What was your career path?
I started in this business in Tyler, Texas in 1977, running the CVB for the Tyler Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Rose Festival. I went from there back to west Texas (where I grew up) to oversee the Odessa CVB. California drew me away in 1986, where I served as Director of the Oxnard CVB and executive director of the Solvang CVB. I also served as chairman of the Central Coast Tourism council and on the boards of the California Travel Industry Association and the Western Association of CVBs. I came to the Space Coast in 1994.
What is your organization's biggest asset/tourist attraction/event?Kennedy Space Center is our largest man-made admission attraction. Our 72 miles of beaches is our biggest natural attraction. Port Canaveral has become one of our greatest assets.
What is The Space Coast's biggest challenge in attracting tourists?Our challenge is turning day visitors to the Space Center and our beaches into future overnight visitors. We have been successful in turning cruise passengers into overnight visitors through aggressive packaging with our local hotel industry.
How do you convey the message of tourism to your local legislatures?Through solid research studies, we show the value of tourism all the way down to the tax dollars generated by tourism. Bringing in outside strategy specialists like Randall Travel Marketing has helped position us as the authority on tourism issues.
What trends do you see in the state?More destinations around the state are chasing the Florida resident market. The meetings business continues to see a downturn, putting more pressure on larger cities' room rates.
Is the state/region experiencing an economic downturn, tourism-wise?Yes, Florida continues to see a negative decline in room sales. Flat is the new up. We are building more co-op marketing programs than before. We partner with three diffent hotel associations, four chambers of commerce, several city economic development and redevelopment agencies, and numerous cultural events and attractions. We have combined our media buying power with these entities and major retail and attraction businesses to negotiate the best rates for billboards, TV, radio, newspaper and Internet promotions.
Green Tourism: Here to stay or a passing fad?
Green Tourism will continue to expand as long as it makes financial sense and can be shown to have positively impacted sustainable tourism. In today's economic environment, doing something just because it makes you feel good doesn't justify the expense. Businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and, in a lot of cases, keep afloat.
How do you personally measure success?My personal success is the relationships I have with family and friends. Business success is measured as solid, trustworthy relationships building strong business. I try to always stress the value of delivering more than you promised.
You are the new chairman of STS; what do you hope to accomplish?I would like to see STS gain a solid financial footing through strong membership and business partnership development. I believe STS has developed core products that have value for a far wider audience than we currently serve. I believe we can develop mutually beneficial partnerships with other regional organizations in the Southeast and beyond that could strengthen our message and solidify our leadership position.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?I like to write. I had a weekly newspaper column in Tyler that people said reminded them of Erma Bombeck. I have written two books of fiction; one is a children's book for one of my best friend's ten-year-old daughter, Amy. The tears in Amy's eyes when I presented it to her was all the payment I needed. Now, she has a seven-year-old daughter and I am gearing up for her book. I do have a couple other books in mind for when I retire.
You may reach Rob Varley at RVHOWDY@aol.com
For more information: http://www.space-coast.com.