Travel Oregon Archives - Page 2 of 6

Google Grants Cookies a Stay of Execution | Marilyn Forever | Space Travel Ticket Sales Are Flying Fast

June 28, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

“More time is needed.” It’s big news from Google, which has decided to postpone withdrawing support for third-party cookies on Chrome, the leading browser. The 2022 timeline was planned pre-Covid. It’s now meant to take place over three months beginning sometime late in 2023. A Google blog post, “An Updated Timeline for Privacy Sandbox Milestones,” was published on June 24, 2021.

Google says:

Search demand for travel in May was up 270% compared to May 2020. Searches for the term “beach holiday” have been steadily rising in 2020 but “city breaks” are not yet recovering compared to 2019 levels. Activities also seem to be on consumers’ minds, with the term “rentals near” seeing global growth of 100% year-on-year. (Source: Travel Smart News and Phocuswire)

Another death to report: After 17 years, The New York Times has pulled the plug on the huge, international annual New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Center in NYC. Billed as one of the world’s largest, it typically attracted 34,000 people over a weekend in January, also with a trade component. No word on 2023. Also, The New York Times has “temporarily shuttered” its stand-alone Travel Sunday Times section and has reassigned its travel writers and editors to lifestyle content.

*https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredmikerudy/8642378668/in/photostream*

What’s 26 feet tall and tugs at a billowing skirt? Following a seven-year absence, that pose from “The Seven Year Itch” returns. “Marilyn Forever” is back in downtown Palm Springs, permanently. When she was there from 2012 to 2014, the towering statue was a hot attraction. Does she represent the brand? Is she controversial? Yup. Cheers and jeers reads this local headline.

Did you know?

1) You can share tweets directly to Instagram stories now. Twitter has just added the capability to share tweets directly to Instagram stories, although you can’t tap the tweets to hop back to Twitter. It’s iOS-only for the moment.

2) You might be able to post to Instagram from your desktop soon
. The platform is testing a feature that would allow users to post from keyboards. The feature’s appearance is similar to how it looks on the mobile app. (Sources: PR Week, Mashable, and TechCrunch)

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced the latest vaccine incentive: The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC will be giving away travel prizes worth up to $2,000 to spectators at upcoming games at Providence Park, offered through Travel Oregon. Prizes include three-night ski trips to Mt. Hood or Mt. Bachelor, kayaking on the Oregon coast, a visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and a wine tour of the Willamette Valley.

Six-hour journey in space, anyone? You don’t even have to go with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or Richard Branson…you can go with your friends.

Reservations are open for a seat on Spaceship Neptune and 2024 is already sold out.

The “spaceballoon” will travel 100,000 feet high to provide 360-degree views of planet Earth from 20 miles. Aboard this spaceflight luxury journey, up to eight guests will enjoy a comfortable capsule, complete with a bar and a bathroom for $125,000 pp. Passengers will soar above 99% of the earth’s atmosphere and then glide for two hours checking out the biosphere and earth’s curvature seen from vast viewing windows.

Space travel experts Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum are behind the Space Perspective project that rewrites the engineering playbook: It doesn’t use rocket propulsion or g-force acceleration. Launch pads are at the Kennedy Space Center and Jacksonville’s Cecil Spaceport; the company eventually plans to lift off from sites in Alaska and Hawaii and perhaps even from ocean platforms.

Visit the website here. (Full disclosure: This writer is a personal friend of Lola, The Space Dog.)

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.)

People & Funding Shakeups | 99 DMO Jobs | RFPs | New Podcast | ‘See Tomorrow’ Series

April 13, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Cathy Ritter has left as director of the Colorado Office of Tourism, dismissed by a new director at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Pat Meyers took the action on his first day in office, reports indicate. Ritter is widely known for her efforts to develop partnerships around destination stewardship, one of the nation’s first such plans, aimed at educating travelers about respecting landscapes, wildlife and reducing environmental impact. Jill Corbin, who served as Ritter’s deputy director, will lead the agency in the interim. A search for a new director will begin soon, according to The Colorado Sun. Ritter was head of the Illinois tourism office before she was hired in Colorado in 2015.

