Southwest Airlines Archives - The Travel Vertical

Hmm…Why Didn’t I Think of That? And, Does Anyone Have the Correct Time?

March 22, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

It’s fair to say that our legislators rarely agree on anything these days, so how did “The Sunshine Protection Act” get unanimous support on the floor of the U.S. Senate last week?

If approved by the House of Representatives and President Biden, our clocks would become permanently fixed to Daylight Saving Time in November 2023. So no more “spring forward, fall back.” P.S. If you’re already confused, don’t even think about Arizona and Hawaii.

MOBILE, AL — The press turned out when Visit Mobile announced the launch of WorkinMobile.com, a smart application to connect the workforce with the hospitality industry. In partnership with the city and several local companies, a new easy-to-use website promotes hospitality as a career and aims to kickstart the recovery.

“We really believe this will be game-changing for our local hoteliers, and soon our restaurants, attractions and other businesses that relate to travel and tourism,” said David Clark, president and CEO of Visit Mobile. “Travel and tourism accounts for more than 18,000 jobs throughout the city and more than $1.3 billion dollars in annual revenue.” Press release here.

WASHINGTON STATE — “What do you want tourism to look like in 10 years?” Washington tourism leaders want to know. To create and support a vision for rural community tourism, the State of Washington Tourism is running a series of Tourism Workspace workshops in partnership with the Tri-County Economic Development District in Northeast Washington. This is an inaugural destination partner for the program designed to envision and create a thriving and sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation economy. The program kicks off with a networking event that anyone can attend, meet, mingle, build synergy. That’s followed by a next-day workshop with more to follow in April and May.

In advance of the program, a 15-minute stakeholder survey was available, intended for people who work in or support the tourism and outdoor recreation sectors, or have an interest in helping to shape what tourism will look like in the future in Northeast Washington. To see how the visionary scheme works, read more here.

Michelle Thana, Director of Marketing, State of Washington Tourism, is our guest on The Travel Vertical Podcast.

We’re talking Washington re-branding on Episode #24, available from 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 — click here.

Cathy Ritter, Better Destinations; Paul Ouimet and Jim MacCaul, MMGY Next Factor

VAIL, CO — Despite temperatures of 6º F atop Vail Mountain, Cathy Ritter, Founder & CEO of Better Destinations, called it a “peak experience” to kick off a Destination Stewardship Plan with MMGYNextFactor for the Town of Vail.

Ritter, who headed the Colorado Tourism Office from 2015 to 2021, will lead the study which will incorporate expertise from the partner agencies, including The Travel Foundation, an international NGO focused on improving impacts of tourism.

The goal is to create a 10-year vision and management plan harnessing Vail’s tourism economy to deliver a high quality of life for residents along with quality guest experiences. “Such a privilege to be working with a community that already has done so much to share the benefits of its tourism economy and reduce its climate impact,” said Ritter.

FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers don’t see many surf boards or palm trees on a midwinter’s day. Visit California changed that with an OOH takeover of CAMP’s flagship store at 110 Fifth Avenue, designed to inspire sunny California adventures. The store interior is transformed into a mini-California getaway to showcase a family getaway in a two-month activation running through the end of April, after which CAMP opens a new Los Angeles store.

“California is the ultimate place for families to explore,” said Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta. “CAMP’s innovative approach to creative immersive experiences for children and their families is a true embodiment of California’s pioneering spirit, and an excellent partner in bringing the Golden State lifestyle to the Big Apple.” Best of all, families can enter an in-store sweepstakes to win a dream California trip for four.

Pain at the Pump — This week, 38% of American travelers indicate that rising gas prices will greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months. That’s up from 29% two weeks ago. And, 63% of American travelers say that rising gas prices will either impact or greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, up three points in two weeks. — Longwoods International

*@Metropolitan Transportation Authority*

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK — Many New Yorkers don’t have cars. But they do love escaping summer in the city. So when the price of gas goes up and up, it makes even more sense to talk about easy car-free getaways with partners like the MTA and LIRR (Long Island Rail Road). Local TV news loved it and Discover Long Island generated how-to-get-there buzz around their top 10 car-free picks including concerts at Jones Beach and ferry connections to Fire Island.

