My first job in the tourism industry was as a travel agent in England way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. At that time everyone booked their annual vacations from printed travel brochures, or catalogs. This wasn’t something that happened just in England, but across the world. The books for next year’s vacation started arriving … Continue reading November 2019
Tourism is always changing. Trends develop, fashions change, generations have different goals. These all alter the way destination management organizations (a fancy name for tourist boards, visitors bureaus and similar bodies) promote their destinations. Effectively, how they ‘sell’ their areas to potential visitors. However, things are changing there too. Many DMOs around the world are … Continue reading October 2019
It is said that travel broadens the mind. Why is that? Traveling shows you parts of the world that are different from your own and allows you to mix with people who have different cultures, ideas and ways of life. Meeting and living with those folks allows you to appreciate their views, food and experiences. … Continue reading September 2019
July, and we’re in the middle of the peak summer tourist season here on the Northern Gulf Coast. If you live here, you’ll recognize the signs of the busy season – the difficulties of getting along the roads (think of Highway 98 anywhere along the coast), trying to find a table at your favorite restaurant … Continue reading July 2019
Most months the Let’s Talk Tourism column here in Conexión looks at what’s happening in the tourism world, the latest trends or what brings people to our area on the Gulf Coast. This month, I wanted to concentrate on what we locals are aiming to do for our vacations. This came about because we’ve had … Continue reading June 2019
Where do you stay when you go on vacation? What sort of accommodation experience are you looking for? Once the choices were fairly simple, this hotel or another hotel, but these days there are wide variety of options that depend on your expectations and needs. Here on the Northern Gulf Coast much of the accommodation … Continue reading May 2019
I’m writing this sitting in an airport waiting for a flight. It’s a good place to think about traveling and what motivates us where to travel and how to travel. Back in The Good Old Days I suppose most people read through guide books and spoke to travel agents. There were also the catalogs and … Continue reading
The tourism calendar for 2019 is moving on fast. We’ve been through the Snowbird Season which starts around the end of November and really gets into stride from right after New Year. As the Snowbirds begin to go back to Northern climes the Spring Breakers start to arrive, and the families who come for Easter … Continue reading March 2019
Back in 2012 I was lucky enough to be invited on a Visit Florida media mission to Europe. The concept behind these missions is to educate the overseas media and tourism industry about all the great things to do in Florida. This trip included 10 tourism people representing destinations across the whole state. Most of … Continue reading February 2019
Here’s the Conexión article for January 2019. Hope you enjoy it! First and foremost: “Happy New Year!” I hope your holiday period was enjoyable and that you enjoy a happy and prosperous 2019. What will the New Year bring us from a tourism point of view? I have been looking at the trends, doing some … Continue reading Conexión Florida – January