View all posts: Tourism
Overtourism Tool Kit
Tourism around the world has been growing fast with total visitor spending now in excess of $7 trillion USD and 11% of global GDP. More than $1.3 trillion of this spending is from 1.2 billion international travelers. This growth is being driven by several long-term trends including rapidly expanding middle classes in developing countries, rebounding economies after the Great Financial Crisis and a shift from goods to services in consumer preferences – including those seeking travel experiences.
This growth is creating an increasing range of problems that Skift has coined “Overtourism”. These problems include crowding and congestion, impact of historic sites, increased waste and environmental degradation. In an increasing number of cities, regions and nations, local residents are expressing their frustration with these impacts and the tourism industry is...
2018 Destinations International Annual Convention Recap
Earlier this summer, members from the Miles team attended the 2018 Destinations International Annual Convention in Anaheim, California. The 104th Annual Convention brought together over 1,600 industry members for a jam-packed event full of insightful sessions and opportunities to learn about the latest topics and trends in the industry. Our team had a great time and we’re already looking ahead to the 2019 Annual Convention in St. Louis next summer!
Read this blog for a recap of Miles’ participation at the convention along with some additional resources you might find helpful including access to session recordings and presentation decks.
Placemaking Moves to the Center
Over the last decade, communities of all types have focused on the goal of nurturing, developing or making more “livable” communities. Now described as “placemaking” – this is a broad set of best practices, disciplines and design principles that have emerged in urban, community and destination planning and management. Placemaking seeks to build communities which are thriving, sustainable, successful and enjoyable places to live, work, start a business, study and visit.
The growth of placemaking has been fueled by clear evidence that there are powerful synergies in these outcomes. Cities such as Austin, Seattle, Portland, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, Singapore, Melbourne and Auckland not only rank near the top in various global “livability” indexes (i.e.: Mercer, The Economist, US News and World Report) but are also successful in attracting new businesses, new residents as well as new visitors and events.
Highlights from the Destinations International Annual Convention 2017
It was the 103rd annual convention of the organization, which is the world’s leading industry body representing DMOs including CVBs, state and regional tourism organizations and national tourism offices. The convention, however, is the first for the organization under its new name and branding: Destinations International (formerly Destination Marketing Association International or DMAI).
The End of Tourism?
Copenhagen’s new destination strategy declares “The End of Tourism As We Know it.” Colorado’s iconic Hanging Lake goes viral on social media — creating a surge in visitor numbers, parking chaos, congestion and threatening water quality. Bloomberg News describes New Zealand tourism with a headline; “Too Many People Are Going to New Zealand. And That’s a Problem,” noting the country’s visitor boom has “put infrastructure [and the] environment under pressure.” The Head of Marketing for Amsterdam CVB, Frans van der Avert, notes, “We don’t spend even €1 in marketing Amsterdam any more… we don’t want to have more people. A lot of smaller historic cities in Europe are getting destroyed by visitors.”