Kristen Jarnagin Reynolds, president & CEO of Discover Long Island, said in a statement, “Thanks to the LIRR and a network of ferries filled with nostalgia, no car is needed to have a bucket-list Long Island getaway featuring an award-winning wine country, historic waterfront downtowns and much more.”

CODY YELLOWSTONE, WY — “Northwestern Wyoming’s Cody Yellowstone has been a classic road-trippers’ destination ever since the post-World War II optimism led families to enthusiastically set out to ‘see the USA in their Chevrolets.’”

As Yellowstone National Park gears up for its 150th birthday, the DMO addresses gas prices. Their latest press release, “Here’s how to offset pain at the pump during a Cody Yellowstone vacation this summer,” offers suggestions on undertaking human-powered adventures: hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, and horseback riding, too. Guided coach tours let someone else do the driving and the free TravelStorys app allows your own two feet to guide your through historic Downtown Cody.

SOMEWHERE NOT IN FLORIDA, USA — Cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago are wonderful places, but they’re not known for winter warmth. So, Carvertise wraps cars — not in woolly blankets but in branded advertising — to bring home the message from Florida destinations such as Visit Tampa Bay and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater this season.

To make an even stronger impression, ride share drivers can distribute marketing materials to riders and activate the “SWARM” feature, so branded cars congregate at major gatherings, sporting events, and concerts/festivals, significantly raising the profile of the advertising. Carvertise’s SWARM feature was recently used at SXSW and the Big12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. “Carvertise provides an interactive out-of-home component with our campaigns that other forms of OOH advertising simply cannot provide,” according to Carvertise Cofounder Greg Star.

THOUSANDS OF LOCATIONS, USA — “Before you go there, start here.” Walgreens and Tripadvisor have partnered on a spring break / summer vacation messaging campaign to encourage safe, responsible travel in the USA. By leveraging Tripadvisor’s first-party data and massive reach among high-intent travelers, Walgreens will promote travelers’ ability to easily access one of thousands of locations across the nation that offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing, vaccination appointments, and shopping for travel essentials.

“The partnership with Walgreens includes a series of short form animated videos, branded content where travelers can learn more and book convenient, free drive-thru COVID-19 testing or vaccine appointments, purchase at-home COVID-19 tests, as well as get tips for stocking up on safety items and travel essentials. Tripadvisor will also promote Walgreens’ drive-thru testing locations via dynamic banners on its site, targeting travelers at various stages of their travel journey,” says Tripadvisor in a press release, found here.

*Breeze Airways Selects Uplift as Exclusive Buy Now Pay Later Solution Bringing Accessibility in Travel to New Heights (press release image)*

AT 30,000 FEET — Buy Now, Pay Later? It’s catching on fast. Some airlines are partnering with fintech companies to offer a pricing plan that’s aimed at Gen Z and Millennials. Uplift is partnering with Breeze and deepened its partnership with Southwest Airlines in January 2022 so passengers can book flights to the Hawaiian Islands with interest-free payment options. And, Delta Air Lines is partnering with American Express on “Plan It,” launched on Feb. 17, 2022 on Delta.com and coming to the Fly Delta app this spring. Delta’s flexible payment option allows Amex customers to break up their Delta purchases into monthly payments for an additional fee. Expert observers say these plans could lift airline load factors now to spark recovery and possibly create longterm loyalty as well. The payment option follows a subscription service idea launched by Alaska Airlines that lets customers pay $49 a month for six flights a year to certain West Coast destinations.

Denver Does ‘Coming Soon,’ NYC Does Dinner for $20.21, Queen Mary Does Bankruptcy & More News

January 26, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Justin Bresler, VP Marketing & Business Development at Visit Denver, writes: “Guys, we did a thing here! Introducing Coming Soon: Denver. Over the next several weeks, new ‘episodes’ will come out about all the many projects around the city, from the airport to the 16th St. Mall, Convention Center to cool new attractions like Meow Wolf. Check out the teaser trailer! Your next binge watch is here! With multiple projects and billions of dollars of renovations, tune in to what’s coming soon in The Mile High City.”

Late breaking news: Destination DC launches a re-designed website.

