View all posts: Destination Marketing
Creative Strategies for Marketing Road Trips
As mandatory travel restrictions have eased in some parts of the country, Americans are looking for safe ways to get out and explore. Naturally, a good old-fashioned road trip comes to mind. In fact, Longwoods recently found that among Americans who are planning to travel, the majority (61%) will travel by car.
Many destinations are eager tap into this trend, so travelers are currently being flooded with road trip marketing. How do you cut through all the noise and set your destination apart? Read on for ideas on how to delve...
Celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week 2020
National Travel and Tourism Week is a favorite annual tradition for the U.S. travel community. This year, the spotlight for the 37th NTTW (May 3-9) is on resilience and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected in this year’s theme: The Spirit of Travel.
Celebrated annually during the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to underscore the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 37th NTTW (May 3-9) arrives at an opportune moment to unite the industry, paying homage to its indomitable spirit and elevating the role it will play in America’s economic recovery.
8 Ways to Build a More Sustainable Future for Tourism - Part 2
Part Two of a Two-Part Blog Series - Read Part One
The 50th anniversary of Earth Day highlights the opportunity and critical importance of change. There is an opportunity for destinations to emerge from the current COVID-19 crisis with changes to spur a renewed focus on sustainability and stewardship.
In this second part of our two-part blog series, we summarize the four remaining priority steps for embracing these “Earth Day” principles:
5. Future-Focused Tourism Funding Models
6. Infrastructure That Builds the Future
7. Regenerative Tourism – Tourism That Gives Back
8. Placemaking – Building a Great Place to Work, Invest, Study and Visit
Clarity in a Time of Crisis: Special...
8 Ways to Build a More Sustainable Future for Tourism - Part 1
Part One of a Two-Part Blog Series - Read Part Two
Earth Day’s 50th anniversary on April 22, 2020 reminds us of the importance of sustainability and stewardship, protecting the planet on which we live, and our visitor industry relies.
It comes at a time when we are facing another immediate global crisis. While the COVID-19 crisis presents many challenges, it also presents a unique opportunity. “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” famously declared Winston Churchill. This was also reprised by Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. Rather than simply replicate past approaches during the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, this moment in time is a chance to review, reshape and...
Tourism Can Lead the Way to Recovery – If Budgets are Intact
COVID-19 has brought the tourism industry to a complete halt in a way that could never have been planned for or expected. In the past, we have seen significant impacts to travel and tourism based on world events, including 9/11 and the Great Recession, and localized impacts due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and tornadoes — but nothing on the scale we are seeing today.
In each of these past situations, we learned lessons about community recovery, federal assistance and future emergency planning. Tourism professionals are reviewing, discussing and analyzing these past lessons to plan for how to recover from the impact of this pandemic. But the key resources we cannot overlook are the case studies about defunding or dramatic funding decreases to DMOs and state tourism offices.
Longwoods...