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Dear
Tourism Industry Friends This
E-newsletter is produced by the Tennessee Department of Tourist
Development and is offered as a free service to the industry and
others with an interest in Tennessee Tourism. If you know someone who could benefit from this information, please share this issue with them. If you wish to unsubscribe, follow the directions at the end of the email transmission. |
Mark Your Calendars for a "Day
on the Hill" The annual “Tourism Day on the Hill” is April 7th at the Downtown Sheraton in Nashville. The luncheon is from noon - 1:00 p.m. Governor Bredesen is scheduled as keynote speaker once again this year. An exciting new media campaign for the Department will be presented. After the luncheon there will be a 15-minute break
to allow any Legislators with other meetings to leave. "Tourism
Day on the Hill" resumes in the same room with a Media Meeting
after the break. Invitations and additional details will be mailed
out March 15. TTR will coordinate pre-scheduled appointments for
delegates to discuss tourism issues with legislators. The 2004 “Tourism Day on the Hill” is presented
by the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable, The Department of Tourist Development
and the Tennessee Association of Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus. For more information, please visit www.tntourismroundtable.com. |
News Bureau Contract Awarded
Ackermann PR of Knoxville has been selected as the Department’s
partner for the statewide news bureau, designed to become the single stop
source for Tennessee’s tourism news, quote-worthy sources and relevant
photography and graphics support for national, regional and local media.
As you know, objective third-party editorial endorsements
are a key to building our image with travelers who are looking for affordable
and unique destinations. The news bureau will push that message and others
through news efforts that reach beyond the traditional courting of travel
editors and writers. It will also involve radio and television efforts,
niche stories for specialty publications, speaker’s bureau opportunities,
packaging of multiple story ideas and itineraries, plus a whole lot more,
to dramatically increase placement potential for Tennessee’s tourism
news.
In the past, this has been an enormously time consuming
effort. That’s because, to do it right, volumes of research must
be compiled to assure that the writer or producer you’re sending
the story to is actually interested in receiving it. The management of
distributing the information has traditionally been time consuming as
well.
But Ackermann PR has given us a way to leverage technology to dramatically reduce the labor required to manage the research and distribution efforts. The extensive use of technology in our news bureau should allow us to do things that only states with much larger budgets have done. As a result, we fully expect to compete head-on for media attention with states like Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Expect to hear more about the news bureau structure, and how you can contribute to and benefit from the Department’s media program.
Tennessee Travel Trend Reports On-line
Remember the Department is now able to track consumer behaviors in certain
activities that indicate travel trends in Tennessee. You can generate
your own reports, by fiscal or calendar year, by county (up to a 10-county
comparison), by region, by tourism development district or by the three
grand divisions of East, Middle and West Tennessee.
The Travel Trend Reports are available online under www.tn.state.tn/tourdev/reports.
Microsoft Excel 97 or above is required to view them; and be sure to open
the “Overview and Usage Guide” provided on the web page.
Current reports are the “State Tax Trend” and "Local Tax Trend.” Each report provides real time totals for the current Fiscal Year, as well as historical data, starting July 1998. These reports are not intended to match the data presented in the accompanying “Economic Impact Report” prepared by TIA (Travel Industry Association of America).
Update Your Web Info & Events
Online
Now, it only takes a moment for members of
the tourism industry to update and modify their listings and events on
www.TNvacation.com
thanks to a new administrative feature. Each update is funneled through
the Department for approval before posting; however, this mechanism makes
revising current listings simple and seamless for you. Here’s how…
For Listings Updates:
Simply scroll to the bottom of any page on www.TNvacation.com
and click on the “Update Your Information” hyperlink. You will
be prompted for your listing name and passcode. If you cannot remember
either, a special link (Forgot User Name or Passcode?) will assist you.
Once you’ve entered the revision fields, you can change information
for contacts, rates, general listings, and any other content that appears
on the website for your property or properties.
For
Events Updates:
Click on the “Things to See and Do” off the
home page, and choose “Festivals and Events” from the left-hand
navigation options. Next, click the “Submit or Update Your Event”
link. This is where you can modify your listing information, including
event name, dates for the new year, and enter an unlimited description
of the event.
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Submit Your Best Stories We’re looking for interesting people,
unique places and original ideas that define genuine Tennessee vacation
experiences. These are usually human interest stories wrapped around
traditional information about your event, destination or attraction.
Perhaps it’s a child who benefited
greatly from the Bristol Motor Speedway charitable children’s
foundation. Maybe it’s a “big fish”
story about anglers who recently pulled in record catches in Tennessee
(Could there be any better natural endorsement of the state’s
lakes and rivers?). Maybe, as in the case of historic Jonesborough,
it’s a timeless piece about the oldest business in Tennessee’s
oldest town. Whatever you send to the Communications
Division will be evaluated, researched and developed into stories
that stand alone in varying length and voice, news shorts packaged
with similar articles. Please take a few moments this week to consider the human interest stories in your community, then email your ideas and contacts to tourism.news@state.tn.us. The more insightful your suggestions, the better we can produce something the media and the public will appreciate. |
Film and Video Footage Needed During the next few months, we’re developing
various statewide print, video and television projects to be bundled
into the overall advertising program as we launch Tennessee’s
new tourism campaign. If your association or organization has existing video(s),
quality b-roll and other film or video footage we can use to update
our video library, please mail or express deliver to: Mark Thien Beta, DVD, CD or VHS formats are all acceptable and
appreciated. VHS with Burned In Time Codes (BITC) are greatly appreciated.