Optimized navigation and search.
The latest travel status and safety measures at travel-related businesses.
New long-form stories, photography and video create an interactive experience.
For the convention audience, business event strategists find enhanced meetings and convention tools.
Designed for mobile first, as web traffic from mobile devices accounts for roughly 60% of site traffic.
Expertise on strategy and development from MMGY Global.

From the press release: “Our website is one of the most important ways we communicate with potential visitors and locals, and after a year where travel has been decimated, it’s fitting to start off 2021 with a fresh look at the destination as we have an eye toward recovery,” said Elliott Ferguson, president, Destination DC.
“Today’s travelers are consuming content on mobile devices and expect content and recommendations tailored to whom they are and what is important to them….We focused our efforts on producing a content-rich, mobile experience to deliver a great user experience and reveal all that Washington, DC has to offer, creating a first-in-class destination website,” said Robert Patterson, VP of Marketing Technology, MMGY Global.

Washington Post & Bloomberg News — American Airlines is doing a pandemic pivot, launching a new wine subscription service as their diminished bookings and in-flight service created a surplus of onboard wines. American is looking to generate $40,000 in sales through the wine program this quarter. Wines start at $13 and there’s a monthly subscription available at $100 with buyers earning frequent flyer miles. Other airlines are getting creative to make ends meet, selling branded PJs, blankets, in-flight meals, deluxe nuts mix, and even fully stocked rolling bar carts.

Zagat — New York City Restaurant Week is bigger than even though many restaurants are closed. Famous chefs such as José Andrés, Daniel Boulud, and Danny Meyer are doing meals for $20.21. More than 500 restaurants have signed up—200 more than the prior record—which also includes just about every major restaurant still open for business…Many of the top-name restaurants, to the extent that they have any ability to do takeout or delivery, are doing so. Exceeding the value of $20.21 is key to the effort.

The Hollywood Reporter — No more permits needed in the parks. In a huge win for filmmakers and videographers, a federal judge in D.C. has ruled that it’s unconstitutional under the First Amendment for the National Park Service to charge a fee for filming, including commercial, on its land.

Sign of the times: Budweiser is sitting out Super Bowl ad time for the first time in 37 years. Instead, viewers will see its “first-ever corporate Super Bowl commercial which launches a campaign highlighting the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on communities and playing a role in our nation’s economic recovery.” DoorDash and Fiverr are among first-time Big Game ad buyers.

eTurbo News — Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium is a “No Drone Zone” for Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, 2021. Drones also are prohibited around the Tampa Riverwalk for the NFL Super Bowl Experience during the days leading up to the event. The FAA will establish a Temporary Flight Restriction on game day prohibiting drones within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the stadium up to 18,000 feet in altitude.

Afar — New presidential executive orders indicate all travelers to the U.S. must quarantine and show negative Covid-19 test. President Biden also reinstated Covid-19 travel restrictions on non-US citizens who have been in Brazil, Ireland, the U.K., and much of Europe, and extending restrictions to travelers who have recently been to South Africa.In addition, there is now a federal mandate on mask-wearing that covers all federal employees plus buildings, and lands for members of the public. This means all in national parks and monument plus airports, airplanes, trains, public transportation, ships, and intercity buses.

Travel Pulse Canada — PM Justin Trudeau says Canadians must forget about vacations for now and warns of tougher restrictions coming this week. Canadian tourism folks are reporting that places are cut off from all service, freight isn’t getting through and there are airports closed across Canada as Air Canada announced another 1,700 layoffs and a 25% capacity cut. WestJet announced 1,000 people would lose their jobs and that lift will be trimmed by 30%.

Germany has announced tougher mask rules that will require wearing a medical-grade mask on public transport, supermarkets, and in shops. From Feb. 1, Lufthansa bans the use of cloth, material, or “everyday” masks inflight. Passengers will be required to wear “either a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask or mask with the KN95/N95 standard” during boarding, the flight and when leaving the aircraft. The advanced face mask trend is catching on fast in Austria, France, Italy and beyond.

Low-cost, award-winning Norwegian Air says bye-bye to North America to focus on its European routes. The carrier had launched 18 new transatlantic routes since it introduced long-haul in 2015.