Local news outlets are reporting that Hawaii Tourism Authority is once again at risk of losing funding due to an eleventh-hour maneuvering at the state legislature. HTA President & CEO John De Fries submitted testimony opposing the House Bill 862, which he stated, “Takes a sledgehammer to HTA and three of its four strategic pillars (Hawaiian culture, natural resources and community), just as we launch our tourism recovery strategies that will help our devastated economy heal from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Earlier this week, language was added to House Bill 862 that transformed it from a generally uncontroversial bill that reconfigured the state’s management of the aerospace industry into a widely unpopular measure that would, in the eyes of its opponents, significantly limit HTA’s ability to manage tourism statewide.” — West Hawaii Today

Nevertheless, despite those testifying and more than 200 pages in opposition, this bill substantially limiting HTA mandates and resources was passed out of two state senate committees last week. It now goes for a third reading and vote on the senate floor. In fiscal year 2020, HTA received only the first four months of its TAT distribution and cut its budget from $86 million to $41 million. HTA received more bad news Friday when the Senate passed its draft of the state budget, which included a budgetary reduction to $27.3 million for the agency.

Congrats to CEO Mo Parikh and the hardworking (but fun) team at Bandwango on a $3.1 million funding round. Read all about it in TechCrunch. Chuffed to say that Bandwango was once a “bright, shiny new object” on the eTourism Summit stage.) Go Mo!

O Canada! Did you know that the Government of Alberta has an Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction? His name is Grant Hunter (of course it is…) and he has introduced amendments to the Travel Alberta Act, expanding the agency’s mandate to that of a destination management organization. This will enable Travel Alberta to have a more active role working with communities, business and entrepreneurs to develop new tourism destinations, products and experiences.

Patrick Kaler, president & CEO at Visit Buffalo Niagara, has announced that the DMO (which includes the convention center and sports commission) is embarking on the creation of a 10-year Destination/Tourism Master Plan, working with advisors MMGY NextFactor.

Brand USA President & CEO Chris Thompson announced that United Stories, the consumer campaign that highlights authentic local experiences, won five awards from the American Advertising Federation. Top recognition went to “Discover Wyoming in Winter” featuring Brazilian travel influencer Catarino Mello (@professionaltraveler).

Houston-based entrepreneur Andrew Levy has launched Avelo, a new airline. From a hub at Hollywood Burbank Airport, 11 nonstop routes serve smaller airports in western U.S. cities such as Bozeman, MT; Grand Junction, CO; Santa Rosa, CA; and Ogden, UT, with fares starting at $19. The Avelo chairman & CEO was formerly EVP and CFO at United Airlines and also president of Allegiant Air.

ELMNTL, founded in 2016 to work with global brands and tourism boards, has been acquired by Iron Horse Venture Group. Co-founded by Marc Liu and headquartered in Denver with offices in Dallas and New York City, as well as overseas. The agency retains its name and Liu remains in his strategy/operations lead role, while also taking on an advisory role with Iron Horse on future acquisitions. eTourism Summit welcomes ELMNTL as a new sponsor.

Tripscout Co-founder and CEO Konrad Waliszewski has announced a seed+ funding round of $2.3 million for the fast-growing personalized AI-based travel recommendation platform. The app company also welcomes Dorth Raphaely as Chief Content & Marketing Officer.

After a two-decade tenure at Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Global Head of Markets and Interim Chief Executive Petra Roach will become CEO at Granada Tourism Authority in June. At BTMI, Roach forged sports-related partnerships with the Brooklyn Nets NBA team and the Greenwich Polo Club. Cheryl Carter, UK/Ireland director, will act as head of global markets while the Barbados tourism board recruits a new chief executive.

Siobhan Kenney takes on a new role as Brand Communications and Stewardship Manager at Visit Truckee-Tahoe in California. She is a former National Park Service wilderness and interpretive park ranger in places such as Glacier National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dave Parulo is departing as his role since 2010 as president of Meet Chicago Northwest to take on his new role as president & CEO of the Washington County Visitors Association in Beaverton, Oregon.

In Maryland, the Visit Frederick board of directors has announced the selection of Dave Ziedelis, GM of the Frederick Keys Baseball Club, as the organization’s new Executive Director. He has served on the board for 16 years and been a member of their executive committee for nearly all that time, including the current past-president.

James O’Donnell, EVP of Vail Resorts‘ hospitality, retail and real estate businesses, and a 19-year company veteran, will become president of the mountain division, leading operations for the Company’s 37 resorts as well as its real estate business. Longtime executive and ski industry pioneer Patricia Campbell moves into a senior advisory role.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expected to bring back an executive level position that will pay between $130,000 and $185,000 a year. Last week, the DMO’s compensation committee voted unanimously to return the position of VP-Guest Experience, now being considered by the board of directors. The position, reporting to COO Brian Yost who joined LVCVA in 2018, had been eliminated that year, but is now intended to work as the liaison for large conventions such as CES.

