Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Red Hot Topic #8: Green Goes A Long Way
Posted by Michele Clerici | Filed under Red Hot Topics, Technology, Travel
It’s no secret that there’s been much to-do about the ways in which businesses have left a larger-than-life footprint on the environment, especially in the travel and tourism industry. Consumers have noticed, and according to recent research*, they are making their buying decisions accordingly:
- 90% of Americans state that companies should be mindful not only of their profitability, but also of their impact on the environment and society.
- More than 50% say they would be more likely to select an airline/rental car/hotel that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes.
- 54% assert they would be more likely to patronize hotels or resorts that they knew practice environmental responsibility.
With statistics like these, it would be a mistake to ignore the need for sustainable practices in your business. Check out some of the ways in which thinking green can boost your bottom line.
- Distinguish yourself. Step out from the competition by showing travelers how your environmental concern is a step above the rest. By offering sustainability initiatives not offered by others in your competitive set, you can position your brand as a leader in this area.
- Target ethical consumers. 35 million Americans are Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) consumers.* They tend to gravitate toward activities, products and services that are environmentally and socially conscious. By aligning your offerings with the values of these consumers, you can open up your target reach.
- Consider carbon offsets. The consumption of natural resources and the generation of waste all cause carbon dioxide emissions and, ultimately, global warming. By offering carbon offsets (solutions for maximizing energy efficiency and reducing emissions), you can make your business a greener option for discerning consumers. Visit http://carbonoffsets.org for more information.
- Tap into travel philanthropy. This movement comprises conscientious travelers and travel companies that donate time, money and patronage to protect the natural environments they visit. It also includes voluntourists, or travelers who visit a destination to take part in local volunteer projects. Think about partnering with some of these organizations to open up avenues for untapped market growth.
- Get certified. A great way to market your brand is to advertise your accomplishments—especially with regard to sustainability efforts. Take the steps necessary to secure environmental certifications from respected organizations, so you can boast your credentials to the public.
”*Trends in Sustainable Travel and Tourism,” GreenMoney Journal, Winter 2011/2012
They Draw & Travel
Posted by Charisse Gallagher | Filed under Design, Travel
They Draw & Travel is a sister site of They Draw & Cook, which contains the biggest and best collection of illustrated recipes anywhere. Nate and Salli, a brother and sister design and illustration team, were blown away by the creative energy artists worldwide pour into their recipe illustrations, and they realized that artists have similar passion for their favorite places to live and visit. They launched They Draw & Travel as a place for artists to express that passion, and for readers to discover their creations.
Each map is one-of-a-kind, highlighting off-the-beaten path sites and activities that are local favorites. Below are just a few examples—explore some new destinations!
http://www.theydrawandtravel.com/
Road Trip: Guitar Heaven (Nazareth, PA)
Posted by Liz Jordan | Filed under Travel
It’s hard to avoid religious metaphors on a road trip to C.F. Martin & Co. After all, you’re going to Nazareth, PA, to see the creation of musical instruments held in reverence the world over. Plus, you can’t miss the prominently displayed homage from guitar great Eric Clapton: “If I could choose what to come back as, it would be a Martin OM-45.”
Yeah, it’s guitar heaven.
Once past the edge-of-town fast food sprawl, Nazareth proves to be a sweet little American city, with modest homes, neat-as-pin lawns, shady streets and the holy land of American craftsmanship: the Martin guitar factory. Here over 400 people labor to take each Martin guitar through 300 steps from start to gleaming wood finish. Our tour gave us the chance to peer over the shoulders of the patient employees as they did everything from scraping excess glue to intricate pearl inlay. As we watched the evolution from raw wood to final guitar or ukulele, we too were tempted to use the word favored by our tour guide Richard: “bee-you-tiful.”
Post-tour, you can walk through the ubiquitous gift shop, play some licks in the Pickin’ Parlor and stroll through the Martin Guitar Museum. This little gem takes you through the high (and low) notes of the company’s 175-year history, as well as displays an impressive collection of memorabilia from the likes of Tex Ritter, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Dave Mathews. (It didn’t hurt that two Martin employees were playing “As My Guitar Gently Weeps” in an impromptu jam session as we viewed the displays.)