Trippingly.net – In Coachella Valley, Calif., The largest outdoor arts festival in North America is a maybe in 2021. Burning Man was canceled in 2020. This year? The only news is an announcement of a future announcement. That call is expected by mid-February. A Burning Man Project spokesperson said, “We’ll have more on that in less time than it takes to find your bicycle after a deep playa sunrise dance, we promise. Stay tuned.” Ticket sales account for about $46 million annually; the first batch of 70,000 tickets will be priced at $1,400 each.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the stay-at-home orders (again) and 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that the state has been under since Nov. 25, 2020. This means that restaurants can re-open for outdoor dining.

The real estate investment trust operator of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif. has filed for bankruptcy. The 85-year-old former luxury cruise liner, docked as a hotel since 1967, has been closed since May.

After 22 years, The Standard on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is closing indefinitely. Known for its celebrity clientele and early financial backers, (Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Benicio del Toro) this property was first in the boutique brand’s group. The Standard in Downtown LA is temporarily closed.

Santa Barbara Independent — In partnership with Santa Barbara Airport and city officials, Visit Santa Barbara courted Southwest Airlines over five years, participating in meetings at its Dallas headquarters and aviation trade shows. In November 2020, VSB hosted a site visit for airline executives showcasing the destination to help cement the deal. Visit Santa Barbara President/CEO Kathy Janega-Dykes, “Following a prolonged downturn in tourism due to the pandemic, they are a bright spot on the horizon.” New routes are bookable now: three daily flights to Las Vegas, one daily flight to Denver, and one daily flight to Oakland International Airport starting April 12, 2021. The DMO plans to contribute a quarter-million dollars to support the new Southwest flights, including a suite of marketing campaigns to attract visitors in each of the cities on the routes announced.

CommonWealth Magazine — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed an economic development bill that enables hoteliers to create the districts and charge a fee up to 2% for tourism marketing. Greater Boston CVB is among the DMOs that have been working for the passage of the legislation. Local coverage indicates that “…Massachusetts collects $513 million annually in lodging taxes but $400 million of that goes to general expenses, unrelated to tourism, and another $103 million goes to the state’s convention centers.”

Wichita Business Journal – The State of Kansas tourism division will move out of the Wildlife and Parks department after 10 years and into the Department of Commerce. The change comes under an Executive Reorganization Order announced Monday by Gov. Laura Kelly and will likely take place on July 1.

Star Advertiser — Hawaii Tourism Authority is in financial trouble. From a 2019 budget of $79 million in Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) funds plus $16.5 million for the Hawai‘i Convention Center, FY 2020 saw a cut to $41 million and is now expected to be down to $10 million by June 1 unless Gov. David Ige restores some funding,

Hey Planes, What About That Middle Seat?

June 8, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

While there’s no silver bullet, brands know they need to build trust. One major airline is saying goodbye to middle seats in an effort to get us to fly. Will it work?

Delta Airlines says it will restrict flights to 60% capacity in order to block the middle seats through Sept. 30, 2020. Middle seats show up as “unavailable or not assignable” in the booking seat selection process.

To reduce the number of passengers on each flight, Delta is capping seating capacity at 50% in first class; 60% in the main cabin, Delta Comfort+ and Delta Premium Select; and 75% in Delta One. For planes with a 2×2 configuration, Delta will continue to block the selection of some aisle seats.

Southwest is also flying with a lot of empty seats, intentionally. Chief commercial officer Andrew Watterson admits it’s not a viable long-term solution, but it gets people to book for now.

“To go back to the levels of prosperity airlines saw, you’d have to be able to sell the middle seat,” Watterson said in a Skift interview. “But in a time when you have more supply than demand, it makes complete sense to fly capacity such that you can accommodate customers’ desire to have an empty middle seat.”

Passengers have been sharing concerns and posting photos of packed flights on United and American Airlines, undermining consumer confidence about getting back in the air.

Angie Wong traveled from Miami to New York in late April, taking photos of a crammed flight with some passengers not wearing masks. She told Inside Edition, “We were all sat shoulder to shoulder touching each other. Just basically on top of each other…I did not realize how packed the flight was until I boarded,” she said.

Bloomberg Opinion says keep it empty, please. “Up in the air, six feet of distance isn’t possible. But three feet is better than nothing.”

…And What About Face Masks?

According to a May 2020 Harris Poll, 48% of American consumers said that they do not feel “fully comfortable flying again until the pandemic is over,” even with policies around wearing masks.

