Destination marketing tips

Scott Beck has resigned as San Francisco Travel CEO and president. San Francisco Travel board chair Anna Marie Presutti will serve as interim CEO and president effective immediately, the tourism board announced on Wednesday.

Wisconsin has been trying to lure tourists with more than just cheese and beer in a national cable ad — the state’s first — that plays off the reality show Top Chef.

A Brazilian tourist has accused seven men of gang rape in the Indian state of Jharkhand, once again raising questions about the safety of travel in India for women.

Αccording the survey published in Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, digital nomads, individuals who leverage technology to work remotely while traveling, have emerged as a vital market segment for global destinations. Recognizing this, smart destinations are increasingly tailoring their offerings to meet the unique blend of work, leisure, and lifestyle needs of these modern travelers. This adaptation often requires innovation at both structural and agency levels, involving international stakeholders, destination-based entities, and institutional participants.

The Hollywood Sign, a world-renowned tourist attraction, reached its 100th anniversary this month. Destination marketers everywhere can be inspired by how the landmark evolved from a generic real-estate ad in December 1923 to the quintessential symbol of Los Angeles.

Only 8% of U.S. tourism boards strongly prioritize addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero. In contrast, 62% of European tourism boards and 29% of Canadian tourism boards have made it a top priority. That’s according to Sojern’s “State of Destination Marketing 2024.”

Visit Orlando may see a cut to its $100 million budget – one of the largest destination marketing budgets in the United States.

Visit Sweden launched a new marketing campaign to remind the world to stop mixing up Sweden with Switzerland, the tourism board announced on Tuesday.

Generating demand is forever the challenge of the travel industry. The need for renewal is constant, particularly when looking to attract future generations.

Visit Iceland launched a new campaign to attract space tourists on Tuesday. Called “Mission Iceland,” the campaign kicked off on November 16 with the launch of a billboard into space with the message: “Iceland. Better than Space.”

Tourism Australia’s new global campaign is, unlike its previous efforts, not focused on showcasing Australian celebrities. It’s instead addressing issues pertaining to overtourism and the country’s Indigenous communities through a film highlighting its attractions.

The Hawaiian government this week rescinded the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s U.S. tourism contract with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a community non-profit, providing a potential setback for the authority’s sustainable tourism efforts. The reason for the government’s rescission was that the contract needed to be separated into two, one for marketing and the other for visitor management and community relations.

Multiple state tourism agencies ended their growing participation on the short-form video sharing platform TikTok to comply with their state executive orders. As they exit, they plan to move the resources allocated for TikTok into their other social media channels.

Some tourism agencies are using geolocation mobile data to identify visitors who stay with friends and relatives to hone their marketing efforts.

Tourism agencies are investing more of their advertising dollars in streaming because of its targeting precision, measurement and flexibility.

Cyprus has been diversifying its visitor base and marketing approach as it fills the huge void left by the loss of Russians and Ukrainian tourists. 

North Dakota authorities recently unveiled a new tourism campaign named Hello that it believes will help boost recognition of the state.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority put two contracts up to bid, one for marketing to the U.S. and the other for destination management, on February 14.  The two contracts are essentially a split of the previous one that included both responsibilities and had been awarded to a community non-profit. A government official canceled the it minutes before his term ended on December 5.

Puerto Rico has seen tourism boom coming out of the pandemic, and the island’s authorities believe it’s poised for another surge in visitor numbers — thanks to a new marketing campaign showcasing its culture.

The great promise and hype by travel executives several years ago about the potential of voice search to revolutionize the industry have gone nowhere. Voice-based search hasn’t progressed as serious destination marketing avenue because the technology underpinning it yet can’t drive effective engagement, inspire travel and handle the complexity of travel search.

Marketers that believe the photo sharing app BeReal is a fad might need to take a second look. The platform, which was launched to promote authenticity on social media and combat its negative effects, has grown in popularity with travel brands looking to make inroads with Generation Z travelers.