colors to represent motif specific to Reno. When finished, the block-long space above a rail track will be landscaped with 1,000 plants and 18 trees, activated with food trucks, BBQ, yoga classes, a stage for performances, and more.

Check out 16 U.S. city projects receiving funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative, visual interventions on roadways (intersections and crosswalks), pedestrian spaces (plazas and sidewalks), and vertical infrastructure (utility boxes, traffic barriers and underpasses).

When foodie trails are also bike trails, calories melt away. Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau has partnered with Providence Streets Coalition to create Providence Foodie Bike Routes for donuts, beer, and vegan eats. All three GPS-based, self-guided routes are on the Ride Spot mobile app.

Visit Indy says #PRIDE is an every day thing, not just for June. A website landing page features LGBTQ+ nightlife, a weekend itinerary, unique date ideas, live like a local, TAG Approved hotels and more.

*Visit Indy screen shot (website by Simpleview)*

And hey, gas is expensive, rental car prices are through the roof (not everyone has a car). So, Amtrak is in on recovery with a discounted 30-day USA Rail Pass good for 10 trips anywhere in the country within a month. It’s currently $200 off (through June 22), priced at $299. Cool. That’s an average of $30 a trip.

Note: The Amtrak price tag beats the Jeff Bezos price tag. A mystery bidder has bid $28 million to ride into space with the Amazon mogul on an 11-minute suborbital flight scheduled for takeoff on July 20.

Reminder: Call for excellence in a dozen categories. The 4th Annual eTSY Awards at the 22nd Annual eTourism Summit are still open for submission. Hurry, the deadline is June 28 (and you don’t have to be there to win.)

Destination Canada Goes With “NICE” Branding, Kansas Tourism Rebrands, West Virginia Gets a Park & More

January 12, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

It’s a gentle, soft sell. “This is Canada Nice,” the original song and animation from Destination Canada. The DMO says, “In a time when the world could use a little more of it, we’re here to welcome you with open arms to discover the true meaning of nice.”

Backstory: By the creators of the Broadway musical, “Come From Away,” a varied roster of influential Canadians have lent their voices. Notable Joining the song are a celebrated Quebecois drag queen, an Indigenous singer-songwriter, Canada’s first female astronaut and first neurologist in space, plus influential Canadian authors, athletes and artists.

Meantime, Canada plans to require inbound airline passengers have a negative result on a Covid PCR test no more than 72 hours in advance of arrival. In addition, they’re subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Through mid-December, airline passengers entering Canada was 90% lower compared to 2019.

The “new normal” takes a twist in Anaheim, California, where Disneyland is expected to become operational as a vaccination site later this week.

Disneyland, closed for 10 months, will open this week as one of California’s massive Covid-19 vaccination centers. The theme park location is the first of five Super POD (Point-of-Distribution) sites in Orange County with the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people every day. A Disneyland executive says the theme park is glad to support the vaccination efforts.

Kansas Tourism is ringing in the new year by celebrating new branding.

In fact, this has been in the making for more than 150 years. The state motto, “Ad Astra per Aspera” means “To the Stars Through Difficulty,” and that’s the inspiration for this new tagline. Read more here.

New York City has a new train terminal that’s described as a lofty and light-filled cathedral of steel, glass and marble.

Named for the late state senator, Moynihan Train Hall is a $1.6 billion transformation of a sorting hall inside a Beaux-Arts landmark general post office beside Penn Station and Madison Square Garden covering the block between Eighth and Ninth avenues and 31st and 33rd streets. It serves the Long Island Railroad, NJ Transit and Amtrak. This week, Gov. Cuomo introduced a $60M proposal to connect the station to the High Line.

America has a new national park, number 63, and it is West Virginia‘s first.

New River Gorge is well known and loved to residents and outdoor enthusiasts. Hiking, fishing, rafting, rock climbing and camping attracted nearly one million visitors in 2019. Despite its name, the river gorge is thought to be one of North America’s oldest, if not the world’s.

Make social distancing easier? Tripadvisor has launched Crowdfree.me to help consumers identify places that are more crowded than they may wish to go.

It uses aggregated, historical traffic data from anonymized cell phone location pings from users that have opted in. Data displays on a map showing the day and time, updated daily and displaying historical data for how crowded it is typically on an hourly basis. It has a heat map overlay with a slider display as well.

The latest Covid-19 and American Travel Sentiment Research survey fielded Jan. 6, 2021 by Longwoods International reveals these key findings:

51% of American Travelers report that their first trip in 2021 will be to visit friends and relatives. (The vast majority will be by car.)
Only 9% of American travelers indicate they do not currently have travel plans for 2021.
63% of American travelers have plans to travel in the next six months, up from 57% (+6%) in mid-December.
Only 35% of American travelers have completely cancelled upcoming travel plans due to the pandemic, down from 41% (-6%) in mid-December.
41% of Americans now support opening up their community to visitors, up from 32% (+9%) in early December.

Is offering in-room Covid-19 testing going to take hold as the newest hotel amenity?

In early December, Miami Beach’s W South Beach announced a partnership with New York-based medical concierge group Sollis Health to offer on-site popup Covid-19 PCR testing exclusively to guests and staff.