The tour (with small souvenir), the museum and a chance to play a Martin guitar are free. Our tour also included a glimpse of Eric Clapton’s new custom bright-blue Martin.
If you play guitar, appreciate music history or just like the idea that something handcrafted is still made in America, a pilgrimage to Martin is a GO. Open weekdays only. Plan your road trip at http://www.martinguitar.com/visit/tour.html.
Weekend Road Trip: Charm & More for the Locavore (Glen Mills, PA)
Posted by Chelsea Vida | Filed under Dining, Travel
If you enjoy browsing for unique locally produced finds to feather your nest and tempt your palate, take a scenic drive to Terrain at Styer’s in Glen Mills, PA.
I recently drove out to the Brandywine Valley to attend Terrain’s Late Summer Cheese & Honey Festival. It was a perfect golden afternoon, ideal for exploring the property, tasting local cheeses and craft beer from a nearby brewery and being tempted by vivid wildflowers and artisan wares for sale.
In addition to the festival’s shopping cornucopia, Terrain boasts lush garden space abloom with plants and flowers and an English cottage-style store brimming with garden tools, books, jewelry, dishware, rustic home décor, fall decorations and more. This charming space, glowing with twinkling lights and lanterns, is worth the trip alone. However, if you are looking for something more than shopping, Styer’s Garden Café celebrates “the cycle of the season and the bounty of the land.”
Executive Chef Keith Rudolph continues Terrain’s local theme by crafting a mouthwatering menu featuring locally sourced produce and meats. The café is a perfect setting for a special celebration or simply to gather with friends.
Terrain also hosts events to expand your knowledge in the garden or kitchen. This weekend’s topic is “Pumpkin Tablescapes & Centerpieces” (10/15). If you aren’t within driving distance, you can experience it at http://www.shopterrain.com/index.cfm. You won’t be disappointed!
As seen on: Oh Joy
Red Hot Topic #4: Travel Agent Sector Still Sizzling
Posted by Tracy Stottler | Filed under Red Hot Topics, Travel, Travel Marketing
According to the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), the U.S. travel agency industry is comprised of nearly 10,000 firms operating in 15,000 locations—and all represent highly motivated, extremely interested buyers. Here are some important facts and trends to remember about this valuable partner as you develop your marketing plans for 2012:
1. Travel agents are still considered the experts.
Complicated and personalized travel transactions still require a travel agent’s expertise and guidance. In fact, the industry has seen a resurgence of travel experts as a result of the irrelevant, often misleading information on the Internet. Travelers find it difficult to book an exceptional travel experience unaided, and it’s even harder if they have special requests or needs. They will seek out the services of a travel agent in these situations, especially if the agent has intimate knowledge of the desired travel product.
2. Travel agents appeal to younger travelers.
Echo Boomers (age 18-31) represent 14% of the total population of leisure travelers, but equal 20% of the population that use travel agents. Why? Born into the computer age, these travelers are certainly savvy about online travel booking tools, but they also tend to experience information overload and want an expert to handle the details. This generation has a stronger sense of entitlement and prefers to be waited on versus the “do-it-yourself” mentality of older generations.
3. Travel agents generate better bookings.
The travel agent channel drives stronger returns, often delivering a higher average daily rate (ADR) and longer stays because agents tend to book premium room categories. Bookings from agents with a loyal customer base can generate more profit and higher quality repeat business.
4. Travel agents represent more stable business.
Because business from travel agents tends to be stable, it makes sense to preserve, if not increase, the volume of revenue produced by this channel. Companies that invest in travel agent marketing have seen as much as a 250% increase in YOY growth, and smaller brands and independent properties are now also looking to compete as well.
5. Travel agents introduce international opportunities.
Capitalize on the stronger economies in some overseas markets, many of which have maintained a more traditional agency sector. Even in emerging markets like Latin America and Asia, 80% to 90% of all travel is still booked through traditional channels. Culturally, relationships are extremely important in these markets, so consumer loyalty to local or regional leisure agents remains strong.
6. Travel agents bring in group leisure business.
Many hoteliers are seeing a surge in travel agent business through group sales, especially for milestone events. Family reunions, weddings, big birthday parties, church retreats, sports team travel and educational excursions all deliver leisure travelers in large numbers—and nearly all come through travel agent bookings.