Survey after survey on American consumer sentiment indicates that in a post-Covid world, passengers are keenly aware of heightened cleanliness and safety standards before they’ll fly again. Airlines hear the conversation and they’re touting policies to address that concern, including the requirement that everyone onboard a plane wear a mask.

But travelers on recent flights said the rules are not being enforced. And flight attendants said they have been told not to confront passengers who opt to not follow them.

Last week, The New York Times reported, “Recent passengers on Delta Air Lines have posted on Twitter about fliers failing to wear masks (‘What’s the point in requiring if there is no follow through?’ one man asked the airline in a tweet).” Another Delta passenger posted photos and wrote on Twitter that he noticed both a flight attendant and the pilot not wearing masks.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, made up of 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, is quoted as saying, “Typically, when an event as major as the coronavirus is involved, government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, have come together with airlines, unions and other stakeholders to create policies and emergency procedures to help travelers and transportation staff.”

Since we have no such coordination, the newspaper observes, this means airlines are left to set their own rules as well as enforcement, or lack thereof. Industry experts say that a federal regulation would be easier to enforce than the policies of an individual airline.

So far, that suggestion has been “brushed off” by the Department of Transportation, according to the LA Times. “What can airlines do if people take off their masks in flight? Not much, actually” is that newspaper’s answer.

…And at the Airports?

Case in point: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently issued guidelines—not federal mandates—for Covid-related passenger screenings through this summer.

CNBC quoted Jeffrey Price, an air travel safety expert and a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, calling it “a game of hot potato” to determine which government authority will take responsibility for coronavirus precautions at airports across the U.S.

And Sydney Glass, spokesperson for the union that represents 46,000 TSA workers told CNBC, “Requiring TSA officers to conduct Covid-19 testing is far from their duties and responsibilities.”

As a result, said the business network, “Airlines are putting together a patchwork of polices for flying during the pandemic.”

People on the Move, Places in the News

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

If you don’t already follow Curb Free With Cory Lee, his travel blog may be the best thing you’ve read lately. Exploring six continents (so far) in his motorized wheelchair and enthusiastically revealing accessibility solutions at each destination, here’s Cory visiting Muskegon, Michigan. Winner of the Society of American Travel Writers’ 2017 Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Blog, New Mobility Magazine 2018 Person of the Year, Cory is now nominated for a Webby Award, the Oscars of the Internet (vote here before April 18).

Countdown…six months to go. The inaugural THRIVE Summit is coming to San Francisco on Oct. 3-5, 2019 just before eTourism Summit on Oct. 7-9, 2019. THRIVE Summit brings you inspiring and thought-provoking visionaries who are making a tremendous impact on LGBTQ community development. This is a one-of-a-kind marketing summit with pre-scheduled, one-on-one connections between destinations, resorts, hotels, attractions, domestic and international tour operators and travel agents, sports rights holders, media, marketers, and brands. Registration is now open.

Congratulations to the Destination International 30-Under-30 Class of 2019. To see all the talented winners, click here.

Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau welcomes Tracy Vaughan as Sr. VP of Tourism & Travel Industry Sales. Starting on April 22, Vaughan will be responsible for the strategic leadership of the bureau’s domestic and international transient sales efforts. Vaughan previously served as director of global market development for the tourism division at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Oklahoma City CVB has expanded its team by two. Alyssa Baier, previously marketing manager for Six Flags theme parks, is now digital marketing manager. Caroline Roach, most recently an account executive with Oklahoma Media Company, has joined as social media marketing coordinator.

Louisville Tourism promoted Jordan Skora to marketing communications manager from his previous role as marketing communications assistant.

DuPage CVB in Oakbrook, Ill., has hired Dee Dee McDevitt as content marketing manager. She joins from the local children’s museum to work on development, management and execution of the DMO’s strategy across all media and marketing channels.

Mammoth Lakes Tourism has a new digital marketing coordinator, Dakota Snider. He is responsible for photo and video content creation as well as social media channels. Dakota has spent the last four years in Yosemite National Park as an interpretive naturalist and professional photographer.

David Downing, former president & CEO at Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is the new president of brand at Tampa Bay-based United Landmark Associates. Downing will oversee a new company division dedicated to brand strategy and development with a focus on destination promotion.

New York City was voted the best city in the world in a new global survey. Time Out Index surveyed people in 48 international cities to ask them about their own city and other cities. “After compiling the thoughts of over 34,000 people, both from our NYC readership and half-a-world away, New York was voted the greatest city on the planet for 2019,” reports Time Out. (Although Tokyo beat NYC out as #1 for most-want-to-visit.) Here are the results.

Economic engine: Amtrak is investing $90 million in improvements into historic Baltimore Penn Station as part of a master plan of modernization for the Northeast Corridor. Acela Express 2021 is the goal. Read more here.

“My name is FRAnny. How can I help you?” FRAnny is a robot that can make small talk in German, English, and seven other languages. FRAnny lives at FRA (Frankfurt International Airport) during a six-week trial using AI and a cloud-based voice-user interface; her most frequent questions are: flight information, departure gates, and “Where is McDonalds?” In June, FRAnny moves to Hauptbahnhof, Berlin’s central rail terminal. No word on whether she’ll be re-named “BERnie.” See FRAnny and read more here.

Whoops…Southwest messed up and social media lit up. Thousands of loyal customers were told they’d achieved the prized BOGO Southwest Companion Pass. Alas, the frequent flyer Holy Grail message was a mistake. Read more here.

The controversy over the boycott of Dorchester Collection luxury hotels has moved off the digital arena as the nine-property hotel group suspended its social media pages. Two of the properties are in Los Angeles.

Ownership by the Brunei Investment Agency, the sovereign wealth fund of the Sultan of Brunei where sharia law is enforced, prompted calls for a boycott by A-listers George Clooney, Elton John, Sharon Stone, Ellen Pompeo. Ellen DeGeneres shared with 69.3 million Instagram followers and 77.3 million Twitter followers. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed that the London Underground would be removing Royal Brunei Airlines adverts.

Founded just two years ago, TRILL Travel is an artificial intelligence-driven travel marketplace that turns Instagram posts into bookable experiences. With the objective of making its visual content bookable, Lonely Planet has acquired the startup for an undisclosed sum, its second acquisition in two months under the new CEO, Luis Cabrera (see The Travel Vertical, 2/18/2019). Read more here.

Startup bitemojo won the Travel Tech Pitch at Travel Launch in Austin at SXSW. The Israeli-based app provides users with a self-guided neighborhood culinary tour to follow at one’s own pace, identifying key points of interest for tasty bites of local cuisine. Currently in 11 international cities, watch for expansion to the USA.

In other news from the currently hot tour and activities segment, TripAdvisor is getting into cruises by adding a price comparison, content, and reviews section. Berlin-based startup GetYourGuide is looking at a possible billion dollar valuation this year and Klook is adding a further $225 million to its Series D round, a total of $520 million since its 2014 Hong Kong inception. Read more about the activity segment here.

Delaware North winning photo by Rochelle

Using the Wayin platform, the Delaware North marketing team at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks won first place for its #UnlimitedSequoia campaign in Wayin’s annual competition for UGC. ONearly 50 companies participated in the competition, including notable brands such as Marriott, Shell Oil, and “The Voice.” The hospitality management company retains usage rights to the photos, creating a huge library of outstanding photography for future marketing.

Participants uploaded a photo, hashtag, and the reason they love Sequoia & Kings Canyon for a chance to win a three-night stay at Wuksachi Lodge and a Nikon telephoto camera. The web-based contest generated over 1,100 images and stories with a social media reach of over 81,000.

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is awarding its tourism account to O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul following a state-mandated review. Incumbent agency was JWT.

At this year’s conference in Seville with Barack Obama as keynote speaker, it was announced that Puerto Rico will host the 2020 World Travel & Tourism Global Summit. Puerto Rico recently enacted a joint management and marketing structure with the government, creating Discover Puerto Rico as the DMO.

What’s New? Everything, Everywhere, Everybody

March 4, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

A weekly roundup from the people, places, companies you know all around the eTourism Community. What have we missed in Everything, Everywhere, Everybody?

Despite flat results from inbound China travel, the USA travel sector is still #1 says a new report from the World Tourism & Travel Council. WTTC has been gathering data about the economic contribution of the travel and tourism sector across 185 countries for the past 25 years. Get more details here.