Las Vegas is planning a return of conventions and trade shows on June 8-10, 2021 when World of Concrete becomes the first major in-person show to use the Las Vegas Convention Center’s new West Hall.

Presenting two April webinars in the “See Tomorrow Conversation Series” from eTourism Summit 2021.

Moderator Matt Clement, Managing Partner at Madden Media, is joined by panelists Matt Borud, Marketing & Innovation Administrator, Idaho Department of Commerce; Kalene Griffith, President/CEO, Visit Bentonville; Brett Stawar, President & CEO, Visit Port Aransas to discuss:

Metrics Don’t Equal Strategy: The Rise of Destination Intelligence
April 14, 2021 | 1 pm ET

Register Here

C.A. Clark, VP Technology, Miles Partnership; Kim Palmer, Destination Optimization Program Director, Miles Partnership; and Nerissa Okiye, Tourism Director, Martin County Florida Office of Tourism & Marketing will discuss:

Recovery Requires More Than Marketing
April 28, 2021 | 1 pm ET

Register Here

RFPs

Missouri Division of Tourism is seeking proposals on several research projects that will be conducted over the next four years. Closing date: 4/20/2021.

Travel Oregon is seeking contracted videographer(s) to capture broadcast-quality B-roll video across the state’s seven tourism regions for delivery May-July.

JOBS

President & CEO — Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

President & CEO — Visit Phoenix

President & CEO — Visit Franklin, TN

President & CEO — Visit San Antonio

President & CEO — Visit Greenville, SC

President & CEO — Explore Newnan-Coweta, Inc., GA

Chief Marketing Officer — Rhode Island Commerce Corp.

Sr. Vice President-Marketing — Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

VP-Marketing and Communications — Experience Rochester | Mayo Convention Center, MN

VP-Information Technology — Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

VP-Marketing — Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority

VP-Marketing AND VP-Sales — Visit Wichita

VP-Marketing — Visit Florida

Marketing Director AND Director of Business Development — Visit Napa Valley, CA

Director of Marketing — Discover Long Island, NY

Executive Director — Explore Utah Valley, Provo

Executive Director — Corpus Christi Sports Commission, TX

Executive Director — Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wausau

Executive Director — eXplore Lawrence, KS

Executive Director — Douglas County Travel and Tourism, GA

Executive Director — Discover Dunwoody, GA

President & CEO — Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority, WA

President & CEO — Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, AZ

President & CEO — Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, CO

President & CEO — Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, Americus, GA

President & CEO — Big Sky Chamber of Commerce & Visit Big Sky, MT

CEO — Experience Olympia & Beyond, WA

Director — Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

Executive Director — Park County Travel Council, Cody, WY

Executive Director — Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Conference Center & Tourism Authority, GA

Executive Director — Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation, Washington, VA

Executive Director — Willamette Falls and Landings Heritage Area Coalition, Marylhurst, OR

Executive Director — Tulsa Community Foundation, OK

Executive Director-Downtown Odessa, Inc. — City of Odessa, TX

Executive Director — Madison Chamber of Commerce, CT

Executive Director — Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, LA

VP-Sales — Explore Asheville CVB, NC

Director of Sales & Marketing — Official ASM Global (Convention Center), Dayton, OH

Director of Finance & Administration — Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, MD

FInance & HR Manager AND PR & Communications Manager — Visit SLO CAL, CA

Director Marketing-Canada — German National Tourist Office, Toronto

Director Tourism Investment (closing 4/14) AND Specialist-Media Relations & Consumer Marketing (closing 4/20) AND Specialist-Stakeholder Engagement (closing 4/16) — Travel Alberta

Public Relations Manager — Visit California

Director of Communications — Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

Director of Brand Marketing /Content Development — Sonoma County Tourism, CA

Director of Marketing and Public Relations — Visit Beloit, WI

Director, Content Strategy — Choose Chicago

Director of Market Experiences — Visit Halifax

Manager of Video & Digital Marketing — Think Iowa City, IA

Senior Director-Membership Engagement — Destinations International

Management and Program Analyst — U.S. Department of the Interior, Wash., D.C. (or remote)

Director of Marketing & Communications — North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Shreveport, LA

Director of Marketing & PR — Visit Beloit, WI

Director of Marketing & Communications — Golden Isles CVB, San Simons Island, GA

Marketing Project Manager — Travel Portland, OR

Marketing Manager — Visit Macon, GA

Marketing Manager — Visit Tri-Cities, Kennewick, WA

Marketing Manager — Visit Yuma, AZ

Deputy Director of Marketing — Destin-Fort Walton Beach, FL

Advertising Sales & Membership Development Manager — Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau

Research Manager — Experience Kissimmee, FL

Business Analyst — Visit Grand Junction, CO

Research & Analytics Manager — Visit Corpus Christi, TX

Research & Analytics Manager — Visit Valley Forge, PA

Strategic Communications Writer — Dept. of Transportation | State of Georgia

Director of Digital Marketing AND Digital Content Producer AND Domestic Marketing Manager AND Research Specialist — Georgia Department of Economic Development–Tourism

Digital Content Manager — Maryland Department of Commerce-Division of Marketing, Tourism, and the Arts

Digital Marketing Storyteller — Visit Quad Cities, Moline, IL

Communications Manager — Downtown Long Beach Alliance, CA

Content Marketing Writer AND Creative Producer AND Multimedia Designer — Wisconsin Department of Tourism

Marketing/Sales Manger — Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Senior Leisure Marketing Manager AND Senior CRM & Digital Marketing Manager — Experience Columbus, OH

Director of Sales & Marketing — Official ASM Global (Convention Center), Columbus, OH

Social Media & Content Associate AND Digital & Creative Associate AND Partner Relations Manager — Visit Pensacola, FL

Sports & Events Sales Manager — Travel Salem, OR

Cultural Heritage and Tourism Manager — Visit Natchez, MS

Communications Coordinator — Downtown Raleigh Alliance, NC

Digital Content Marketing Coordinator — Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, Chandler, AZ

Economic Development Tourism Manager — City of Danville, VA

Sales Manager-SMERF — City of McKinney, TX

Marketing Manager — City of Pearland, TX

Historic Preservation Coordinator — Commonwealth of Kentucky

Executive Director — Pleasanton Downtown Association, CA

Destination Services Manager — Discover The Palm Beaches, FL

Event Services Manager — Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, ND

Grants Coordinator — Travel Oregon

Business Development Coordinator — Visit Visalia, CA

Tourism & Economic Initiatives Coordinator — City of Prescott, AZ

Tourism & Marketing Events Coordinator — City of Katy, TX

Chief Sales Officer — Arrivalist, NYC or Naples, FL

Email Marketing & Automation Campaign Manager — MMGY Global, Overland Park, KS

Account Director — Miles Partnership, Remote

Manager of Customer Success AND Product Marketing Manager — CrowdRiff, Toronto

Content Manager AND Digital Content Editor — Simpleview, Tucson

Community Outreach Manager — Bandwango, (remote)

Social Media Manager AND CRM Manager — Summit One Vanderbilt, NYC

Managing Director, Paid Media — VMLY&R, Kansas City

Account Executive — The Brandman Agency, Los Angeles

Account Supervisor PR-Travel & Hospitality — MMGY/NJR, NYC

Director-Social Media (x4) AND Account Exec. PR-Hotel & Travel (x4) — Bread & Butter, Austin | Dallas| LA | San Diego | NYC

Travel Editor (project-based) — BuzzFeed, Los Angeles

Director of Partnership Development — HuddleUp Group, Remote

Sr. Destination Manager — Get Your Guide, NYC

Sr. VP-Marketing Channels & Optimization — Marriott International, Bethesda, MD

Area Director of Marketing AND Director of Hybrid Events (remote) — Pacific Hospitality Group, Napa, CA

Marketing Manager — Sunriver Resort, OR

Chief Commercial Officer — Camelback Resort, PA

Brand Marketing Manager — River Park Square, Spokane, WA

Destination Management-Sr. Project Manager — Silversea Cruises, Miami

Director of Digital Marketing — SpeedVegas, Las Vegas

Global Brand Marketing & Social Media Director — Groupon, Chicago

Marketing Manager-Platform Partnerships — Facebook, Menlo Park, CA

SUBSCRIBE HERE

The Mood is Changing; Funny Ads Are Trending

March 16, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Thanks, Nebraska. You were there in 2018. We should have seen it coming. Seems that people have had their fill of doom and gloom in 2020; funny ads are making a comeback in 2021, says Ad Age. For millions of extra eyeballs, Stephen Colbert has some fun with tourism tag lines, too.

“Remember when, during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed like every other ad you saw on TV was of the sad, earnest, ‘in these challenging times’ variety? New TV ad campaign data from iSpot’s Ace Metrix suggests that grim is out and funny is back in.

Before things changed in March 2020, roughly one in five TV ads were considered ‘funny’ by survey respondents. “That percentage then cratered, lingering in the low- to mid-teens for months, before starting to recover by the fall of 2020. And lately the ‘funny’ ad trend—spurred on, in part, by a critical mass of Super Bowl ads designed to tickle our funny bones—has been really surging.” — Ad Age

ICYMI: Examples of ads with a sense of humor from DMOs in The Travel Vertical:

**Nebraska Shakes It Up With Hilarious New Campaign** **— Nebraska Tourism Commission**

**“A Horse Walks Into a Bar”** **— VisitLEX**

Oregon Dune Riding in 360º — Travel Oregon

Our Team is Ready to Welcome You Back to Savannah — Visit Savannah

DMOs Are Putting the Accent On Shop Local Plus Something Special in Wisconsin

December 22, 2020 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

As small, family-run, and local businesses face the brunt of the pandemic against rising online sales, DMOs embrace the special fabric of our communities in ways that go beyond a website listing.

Let’s keep it moving in 2021…share your destination stories and community initiatives.

An important, powerful and poignant appeal on behalf of small businesses comes from the owner of T.C. O’Leary’s, a little Irish pub in Portland where you could always get a properly pulled pint of Guinness. — shared by Travel Oregon.

Visit Austin features small business owners speaking for themselves about “what makes Austin, Austin.” (Or did he say, “what makes Austin awesome”?)

Hotels matter. VisitLEX suggests paying it forward with an emphasis on visiting friends and family / staycations and asks, “Feel like you’ve been stuck in ‘The Shining‘ for the past year? This holiday season, show some compassion for your stir crazy friends and family by giving them ‘The Gift of Time‘— a gift certificate for a night’s stay (or two or three nights) in one of Lexington’s relaxing hotels.'”

It’s a low budget spin on a classic film. Ad agency Team Cornett says, “Is it going to win an Academy Award? Probably not. But it’s a scrappy piece of creative that ekes a lot of entertainment out of an executive creative director’s actual living room and a $10 Jack Nicholson impersonator from Fiverr.

Small local theaters and live production groups need a boost, too. In San Francisco, they’re offering gift cards for when the curtain rises again.

In Downtown SLO (San Luis Obispo, CA), there’s a triple incentive to shop local with 350 merchants: Spend $100 to get a $20 gift card, a Santa-styled scavenger hunt for the kids and free parking days.

Not just for Christmas

We like this roundup of DMOs doing online shopping guides to support and highlight local small businesses. The content is curated by Simpleview.

“Give the Gift of Oregon” is a curated landing page filled with content about handmade items and where to get them in every region of the state.

Gifts of food & drink
Gifts for the outdoors
Gifts for arts & culture
Gifts for future travel

Plus, there’s a write up on “Oregon’s Festive Main Streets.”

Go Providence puts it this way,”The things that make Rhode Island so special — our renowned restaurants, eclectic shops, stellar arts organizations, fun family attractions — need our support right now more than ever.”

The smallest state has a lot to say about togetherness. This effort is a partnership by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Block Island Tourism Council, South County Tourism Council, City of Warwick, Discover Newport, and Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

They’ve enhanced small shopping forays with themed ~~Rhode~~ road trips, too.

At NYC & Company, taking the long view on supporting local is everything, a commitment made in the years before “Covid-19” became our shared reality. “Tourism Ready” was created by NYC & Company in 2015 to spread economic prosperity throughout the five boroughs. The goal of this program is to increase visitation to off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods throughout the city and help local businesses reap the monetary benefits of tourism.”

In 2020, the DMO doubled down on local with “All In NYC” initiatives. All five boroughs are involved in offering 150 ideas and ways to save, showcasing a lineup of deals at local attractions, cultural institutions, restaurants, hotels, museums, shopping and tours across the city…even experiences as tickets for streaming cultural performances and big band sounds like Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mastercard supports the new initiative by offering cardholders up to $100 in statement credit when spending at participating businesses.

Building charity-driven two-way partnerships: Dozens of DMOs have teamed up with Wisconsin Tourism for the tenth annual “Big Bundle Up.” They ask the community to donate new or gently used winter coats, sweaters, snow pants, mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves to be donated to local charities for distribution to families in need.

Some visitor centers, like Visit Beloit and Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau serve as collection points. In Middleton, staff deliver the winter items to Lake Mills Cleaners & Dyers, which has generously offered to clean them for free before they go to Middleton Outreach Ministry for distribution. More than 185,000 items have been collected statewide over the years.

« Previous Page