Tourist Attractions

Tourists both at home and globally are thinking very carefully about how to spend their vacations. Uncertain economic conditions, exchange rates and even the length of time people can spare are influencing decisions about international travel. Staycations have been big business so far in 2010 with dedicated “staycation expos” being held across the country. These reflect a more sophisticated method of courting the local dollar and marketers facing increased competition for international audiences.

Over the last month we’ve been interviewing senior marketing and communications executives at attractions including Salt Lake City, Times Square and even the marketer responsible for Alcatraz!

Perhaps the most common theme is that there isn’t a common theme. The lists of different priorities, target audiences, strategies and challenges they’re all encountering are totally varied. We’ve found one marketer pondering the best media for targeting potential genealogy students to their park, another who’s still using the same brand strategy put in place by Walt Disney himself, and another who’s considering ensuring marketing efforts equally reach US and Canadian residents.

One thing they do all have in common is their approach to social media. We’ve picked up that most were early adopters and although none of them take it too seriously as a revenue generator, they all believe there’s a much bigger future for it than is currently the case.

The issues discussed have included one of the largest global tourist attractions looking for a US national PR shop due to frustration at smaller agencies' understanding of national media. We’ve uncovered a number of marketers who’ve spoken about freshening their creative and who are interested in speaking to agencies. Additionally, we have another who needs help in actually understanding who it is that visits their attraction.

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