
Tourism advertising wins supporters in Utah Many tourism marketers probably wish they had advocates such as Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon in their communities. Corroon’s reaction to a report that a $3.2 million TV-driven promotion generated $700 million in tourism business for Utah was this: “The message is (that) advertising works, and good advertising works even better.” News coverage about the campaign noted that Utah’s overall tourism performance in 2009 mirrored national trends but acknowledged that results would have been worse absent effective advertising. The whole campaign used print, online and TV and emphasized “value,” not in terms of price, but rather in quality and quantity of the state’s tourism assets. Haiti: Finding a travel way to help Even if you’ve already made a cash donation to help Haiti recover from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, there’s another way to help the cause, but it doesn’t involve your wallet. Do you have some spare Delta SkyMiles or some American AAdvantage miles? How about some Choice Privileges or HiltonHonors points? These travel companies and others allow you to redeem your travel credits to produce even more money for a need of a scale difficult to imagine. Examples of donation methods are at the end of this article from Consumer Traveler. Restaurant tourism: Chowing down across the nation Sometimes tourism comes on a platter . . . a big, big platter. Restaurants across the nation have made names for themselves and their communities with belly-busting challenges. Perhaps the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo is the most famous (a 72-ounce hunk of beef is free if you finish it in an hour – along with a shrimp cocktail, a salad, a potato and a roll), but Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa., is getting a lot of attention with its six-pound and 15-pound burger challenges. Smart tourism marketers know to grab a promotional opportunity when it appears in their areas . . . even if contest rules include ”You cannot throw up,” as they do at Big Pie in the Sky in Kennesaw, Ga. (11 pounds of pizza, two people, one hour). Keeping Hugh Morton’s dream alive for Grandfather Mountain Photo by Helen Hopper Sue McBean is keeping Hugh Morton’s dream alive. McBean is the first superintendent of North Carolina’s newly authorized Grandfather Mountain State Park, whose formation guarantees the mountain’s continued preservation. Morton, who was a giant in Southeastern tourism, worked for decades to preserve and protect his beloved Grandfather Mountain. The popular Grandfather Mountain attraction, where millions have enjoyed the “mile-high swinging bridge,” continues to operate as it has since the 1950s under private management alongside the new state park.	January 2010 Welcome We have transformed the look and feel of our previous industry newsletter, Tourism Talk Online, into T3: Travel and Tourism Talk. Keep up with the latest T&T news trends nationally and in the Southeast with this updated briefing. Lots of folks down South say they are happy Cartoonist Charles Schultz said happiness is a warm puppy. Journalist Eric Severeid said happiness is a cold trout. And researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say happiness is personified by Louisianans. In fact, their study says six of the top 10 states with the happiest citizens are in the Southeast. Looking ahead by looking back in Greensboro Franklin McCain will have a story to tell Feb. 1 at the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, N.C. Fifty years ago, the building was a Woolworth’s five and dime, and McCain and three others had the temerity to challenge segregation laws by sitting down at the “whites only” lunch counter. The segregation laws are gone, but the stories from Greensboro and around the world will continue to be told at the museum, which also is an archival center and teaching facility. STS News Webinar: Feb. 10, “Protecting Tourism Budget” with Dr. Steve Morse, University of Tennessee; (this news story offers some background). Free. Spring meeting: March 22-24, Nashville, Tenn. Register today. Contact STS 404.364.9847 sts@southeasttourism.org www.southeasttourism.org
Southeast Tourism Society Corporate Partners

Tourism advertising wins supporters in Utah

Many tourism marketers probably wish they had advocates such as Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon in their communities.

Corroon’s reaction to a report that a $3.2 million TV-driven promotion generated $700 million in tourism business for Utah was this: “The message is (that) advertising works, and good advertising works even better.”

News coverage about the campaign noted that Utah’s overall tourism performance in 2009 mirrored national trends but acknowledged that results would have been worse absent effective advertising. The whole campaign used print, online and TV and emphasized “value,” not in terms of price, but rather in quality and quantity of the state’s tourism assets.

Haiti: Finding a travel way to help

Even if you’ve already made a cash donation to help Haiti recover from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, there’s another way to help the cause, but it doesn’t involve your wallet.

Do you have some spare Delta SkyMiles or some American AAdvantage miles? How about some Choice Privileges or HiltonHonors points? These travel companies and others allow you to redeem your travel credits to produce even more money for a need of a scale difficult to imagine.

Examples of donation methods are at the end of this article from Consumer Traveler.

Restaurant tourism:
Chowing down across the nation

Sometimes tourism comes on a platter . . . a big, big platter. Restaurants across the nation have made names for themselves and their communities with belly-busting challenges.

Denny's Restaurant Perhaps the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo is the most famous (a 72-ounce hunk of beef is free if you finish it in an hour – along with a shrimp cocktail, a salad, a potato and a roll), but Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa., is getting a lot of attention with its six-pound and 15-pound burger challenges.

Smart tourism marketers know to grab a promotional opportunity when it appears in their areas . . . even if contest rules include ”You cannot throw up,” as they do at Big Pie in the Sky in Kennesaw, Ga. (11 pounds of pizza, two people, one hour).

Keeping Hugh Morton’s dream alive for Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain
Photo by Helen Hopper

Sue McBean is keeping Hugh Morton’s dream alive. McBean is the first superintendent of North Carolina’s newly authorized Grandfather Mountain State Park, whose formation guarantees the mountain’s continued preservation.

Morton, who was a giant in Southeastern tourism, worked for decades to preserve and protect his beloved Grandfather Mountain. The popular Grandfather Mountain attraction, where millions have enjoyed the “mile-high swinging bridge,” continues to operate as it has since the 1950s under private management alongside the new state park.

January 2010

Welcome

We have transformed the look and feel of our previous industry newsletter, Tourism Talk Online, into T3: Travel and Tourism Talk. Keep up with the latest T&T news trends nationally and in the Southeast with this updated briefing.

Lots of folks down South say they are happy

Cartoonist Charles Schultz said happiness is a warm puppy. Journalist Eric Severeid said happiness is a cold trout. And researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say happiness is personified by Louisianans. In fact, their study says six of the top 10 states with the happiest citizens are in the Southeast.

Looking ahead by looking back in Greensboro

Franklin McCain will have a story to tell Feb. 1 at the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, N.C.

Fifty years ago, the building was a Woolworth’s five and dime, and McCain and three others had the temerity to challenge segregation laws by sitting down at the “whites only” lunch counter. The segregation laws are gone, but the stories from Greensboro and around the world will continue to be told at the museum, which also is an archival center and teaching facility.

STS News

Webinar: Feb. 10, “Protecting Tourism Budget” with Dr. Steve Morse, University of Tennessee; (this news story offers some background). Free.

Spring meeting: March 22-24, Nashville, Tenn. Register today.

Contact STS

404.364.9847
sts@southeasttourism.org
www.southeasttourism.org

Southeast Tourism Society Corporate Partners

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