Elliot L. Ferguson II, Destination DC, is US Travel Association chair

U.S. Travel Association announced the election of Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, as its new national chair on February 21. He has served on the board for seven years and succeeds Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

U.S. Travel Association also announced its hiring of Angie Briggs as vice president of industry relations. Briggs comes to U.S. Travel from Miles Partnership where she served as VP of new business development for the past eight years.

SearchWide Global is conducting an executive search for CEO Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, according to Tampa Bay Times. More details here.

Oklahoma City CVB welcomes Lindsay Vidrine as the new vice president of destination marketing. Vidrine has a background in sales, marketing, and PR as well as a five-year carer with the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department.

Andy Conklin is the new executive vice president with Cincinnati USA. With 25 years of experience in hotel and destination management, Conklin will focus on building sales, developing strategic partner relationships, and creating new incentive and cross-selling efforts.

Also at Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, 11-year veteran Jason Dunn, Sr. has been named group vice president of diversity sales and inclusion, leading a new department responsible for key initiatives related to diversity and inclusion.

An authentic Hawaiian shirt worn by Kainoa Daines, director of culture and product development at Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. In this newly created position, Daines works to align HVCB’s marketing efforts with cultural standards, and design, coordinate and manage related programs, including cultural training for HVCB members and staff. Previously, Daines was the director of sales at Oahu Visitors Bureau and served as a cultural advisor to HVCB.

Registration is now open for Destination International’s 30 Under 30. The deadline is March 22, 2019. Read more here.

Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development has hired a Vancouver- and New York-based advisor to develop a long-term tourism master plan. Resonance Consultancy, a global advisor in real estate, tourism, and economic development will spend the next 11 months facilitating the development of a strategy to help the city meet its goals for increased visitation. Read more here.

National Travel and Tourism Week 2019, the 36^th annual celebration of the contributions and accomplishments of the U.S. travel industry, will take place on May 5-11. This year’s theme is “Travel Matters,” a recognition of the innumerable ways in which travel enriches lives and strengthens communities. Each day of NTTW will spotlight a different example of why travel matters to America to be revealed by the U.S. Travel Association in the weeks ahead. A tool kit for DMOs is now available.

The nation’s Visa Waiver Program may get a tougher sounding name—Security Travel Partnership—to persuade lawmakers to support and expand it. “A lot of folks see the word ‘waiver’ and think of an overzealous third-base coach waving folks into the country,” said Jonathan Grella, executive vice president at the U.S. Travel Association. Read more here.

ADARA, the world’s travel data co-op, has launched Destination Marketing Cloud, announced Layton Han, CEO. This enhancement enables DMOs to apply traveler behavior intelligence across the ‘Learn, Act, Measure and Modify’ process in a single suite. Leroy Bridges, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, and Jessica Schultz, MMGY Global, are among those using and discussing it. Read more here.

Lonely Planet‘s new CEO (The Travel Vertical, 2/18/2019) has wasted no time on “adjacent business opportunities” that he pledged to explore. LP has acquired Sweden-based ArrivalGuides, which claims to be the world’s largest distributor of destination content, for an undisclosed figure. The company has 625 destination guides documenting 56,000 points of interest and hosting more than 500 officially supplied destination videos Read more here.

Does Southwest serve your city? You don’t even need to love Southwest Airlines as these “Storyteller Influencers” do—you can still hijack this campaign to work with Southwest right? In this video, last year’s winners ~~talk~~ gush about their experiences. Watch here.

Discover Puerto Rico, which last week launched a new website, announced that as part of the brand repositioning efforts, they’re offering free workshops for tourism-related businesses to be held around the island to help small businesses promote and update information on Google and TripAdvisor. Read more here.

Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties in Florida have joined forces to launch a new Treasure Coast brand with the help of Visit Florida. The Treasure Coast has launched a new website, which highlights attractions and also links people back to their individual county websites.

Did you know? UFO tourism is a thing. In West Virginia, the Flatwoods Monster Museum shares space with the Braxton County CVB. Museum visitors learn about the UFO which is said to have appeared in 1952 (!) described as 12-feet-tall with an Ace of Spades-shaped head, glowing red eyes and claw-like hands. Cool. More here.