7. Travel agents want to be your partner.
U.S. travel agents are looking for opportunities to personalize their relationships with suppliers, as evidenced by the evolution of the hosted buyer tradeshow. Case in point: Virtuoso Travel Mart’s luxury travel show, where 300,000 individual appointments took place between 1,680 travel agents and 1,605 advisors over six days.
Travelocity’s “Dream Trips” Survey
Posted by Charisse Gallagher | Filed under Travel
Where would you go on vacation with your family if money was no object? What a question—where wouldn’t you want to go? Zip-lining through the jungles of Costa Rica? Sampling fresh sushi on the streets of Osaka? Touring small towns on the Amalfi Coast? Remember, money is no object (hypothetically).
Travelocity recently polled families with this question. The results were very interesting, and more global than I would’ve originally thought. 88%* of respondents have a dream trip in mind they would take. Of those, the majority (60%) stated that having an authentic, local experience was what mattered most. The other 40% said it was more important to experience the best service possible.
As far as the type of dream trip, the front runner with 37% was touring of a foreign city. The second most popular choice was relaxing on a beach (22%), followed by taking a cruise (18%), visiting a theme park (12%) and seeing exotic wildlife (11%).
And the destination in mind for these dream trips? It is no surprise looking at the figures above that Europe was the winner with 27% of the votes. A close second was Hawaii (25%), followed by the Mediterranean (9%), Orlando (9%), Australia (6%), Africa (5%), Costa Rica (3%), The Galapagos Islands (3%) and Asia (2%).
Now where to go first…
*The remaining 11% chose “other” as their dream destination.
Planning Session Down in Swingtown
Posted by Jamie Smith | Filed under Dana News, Training, Travel
Recently Dana headed down to Virginia for a 2012 planning session with our clients at The National Conference Center (NCC). It’s always great to combine business and fun, and our trip to Leesburg was just the right mix.
NCC is really emerging as a thought-leader in meetings and training. The center itself was purpose-built for learning, so the facilities are great for focused sessions. But what really sets NCC apart is their innovative management and marketing teams. It was great to experience some of their new programs, like Food for Thought, a food and beverage program that offers a big selection of healthy, brain-friendly items to keep guests alert and feeling their best during meetings. Interesting themes rolling out are a new generational learning program and more ways to meet green. Keep up with what’s next at the NCC blog.
An added bonus to our productive meetings was a night of food, drink and classic tunes as we headed over to Wolf Trap to catch The Steve Miller Band. Blankets and picnic food were spread out, then The Joker himself hit the stage, playing all his hits along with a set or two of the blues.
Creative sessions, an entertaining night — what more can you ask for? Can’t wait until the next time we meet up, and wonder when Skynyrd rolls through VA again…hmmm.
Red Hot Topic #1: Luxe Redux
Posted by Liz Jordan | Filed under Hospitality News, Red Hot Topics, Travel
Can we finally say arrivederci to the “staycation”? Is international travel being restored to its previous glory? Earlier this year, Virtuoso® released its Virtuoso Luxe Report, forecasting luxury travel trends for 2011. Among its predictions were the demise of the staycation, a rebirth in international and multi-destination travel and growth in luxury cruise and active/adventure travel segments. Family and multi-generational travel take the lead as the emerging trend for 2011 with Italy and Maui clear winners as most popular international and domestic destinations. Citing a 36% increase in client travel purchases from 2009 to 2010 (with luxury international vacations leading the way), Virtuoso certainly has backup for its trend report.
So, are the tides (and trends) turning for luxury travel? For a midyear check-in, scan “The Future of Luxury Travel, A Global Trends Report,” preliminary research presented at ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) Asia 2011 in June. Key insights:
- Luxury travel is coming back—but the importance of value, discreet service and simplicity demonstrate that luxury travelers haven’t forgotten lessons learned over the past few years.
- To counter our growing appetite for technology, luxury travelers will seek more fulfilling personal relationships with travel providers.
- Emerging destinations, which satisfy the hunger for authenticity and exclusivity, top “must-go” lists.
- Look to the Chinese market to drive the next wave of global luxury travel. (By 2020, expect over 100 million outbound tourists from China.)