Providing us with footage, and the rights for reuse
will help us maximize our campaign dollars. Please check your production
and/or videography contracts to be sure the footage you send does
not constitute a secondary or additional use. As a reminder, we’re also still accepting high resolution photographs to include in our archives. |
TAB Contract Renewed
The Department of Tourism has renewed its annual
contract with the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters (TAB) for distribution
of the Department’s commercials to all 190 licensed radio and television
stations in Tennessee.
The contract involves Non Commercial Sustaining
Announcements (NCSAs), which have meant a great deal to promoting our
state’s tourism message for more than thirty years.
In conjunction with the contract, our three Regional Marketing and Public Relations Managers will develop partnerships with the member stations, visiting personally with each station manager throughout the term of our contract. The regional managers will arrange for interviews, guest appearances, and “live mention” copy regarding local events or festivals with the stations statewide. They will also discuss regularly plug the Department’s new emphasis on the News Bureau and public relations, and begin laying the groundwork for the new advertising campaign launching in early April.
Consumer, Trade Show and Meeting
Schedule Set
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Commissioner Susan Whitaker, Sales Director Lee Curtis and other members of the Department’s Marketing & Welcome Center Divisions are participating in a wide range of consumer and trade travel shows throughout 2004. Many of these events draw thousands of consumers and boost Tennessee’s presence among outdoor, regional, national and international travelers, media and travel planners. Co-op industry partners, other state agencies like State Parks, also work some of the shows with department reps. A list of the travel shows, regional meetings and conferences through the first week of December follows. |
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Show |
Location |
Dates
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| STS Congressional Summit on Travel & TIA Unity Dinner |
Washington, D.C. | Feb. 23 |
| Indianapolis Golf Show - Travel | Indianapolis, IN | Feb. 27-29 |
| Travel South Showcase - Trade | Mobile, AL | Feb. 28-March 2 |
| Cleveland Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show | Cleveland, OH | March 13-21 |
| STS Spring Meeting | Memphis, TN | March 20-23 |
| NTA Spring Meet - Trade | Little Rock, AK | March 24-27 |
| STS Canadian Express - Sales Mission | Toronto, Canada | March 31-April 4 |
| Great American Road Show - Trade | Pigeon Forge, TN | April 4-April 6 |
| TIA’s Pow Wow - Trade | Los Angeles, CA | April 24-28 |
| Rocky Mt. Elk Foundations American Outdoor Experience - Consumer |
Bristol,TN | June 11-13 |
| STS Marketing College | Dahlonega, GA | Aug. 1-6 |
| TIA’s ESTO | Boston, MA | Aug. 21-24 |
| STS Annual Meeting | Atlanta, GA | Sept. 8-12 |
| Tennessee Governor’s Conference On Tourism |
Memphis, TN | Sept. 14-16 |
| Tennessee Governor’s Conference
on Economic & Community Development |
Nashville, TN | Sept. 21-23 |
| TIA Marketing Outlook Forum | Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ | Oct. 27-29 |
| Ontario Motor Coach Assoc. - Trade | Toronto, Canada | Nov. 7-10 |
| National Tourism Assoc. - Trade | Toronto, Canada | Nov. 12-16 |
| Rhythms of the South - Trade | New Orleans, LA | Dec. 2-5 |
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Dates Set for National Tourism Week Begin now to plan your promotions for National Tourism Week, set for May 8-16. Go online at www.tia.org, the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) site for a planning tool kit and themed ideas. Discussions are currently underway about the Department’s statewide promotion. |
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TIA Reports Available
The Travel Industry Association of America
(TIA) provides research information to the Department with executive
summaries of travel trends in general and segmented consumer markets.
To obtain a copy of the executive summaries, contact Patricia.Gray@state.tn.us
or call (615) 741-9004. Current summaries include:
- Travelers’ Use of the Internet, 2003
- 2003 Domestic Outlook for Travel & Tourism from 28th Annual Marketing Outlook Forum
- Europe Travel Demands: Trends & Insights, 2003
- The Minority Traveler
To obtain complete reports and other vital travel research assistance and take advantage of educational programs offered throughout the year, the Department encourages industry members to join TIA at www.tia.org or call (202) 408-8422.
Declines In Overseas Arrivals Ease In Third Quarter 2003
TIA reports total arrivals to the U.S. were
down 3.3 percent while overseas arrivals declined by four percent when
compared to the third quarter 2002. This is actually an improvement
over declines seen earlier in the year.
TIA’s latest Quarterly Market Reviews
reports this change was due to improving world economies, the decline
of the SARS threat, and the end of the heaviest fighting in Iraq.
Arrivals from Japan, although still in decline (down 12 percent over third quarter 2002), improved substantially over the second quarter. In the third quarter, Japanese consumer confidence rose and the yen continued to strengthen against the U.S. dollar. For more information go to www.tia.org.
GET THE GUIDE!
The Tennessee Vacation Guide at 800-GO2-TENN or online
www.TNvacation.com
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COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION |