The Travel Vertical

Weekly stories curated exclusively for digital tourism marketers

How Many Days Until?

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Juneteenth, Father’s Day, Summer Solstice, and Amazon Prime Day are history. More milestones are coming.

*** The only list you’ll ever see that mentions Bruce Springsteen, Queen Elizabeth II and eTourism Summit. ***

Countdown is from Wednesday, June 23, 2021.

  • Microsoft reveals major Windows update — 1
  • Bruce Springsteen revives solo show, “Springsteen on Broadway” — 3
  • eTSY Awards applications close — 4
  • Fourth of July — 11
  • Jeff Bezos travels into space on Blue Origin’s first passenger flight — 27
  • Opening of Tokyo Olympics — 30
  • NBA Draft — 40
  • TravelAbility Summit in Tampa — 68
  • Labor Day — 75
  • NFL regular season begins — 78
  • Connect THRIVE Summit begins in Las Vegas — 87
  • IPW begins in Las Vegas — 87
  • 22nd Annual eTourism Summit begins in Las Vegas — 89
  • Connect TOUR begins in Las Vegas — 89
  • eTSY Awards and Emerging Tourism Stars presentations at #eTS21 — 90
  • World Series Game 1 — 118
  • Broadway’s full-capacity reopening — 131
  • U.N. Climate Change Conference begins in Glasgow — 134
  • Steven Spielberg’s movie revival of “West Side Story’’ premieres — 170
  • New Year’s Day — 192
  • Super Bowl LVI — 235
  • Platinum Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II — 344

This DMO Leader Said What Everyone is Thinking: ‘It Sucks.’ (Plus People, Places, News & Jobs)

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“You know, it sucks,” said Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, as quoted in Arkansas Business. “That’s my statement on the matter: It sucks. We started with the best year in the history of Hot Springs. We were going to have a record year. I mean, tourism, convention center — we were on pace for the best year ever.” We hear you and we share your pain, Steve.

Mike Carrier, president of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced his retirement as of Sept. 30, 2020. Carrier has led the DMO since 2007. A new convention center is scheduled to be completed later this fall. In May, the bureau reduced staffing by one-third, affecting eight employees in response to Covid-impacted budgeting.

Carrier’s career included leadership at CVBs in Greenville, SC; Columbia, SC: and Knoxville, TN, before opening and operating a new convention center in Shreveport, LA.

Visit Omaha executive director Keith Backsen, who has headed the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau for five years, has resigned effective July 3. Backsen has been serving on the board of Destinations International Foundation, as a member of ASAE’s alliance partners and on the customer advisory board of Simpleview. His previous DMO roles included Visit Spokane and Travel Portland.

Tabbi Burwell moves from her most recent role as senior manager destination communications at Oklahoma City CVB to become the new executive director for the Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma.

Caroline Betata, president & CEO of Visit California, has penned a post to industry partners to underscore “RESPECT’ as the simple expression at the heart of Visit California’s new travel code. It lives on the new VisitCalifornia.com website as part of a Responsible Travel Hub that serves as a resource for travelers, demonstrating ways they can do their part to travel safely and responsibly, while also sharing what businesses and communities across the state are doing to ensure the safety of their guests.

The forecast is FUN: Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit, is sharing the news that the 2020 conference will go on. TravelAbility Summit is humanizing the virtual conference experience. In fact, you’re invited into the virtual hot tub for a session in swimsuits. And there’s a session to introduce your dog or cat, too.

But, seriously. As the travel industry’s only disability-focused conference, the TravelAbility Summit team, supporters and advisory board believe that the destination and disability-focused education, insights and networking that takes place at this event is essential for the tourism industry.

>> Going in person? Dates are October 12-14, 2020 at the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate.

It’s not the new normal…nor the next normal…but a case study to find the best normal.”

With a variety of customizable attendance options via the in-person/virtual attendee hybrid model, the TravelAbility Summit is further reinforcing its slogan, “All Means All.”  Get the programming details here.

Have you heard? CrowdRiff is running a photo and video contest celebrating destination marketers.

“Calling all destination marketers: We want to celebrate you. Who’s #BehindTheDMO? What do you love about your city? Share your favorite photo or video with us for a chance to win a gift card bundle worth $250 to support your local businesses.”

Submit your best user-generated content photo and/or video by July 2.

More details here. #BehindTheDMO

Speaking of contests, the 3rd Annual eTSY Awards are open for your submission. Seeking excellence in digital tourism marketing, this is the once-a-year chance for your DMO to showcase your best work.

There are a dozen categories for campaigns and programs open through the July 31 deadline. The eTSY Awards are a highlight of the 21st Annual eTourism Summit on Oct. 19-21, 2020. More details for entering are found here. #eTS2020

Related: 21st Annual eTourism Summit Announces New Dates & Location

In Hawaii, the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state arrivals will continue until July 31 as part of the state’s efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, Hawaii Gov. David Ige has announced. The quarantine for inter-island travelers was set to be lifted on June 16, with temperature checks and health screening forms to board flights.

As reported in The Travel Vertical, the president & CEO of Hawaii Tourist Authority, Chris Tatum, has announced his departure after less than two years in the job. 

In Puerto Rico, the island will officially reopen for inbound tourism on July 15, says Discover Puerto Rico. There are health and safety guidelines in place, covering everything from airport arrivals to sunbathing on the beach and an infographic to sum it all up.

Miles Partnership will join the DMO for a Zoom session to assist local businesses with tips and recommendations in managing their digital presence.

Savannah City Council has approved a request to the state for an increase in the hotel tax from 6% to 8%. Currently, tax revenue is split among the city’s general fund at 50%, Visit Savannah at 33.3%, convention center at 13.5%, and 3.2% for the civic center. The changed distribution of revenue would be general fund, 37.5%; Visit Savannah at 33.8%; convention center at 14% and 14.7% for tourism product development. The civic center was not included because the city is building a new arena.

The map says it all. Only 18 miles apart, Norfolk and Virginia Beach are teaming up to reach Eastern seaboard road trippers. Tourists, meet Norfolk-Virginia Beach. The travel destination duo is hoping to appeal to would-be vacationers living within a tank of gas by launching a joint marketing campaign led with the slogan: “Together at Last.”

Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Tourism Office and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced two new opportunities for Iowans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of state parks and support tourism attractions and businesses. A free digital passport encourages locals to receive prizes, including a two-night resort vacation stay, for visiting multiple parks across the state while also. The providing discounts to nearby restaurants and tourist attractions.

Because visitors don’t care about county lines, in order to showcase all that is available in northwest Ohio, a group of DMOs have joined forces to introduce Visit Northwest Ohio, a new tool for planning a trip to that area of the state. The new website and social media platform involves:

Discover Long Island has unveiled a “BeSafePledge” to communicate safety protocols being implemented by regional businesses and to boost consumer confidence for reopening. The DMO enlists businesses to take the pledge and new campaign collateral includes a BeHAVE pledge certificate, BeSAFE Guidelines and BeLIEVE in our commitment to reflect BeLONG on Long Island branding,

Cities in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana are working together to attract more tourists from Australia and New Zealand. “Cowboys, Indians and All That Jazz” is a revamped 23-day road trip borrowed from a 2012 initiative which sought to encourage Australian inbound visitation when new direct service SYD-DFW was introduced. It’s being updated because American Airlines will begin direct flights from Auckland to Dallas in 2021.

“They like to travel independently, so a fly-drive where they fly over, rent a car and then drive through those three states is very appealing to them,” said Sandy Price, VP tourism for Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau.

CES, which drew 170,000 people to the world’s largest consumer tech show in Las Vegas in January, is going ahead with plans for an in-person event at the newly expanded convention center. CES is scheduled for Jan. 6-9, 2021.

Lollapalooza

The 2020 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its country music counterpart Stagecoach are canceled. Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine were set to headline Coachella, which was rescheduled for Oct. 9-11 and 16-18 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA. The Stagecoach lineup included Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, ​​Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, ZZ Top and Alan Jackson.

For the first time in its 98-year history, the legendary Hollywood Bowl is canceling its summer season. Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre canceled its 2020 season for the first time in 90 years.

In Chicago, all outdoor permitted special events slated through Labor Day have been canceled including Chicago Summer Dance, Taste of Chicago, Lollapalooza, Chicago Air & Water Show and Chicago Jazz Festival.

Amtrak is ending daily service, moving to three times weekly, at hundreds of stations on long-distance routes outside the Northeast starting Oct. 1. The carrier is also planning to reduce train frequencies in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest in its network. The downsized operations come as Amtrak prepares to cut about 20% of the staff in response to the pandemic crisis. Demand for service has plummeted to historic lows.

With this post, news was released that Chris Cox is returning to Facebook as chief product officer as the company navigates another turbulent wave of internal and external criticism.

His departure a year ago was a highly publicized one, breaking close ties with Mark Zuckerberg after more than a dozen years as a key player. Cox was previously responsible for the family of apps: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. The Verge reports, “A longtime company executive who had been seen as a potential heir to the CEO job, Cox left the company last March after Zuckerberg announced the company would enable end-to-end-encryption across its suite of products.” Watch this space.

Jobs

Visit Denver has an opening for a digital marketing manager with 5-7 years web operations experience required and a convention sales manager covering Washington D.C. territory.

Park City Chamber of Commerce | Convention & Visitors Bureau is conducting an executive search for a president & CEO via SearchWide Global.

In Virginia, Visit Alexandria is hiring a director of communications – tourism marketing with 7-10 years’ experience.

The Missouri Wine & Grape Board in Jefferson City has an opening for a marketing specialist with two years’ experience.

In Georgia, Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Conference Center & Tourism Authority is searching for a conference sales director, via SearchWide Global.

SearchWide Global: General manager @The Grounds, a 60-acre complex with a 160,000-sq.-ft. event space in Placer Valley, CA, midway between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe via SearchWide Global.

Madden Media has openings for a senior marketing communications specialist, digital marketing specialist, and content strategist in Tucson.

In Menlo Park, CA, Facebook in hiring an executive communications manager AR/VR with 8-10 years’ experience in the technology communications environment.

Hornblower Group has an opening for a director of customer experiences – corporate in Westlake Village, CA.

In Atlanta, Cox Communications is recruiting a multimedia account executive-travel to focus on providing DMOs with marketing and advertising solutions around the drive market.

Jarvis Communications, specializing in wine, spirits, food, and travel, a is hiring two full-time employees: an entry-level account coordinator in Los Angeles and an experienced social media manager/digital content strategist based in LA or San Francisco Bay Area. 

In New York City, YouGov is hiring a sector head of travel and tourism in a newly created senior role.

A Houston suburb, the City of Pearland, TX is seeking a full-time sales manager for marketing to leisure and business travel segments for the destination.

The non-profit HTTA.US (Hospitality, Tourism, Travel and Activities Recovery Registry) compiled a snapshot of how the travel and hospitality workforce in the U.S. is doing.

Related: Meet HTTA.US: A New Jobs Recovery Registry For Our Community

They conducted an informal survey on the private Facebook group called “Hospitality Family” of approximately 50,000 members who connected to working/worked for hotels, attractions, DMOs, restaurants, museums, live events and ticketing…etc.) See the results below.

News & Jobs for DMOs

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Airbnb has signed a $500 million global partnership deal to sponsor the Olympic Games until 2028, targeting its brand exposure at the world’s biggest sporting event for the next five summer and winter games. The deal means that some Airbnb housing will be made available for visitors and workers, potentially saving cities housing construction costs in Olympic villages. Also, the International Olympic Committee is encouraging current and former Olympic athletes to sell personal experiences and access to their training regimes to fans via Airbnb Experiences.

The Dallas City Council has approved an amended 11-month contract with VisitDallas, following an investigative process and audit earlier this year. The new contract requires the DMO to implement corrective changes including tighter reports to the city: How it plans to spend the city’s cash by March 30, give the council an annual report by Dec. 30 and have a review of executive compensation and expense review on May 1. The CEO position currently remains open.

Mesa, Arizona is the first-ever Autism Certified City in the U.S. Earlier this year, Visit Mesa became the first-in-the-nation destination to earn autism certification. Marc Garcia, President & CEO of Visit Mesa, ignited the effort after his 6-year-old son’s autism diagnosis. Now, nearly 4,000 community members have completed or committed to autism certification including partners such as parks & recreation, police department and 60+ chamber of commerce businesses.

The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) awarded the certification, focusing on the needs of people with cognitive disorders, now estimated at 32 million vacation travelers or 1 in 59 children in the US. Visit Mesa and IBCCES presented last week at the TravelAbility Summit where more DMOs were inspired to take up the certification.

South Dakota knows how to get attention. This anti-meth public service campaign has a slogan that’s got the Twitterverse asking, “Are you guys OK?”

“Hey Twitter, the whole point of this ad campaign is to raise awareness,” Gov. Kristi Noem tweeted. “So I think that’s working.” AdAge wonders, “But are people talking about drug use, or about the clunky messaging?”

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports, “Broadhead Co., a marketing and ad agency in Minneapolis, created the “Meth. We’re On It.” campaign. The state’s Department of Social Services has paid the agency just short of $449,000 so far this year, according to the state’s finances website, open.sd.gov. The state’s contract with Broadhead, effective until May 31, 2020, states that the contract shouldn’t exceed $1.4 million.”

Fodor’s has published its annual no-go list of places to avoid and Big Sur is startled to find itself among the world’s places to avoid. Rob O’Keefe, interim CEO of the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Kirk Gafill, president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, were both caught by surprise by the Fodor piece. “Big Sur doesn’t have an overtourism problem,” O’Keefe said. “It has a responsible tourism problem, which is a challenge for every destination that participates in tourism,” as reported in the Monterey Herald coverage found here.

Amtrak reported its third straight year of record ridership and revenues, as it targets breaking even by 2021. But with Congress threatening to slash Amtrak’s budget, and badly needed infrastructure upgrades threatening its most important routes, the objective won’t be easy to achieve.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has issued a fraud alert over USB chargers in public places, such as airports and hotels. Known as “juice jacking,” the scam has criminals loading malware onto charging stations or cables left plugged into the kiosk which may infect smartphones, tablets, and laptops of unsuspecting users. The malware may lock the device, export data and passwords, or even a full backup of the phone directly to the criminal.

Microsoft has decided the company will respond to California’s new consumer privacy law (The Travel Vertical, 9/17/2019) by rolling out the tightened standards across the US. It means all of its American users should enjoy the rules meant to protect consumer data from Jan. 1, 2020.

(Credit: Elliot Brown, flickr 2.0)

Hyatt, with its 875 hotels across 20 brands, is the latest hotel chain to promise the elimination of single-use plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion with large-format bathroom amenities. Marriott International ( 6,500+ properties worldwide) and InterContinental Hotels (5,600+ properties worldwide) have already made the pledge.

Facing declining research-and-booking ad revenue as Google encroaches the space, TripAdvisor hired Christine Maguire from Condé Nast in April to lead its 170-strong team as VP of global advertising revenue. TripAdvisor has now released 10 beta versions of ad products to appeal to different marketers’ needs: 1) Advertisers may use TripAdvisor’s data and ad creatives to reach travelers on Instagram or Facebook.; 2) Another Branded content offerings; 3) Self-serve advertising portal for smaller businesses; 4) Brings in outstream video. An AdExchanger interview with Maguire appears here.

Media News:

  • America’s two largest newspaper chains are joining forces. Shareholders cleared the way for GateHouse Media‘s parent company, New Media Investment Group, and USA TODAY owner Gannett to join forces in a deal that will create the largest U.S. media company by print circulation. The combined company will be called Gannett and will own more than 260 daily publications, including Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star, The Arizona Republic, The Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as hundreds of weeklies. The new company will reach an average monthly online audience of more than 145 million unique visitors, according to traffic measurement firm Comscore. “Roughly one in four newspapers in the United States has closed since 2004, and many that managed to survive have been cut to the bone,” observes The New York Times.
  • The Washington Post announced a first-of-its-kind news reading app designed for TV. Browse a curated selection of stories, watch videos, listen to podcasts. Use adjustable fonts, text sizes, and color schemes with a remote control. Available on Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, the app is free.

Missouri Division of Tourism – Director

Maryland Dept. of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film, and the Arts – Administrative Officer

NYC & Company – Project Manager – Marketing

Greater Boston CVB – Manager, Destination Services Meetings & Events

Destination DC:

  • Digital Marketing Manager
  • Marketing Manager
  • Marketing Assistant

Discover The Palm Beaches:

  • Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
  • Manager, Destination Services
  • Marketing Specialist
  • Manager, Group Marketing
  • Manager, Content

Valdez Convention & Visitors Bureau (AK) – Executive Director

Mineral Point Chamber of Commerce (WI) – Executive Director

Arlington County (VA) – Economic Development Director

Helena Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB (MT) – Communications & Marketing Director

Montana Dept. of Commerce – Digital Asset Coordinator

Thomasville Tourism Commission (NC) – Director

Huntingdon Co. Visitors Bureau (PA) – Marketing Director

Tulsa Regional Chamber – Senior Account Executive, Tourism

City of Garland, TX – CVB & Events Administrator

City of Flagstaff – Marketing Specialist

Taos Ski Valley – Content Creator

Wyoming Office of Tourism – Sr. Global Partnerships Coordinator

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism – Grant Coordinator

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board – Coordinator, Mexico & Latin America

Newport Beach & Company – Social Media Specialist

Visit Anaheim:

  • Business Intelligence Director
  • Marketing Coordinator

Explore Asheville CVB – Director of Content

Visit SLO CAL (San Luis Obispo) – Communications Manager

Visit Albuquerque – Marketing & Communications Officer

Destination Madison (WI) – Event & Destination Services Manager

Mammoth Lakes Tourism – Local Marketing Manager

Visit Seattle – Marketing Coordinator

U.S. Travel Association – Coordinator, Marketing & Industry Communications

TripAdvisor (NYC) – Social Engagement Manager

Miles Partnership:

  • Travel Media Sales and Marketing Executive (Austin)
  • Account Director (Sarasota)

MMGY Global (NYC) – Destination Marketing Account Exec., Myriad

ADARA (Chicago) – Customer Success Manager, Tourism

Sojern (San Francisco) – Manager, Customer Success, Adphorus

Madden Media (Springfield, MO) – Destination Sales Specialist

Atlas Obscura (NYC) – Marketing Manager

Skift (NYC)

  • Editorial Strategist, Branded Content
  • Events Manager

Development Counsellors International:

  • Senior Projects Manager, Digital Marketing NYC)
  • Digital Paid Media (Denver)

San Diego Convention Center Corporation – Director, Marketing & Communications

Times Square Alliance (NYC) – VP Business Development & Partnerships

Facebook (NYC) – Content Marketing Lead, Media Partnerships

Instagram (San Francisco) – Policy Programs Manager

Airbnb (San Francisco):

  • Director of Loyalty
  • Content Product Strategist
  • Senior Category Marketing Manager, Experiences

Uber (San Francisco) – Content Strategist

LinkedIn (San Francisco) – Social Media Manager, Brand |Communications | Social Impact

Lyft (San Francisco) – Director of Brand Marketing, Business

Pinterest (San Francisco) – Head of Global Business Marketing

Santa Barbara Zoo – Director of Marketing

SF Giants – Giants Enterprises Director of Marketing & Communications

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (Hialeah, FL) – VP Marketing

GetYourGuide (NYC) – Senior Destination Manager

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What Does the Supreme Court Have to Do With Pizza and Why Should I Care?

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Did you hear about the three-year lawsuit against Domino’s Pizza that was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court?

Have you seen headlines like this one: “A Blind Man’s Lawsuit Against Domino’s Threatens Every Website”?

What just happened?

A blind consumer was unable to access the pizza website to place an order using his screen-reading software. Domino’s argued that making its website accessible to people with visual impairments would be costly. They maintained that Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t cover mobile apps or websites because these weren’t in use in 1990 when ADA was passed into law.

No dice. The Supreme Court refused to hear the case, meaning the case will now go to trial in a lower court.

Domino’s has also argued that it’s increasingly difficult for a business to comply with ADA law because of the changing nature of online content presentation. They argued, “Each defendant must figure out how to make every image on its website or app sufficiently accessible to the blind, how to render every video or audio file sufficiently available to the deaf, or how to provide content to those who cannot operate a computer or mobile phone.”

The Supreme Court has essentially said ‘stuff it’ to the pizza maker.

Why Does It Matter?

This has far-reaching implications for all businesses and nonprofits, putting them on notice that not only must their physical locations be ADA compliant, but their websites and mobile apps must be accessible as well.

Google Weighs In

So much for Domino’s. Next question: How will Google algorithms come in to play?

According to TravelAbility, which is dedicated to improving travel experiences for individuals with physical, behavioral and cognitive disabilities, there are changes in the wind, a striking rise in accessibility-related lawsuits and DMOs must be made aware—the sooner, the better.

Jake Steinman

“…What may motivate suppliers and even destinations to invest in compliance may be Google. In conversations with Google staff, I’ve learned that accessibility has become a major priority internally, and some point they will begin to ‘de-prioritize’ non-accessible websites in organic search results. If this sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because they did the same thing to companies that didn’t have a mobile website. This resulted in a surge of innovation that ultimately led to responsive design, which today makes a mobile site affordable for everyone. Hopefully, history will repeat itself,” said Jake Steinman, President of North American Journeys, Founder of TravelAbility and Chairman Emeritus of eTourism Summit.

TravelAbility Summit, the first-ever conference to bring together the travel industry with product and service innovators dedicated to improving travel experiences for individuals with physical, visual, auditory and cognitive disabilities is on Nov. 12-13, 2019 in San Francisco.

So, help is on the way from folks who understand the business of DMOs and attractions. Read more here.

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Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Editor
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