Guests are able to schedule a test using a QR code available in their guest room, get tested on the hotel’s ground floor and receive their results within 24 hours. In a meeting room at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, Helix operates a testing program for hotel guests that can provide results in 48 hours or less.

Visitors share their wishes this month at Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Las Vegas.

The Wishing Tree art installation is activated by scanning a QR code that opens an Instagram filter into which people use voice-activated technology to speak their wish. That wish then joins the others displayed in the canopy of the Wishing Tree. Concept and technology is from BestAgency, a Las Vegas creative agency, and Lumen & Forge, a Las Vegas immersive technology company with expertise in AR and projection mapping.

Roundup: 2020 Holiday Travel Forecasts Plus DMO News

October 20, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Breaking News: The president of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. has announced that Disneyland Park will remain closed for the foreseeable future in response to new COVID-19 requirements for the state.

Under the guidelines, larger theme parks (including Universal Studios and others in Southern California) will only be permitted to reopen in counties that reach the least restrictive tier and with capacity limited to 25%.

Now is typically the time when hotel rooms are booked and flights are reserved for the holidays. At the same time, millions of college students who’ve been isolated on campus since September, will migrate back home for an extended holiday break.

“With the number of new COVID cases rising in more than half the states, we can expect further disruption in family holiday travel plans,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.

*Domestic Thanksgiving and Christmas airfares have dropped about 41% in 2020 according to **Hopper** per their Holiday Guidance Report of Oct. 13, 2020.*

However, well more than half of American travelers will be staying home for the holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve. Another key takeaway from Longwoods International tracking study this week: Four-in-10 will make it a road trip; less than a quarter plan to fly. Click here for more.

Despite cheaper airfare offers, Kayak data indicates that consumer interest in travel this winter is still drastically decreased. Domestic flight searches are down by 81%, and hotel searches are down 74% compared with the same period in 2019, the platform is reporting.

“Here We Go Again?” asks Destination Analysts noting that infection cases are way up across the nation. In summary, the key findings from this week’s American traveler survey. More details here.

Key findings:

Increased concerns about contracting coronavirus and its impact on personal finances as well as the national economy
Upward trend in pessimism about the course the virus will take in the U.S.
It appears that nearly 25% fewer Americans will be traveling to celebrate the holidays this year due to pandemic-related reasons.
Those who will travel during the holidays plan to decrease spending by 27.8% on these holiday trips relative to last year.
Over one-third (34.8%) plan to test themselves for COVID-19 prior to their trips.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, TSA screened 1.03 million travelers in a single day—the highest number of passengers since air travel went into free fall in mid-March. U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported that the number of air travelers bottomed out on April 14 when just over 87,000 passengers passed through TSA checkpoints, compared to 2.2 million on that date in 2019.

U.S. states have adopted a hodgepodge of various quarantine and testing rules applying to travelers, depending upon where you’re traveling to and from. A rundown of the states with travel restrictions as of October 2020 comes from Travel Pulse. The U.S. and Canada have extended the border closure once again, this time until Nov. 21.

Amtrak Flash Sale: Families who don’t want to fly or drive can benefit from “Kids Ride Free” that allows one child age 2-12 to travel free with each paid adult ticket. The flash sale is available to purchase Oct. 20 to 25 only, valid for travel in Coach and Acela Business Class from Oct. 26 to Dec. 17, 2020 (blackout dates are Nov. 24-25 and 28-30).

Last week, Visit California‘s board of directors approved a $65.3 million budget for 2020-21 fiscal year to carry marketing programs through June 30. This represents a commitment beyond the six-month plan put in place in June 2020 while projections were studied.

The plan includes $10.8 million for in-state marketing efforts for the first time since the aftermath of 9/11. President & CEO Visit California Caroline Beteta‘s summary letter to industry partners is found here.

Oct. 15, 2020 was the first day for open travel to Hawaii since Covid-19 turned off the tourism tap. There was a surge of 10,102 passengers arriving at Oahu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Of these arrivals, 68% were tourists, while the remaining 32% were returning residents. In all, 84% of the passengers cleared quarantine. Some passengers arrived without having had a pre-arrivals test or supplying a qualified exemption, so those individuals were instantly put under 14-day quarantine.

U.S. Travel Association coordinated a targeted social campaign, asking all travel businesses and workers to message their members of Congress with this toolkit graphic copy on Twitter and Facebook at 12 p.m. EST on Monday, October 19. Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Sen. Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act of 2020, a bipartisan bill to provide targeted economic relief for struggling travel-related businesses. U.S. Travel is strongly supportive of this bill.

Visit Spokane has restructured its business model as a community-benefit partnership from Jan. 1, 2021, replacing a membership-based model. The new model eliminates membership dues for restaurants, retail establishments and attractions while simplifying — and in most cases, reducing — dues for hotels and service referral businesses.

Visit Spokane expects to lose about $149,000 in annual revenue as it restructures, but President & CEO Meg Winchester said that they are willing to take the financial hit. “Surrendering revenue from certain categories of membership provides the opportunity to truly serve the mission of Visit Spokane, which is to market the entire region.”

J O B S

There’s something about “random” that just seems to suit our transformational times, you know?

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