To download the complete 26-page report, click here (PDF).
It’s good reading as you plan your 2012 marketing strategy—or dream about your next vacation. I’m thinking of a coastal cottage in Ireland myself…
Dana Goes to Charm City
Posted by Bob Prewitt | Filed under Advertising, Hospitality News, Travel
Dana headed to Baltimore recently to check out the AIBTM trade show, catch up with industry friends and meet our clients from IMEX, who flew in from the UK. Here’s a quick take on our time in this great town:
The AIBTM trade show was buzzing with activity, giving us a mini-preview of the IMEX America show that the IMEX team will launch in Las Vegas in October. IMEX America will be a much larger show, bringing together unprecedented numbers of industry professionals from around the country and across the globe. Dana is excited to be working on marketing strategy and materials to help IMEX bring this groundbreaking event to America.
Good to see our friends and clients on the show floor! Eric Whitson (from The National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA) and Jim Bressler (from the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, NC) did a super job hosting the IACC booth, where new Dana-designed trade show screens were on display:
We also caught up with an old friend and former Dana associate, John Hawley, who is now DOSM at the Baltimore Hilton. John and his team impressed us all with their abilities to host AIBTM attendees in style. Just one of many events was the CIC Hall of Leaders Gala Dinner, an elegant black-tie affair where Dana President Bob Prewitt was a guest at the IMEX America table. Dana does the marketing for the Baltimore Hilton and gives its ads a hometown spin.
Does “The Crab Cake Capital of the World” deliver on its reputation? We wanted to find out and take in the harbor views on a beautiful evening. So we headed to Phillips Seafood Restaurant, a popular spot with tourists and locals. And pretty good crab cakes too. If you want to try a traditional taste of the city, the restaurant generously shares its original recipe (from 1956) that they’re still making today. Enjoy them with a local Baltimore brew, Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning, like we did.
Five Great Messages I Saw at IMEX Frankfurt
Posted by Bob Prewitt | Filed under Design, Technology, Tips and Trends Series, Travel, Uncategorized
IMEX Frankfurt is a great tradeshow for the international meetings industry. A key element is that the show hosts meeting buyers (brings them in for free) and real business is done. Last year (2010), over $2.1 billion worth of meetings were booked. This year, the number will be even higher.
The show has terrific energy and is lots of fun. Everyone seems to understand that we are in the hospitality business and that it ought to be fun. Lots of great food and wine and smiles and laughs. But the backbone is that real business is being conducted.
I walked the floor nine different times and I decided to identify the five best messages (branding) put forth by Exhibitors. I chose them for their attention-grabbing quality and positive portrayal.
Here they are:
The Estonia booth: This Baltic State has created a stunning booth through the use of banners that float at seemingly random heights and make you feel like you are walking in a bucolic yet primeval forest. Some of the banners are high in the air and expand the sense of space in the booth significantly. Others are at ground level and thus create separate spaces – but not really. The whole thing works and, in comparison to some of the more complex structures, is affordable.
The Brazil booth: The backdrop of the booth is a very large – wide and tall – wooden matrix of square shelves. Within the shelves are displayed Brazilian artifacts – anthropological art, sculpture and traditional tools and utensils. Just beautiful in its simplicity. And then cocktail hour arrives and the booth turns into a celebration of the sensuality and sexuality that is inherent to Brazil. We all want to hang out there.
Congress Alliance’s “Orange Lady”: This one you have to see to believe. An attractive and stately woman is tinted orange from head to foot. It’s like a Day-Glo orange that seamlessly covers every inch of her – hat, face, dress, legs, shoes, etc. Weirdly appealing.
The Portugal booth: The combination of high tech and old-time artisanal makes for a perfect combination of modern messaging and cultural heritage. A large digital display that begins on the ground for five feet and then takes a vertical/right angle change of direction and goes six feet high shows graphic and photographic images and then announces the scheduling of various tastings of Portuguese products like olives, olive oil, bread and wine. The tastings are fun and informative.
The foie grois served at the Paris booth for lunch: Giant loaves of pate shaped exclusively from foie grois. The real thing. Absolutely delicious. With the right, minimalistic accompaniments. And Parisians hangin’ in the booth who acted like this is an everyday occurrence – no big deal.
