Terry and Al Hershey can afford to live anywhere they please after their successful careers—she in the corporate offices of Time Warner, he running businesses in medical device manufacturing and contract research and development. So, when they loaded up their 34-foot RV at their Bonita Springs, Florida home and hit the road to scout a second retirement locale, they headed to what might sound like a surprising place: Traverse City, Michigan, a small town (population 16,000) 250 miles northwest of Detroit, that sits on a bay opening to Lake Michigan. In 2021, the Hersheys moved into a 132-year-old, 5-bedroom Victorian three blocks from Grand Traverse Bay, where they spend six months a year with their goldendoodle and Aussiedoodle. Now both 76, they hike, bike, kayak and motorboat and can choose from scores of musical performances a year at the nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts and by the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. “We wanted a summer base,” Terry explains. Why not spend all year in Traverse City? They don’t mind the cold (they lived for many years in Colorado), but find the lack of sunshine during the winters in Traverse City too dreary, she says.
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater wins U.S. Travel Destiny Award at 2023 ESTO Ceremony
29.08.2023 - 08:57 / traveldailynews.com / Tatiana Rokou
St. Pete/Clearwater awarded for its successful digital campaign with Travelzoo.
ST. PETE/CLEARWATER, FL – Visit St. Pete/Clearwater received a U.S. Travel Destiny Award for its multi-channel digital program with Travelzoo, making it the second year in a row that the organization has taken home this award. The honors were presented on August 22 in Savannah, Ga. during an awards dinner at ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations), an annual conference for travel professionals representing destinations throughout the U.S.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized by U. S. Travel Association and to have our marketing efforts put side to side with the best in the industry.” said Eddie Kirsch, Digital Producer at Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “We love doing innovative campaigns, and this collaboration with Travelzoo has inspired and booked trips, providing real value to strengthen our local economy.”
With the goal to fill St. Pete/Clearwater’s hotels during the softer late summer and fall seasons, Travelzoo was the perfect partner to reach target markets and deliver multi-media content to excite and engage potential visitors through robust storytelling. The strategy behind the campaign with Travelzoo included two separate campaigns targeting specific need periods and a range of objectives. Designed to educate consumers on the diversity of the destination, the campaign promoted not only the award-winning beaches of St. Pete/Clearwater but also its unique offerings including world-class museums, craft beer, a thriving arts scene and terrific restaurants.
With a total of 14 participating hotels across the two flights, the campaign generated 3,500 room nights, garnering more than $796,000 in revenue for local hotels and positively impacting summer and fall need periods. In addition to the revenue from hotel room nights and on-property spend, the program delivered $103,000 in tax revenue for Pinellas County. These visitors also dined out, shopped and visited local attractions, creating $844,620 in incremental visitor spending at local businesses. Altogether, the positive economic impact to the community was more than $1.7 million, making the program a resounding success.
As the premier annual learning and knowledge-sharing forum for destination marketing professionals, ESTO serves as a forum for destination professionals to learn about new business tools and techniques, share best practices, and identify solutions to common issues affecting destinations.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important
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