January 2007
There is no doubt that in the post 9-11 world tourism and travel are high stress jobs. In fact while most people like being on vacation or being “there” very few people like “getting there.” Changing regulations, overcrowding, and often overworked and underpaid staffs have made tourism anything but fun. In such circumstances it is [...]
December 2006
The month of December is the premier shopping month in a good part of the world. From the tourism perspective, shopping is important not only because it is one of the pillars of economies, but also because it is perhaps the number one tourism sport. In some communities, shopping has become so important that it [...]
November 2006
It is now 5 years since 9-11 during which much has changed in the world of tourism and travel. There is no doubt that travel today is a lot harder than it was five years ago.
October 2006
Because many hotel managers falsely believe that theses topics will frighten customers, there are still too many tourism and lodging professionals who hesitate to speak about tourism/lodging security and safety issues.
September 2006
Often tourism and travel professionals argue that word-of-mouth is their best form of marketing. Yet, this assumption often leads to the belief that good marketing is out of the professionals’ control.
August 2006
Travel and tourism are highly changeable industries. Too few tourism professionals, however, think about change, not only the changes that are occurring in their industry but also the changes that are taking place in their own offices, their staffs, and communities.
July 2006
Few people would question that tourism and travel can be highly volatile industries. A great deal of the industry is dependent on the leisure traveler.
June 2006
The recent outbreaks of Avian (Bird) Flu in various nations around the world have caught the tourism industry’s attention. While there is certainly no reason for anyone to go into a panic mode, and there is a good possibility that there the feared human-to-human outbreak may never occur, it still behooves the tourism industry to use this as an opportunity to be prepared.
May 2006
Many communities throughout the world depend on tourism dollars to generate revenues for their local coffers. An often overlooked tourist “attraction” is the local fire department.
April 2006
The 21st century has experienced a major marketing paradigm shift.
February 2006
Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVB) in the United States and national and local tourism offices around the world are notorious for office politics and for rapid changes in leadership.
January 2006
ne of the great research minds and tourism theorists is Stanley Plog. He recently published a new book called “Leisure Travel” and gave Tourism Tidbits permission to feature some of his insights in this month’s edition.
December 2005
From hurricanes to earthquakes, from crime to acts of terrorism, 2005 was a year that ought to have taught the tourism industry that without a strong tourism surety program the industry will suffer and profits will decrease.
November 2005
There are few tourism officials whose communities do not suffer from local negative publicity. Often this negative publicity is so strong as to undermine the best marketing campaigns.
October 2005
If we like it or not, tourism entities need to begin to consider the relationship between the cost of oil and the tourism industry.
September 2005
Every aspect of tourism has its primary basis in the concept of relationships and relationship building. This basic rule applies to all aspects of the industry, from frontline personnel to tourism security professionals.
August 2005
August is often called the “dog days” of summer. The name derives from the fact that it is often too hot for even a dog to want to wander along the streets. The end of the summer is also high tourist season in much of the world and a time when planes and hotels are full and nerves are often frayed.
July 2005
Many tourism centers falsely believe that they are selling a tourism product. Nothing could be further from the truth.
June 2005
More and more tourism offices and convention and visitor bureaus are becoming aware that cultural property, such as the tangible (often called the plastic) arts and architecture are not only a major attraction but also need special protection.
May 2005
Tourism and travel industries often do not take the time to analyze failures. Like all businesses, tourism involves business risks, and it is only through a careful analysis of these risks that we are able to see past problems and work to avoid these problems in the future.
