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The latest data and tables from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) for July 2022 show us that, while we have a long way to go to increase to 2019 levels the number of overseas visitor arrivals to the U.S, the figures from key source markets—such as Europe—are growing steadily.
Non-U.S. Citizen Air Passenger Arrivals to the United States from foreign countries, totaled 4.243 million, +112 percent compared to July 2021 and (minus 30.0 percent) compared to June 2019.
U.S. Citizen Air Passenger Departures from the United States to foreign countries totaled 6.230 million, +67 percent compared to July 2021 and only (-3.5 percent) compared to July 2019.
Top U.S. ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 2.96 million, Miami (MIA) 2.02 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 1.85 million, Newark (EWR) 1.38 million and Chicago (ORD) 1.32 million.
Top foreign ports serving U.S. locations were: London Heathrow (LHR) 1.53 million, Cancun (CUN) 1.22 million, Toronto (YYZ) 970k, Paris (CDG) 757k, and Mexico City (MEX) 735k.
With the exception of the presence of Colombia, the first half of the list of the Top 20 overseas source markets below is gradually returning to what they were in pre-pandemic days. However, China is nowhere to be found.
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Countries
Country of Residence & Rank
Total Top 20 Overseas Countries
Year-to-Date Through Month of July 2022
% Change vs. same period 2021
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by
INBOUND reminds the reader that, if you find that you want to dig deeper into your data collection and analysis program, you might want to contact David Huether at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). He is deputy director for research, and he can probably help you point your venture in the right direction. You can reach him here: [email protected]
Watch What Happens at the Congress
Alina Xiang, president and CEO of East West Marketing, a well-known tourism marketing company with central offices in China, India and the USA, posted a brief commentary of what one might expect from next month’s once-every-five-years Congress of China’s Communist Party will let us know if tourism—both domestic and international—a will be a priority. INBOUND joined the post by adding some of its own observations and history.)
—If it seems that nothing is happening with the Chinese inbound travel market of late, you’re partly right. That’s because everyone interested in the market has been waiting for the announcement of the dates full Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which takes place every five years, to be set.  That took place last week.
—Along with the dates of the Congress China’s presidential election was announced and set for this October 16-22, 2022. With election dates now public, the Chinese travel and tourism industry is eagerly awaiting the start of a new term and hoping for big changes regarding China’s outbound tourism policies.
—Why is China’s presidential election significant to the global tourism industry? The past two predecessors of Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China, both served two five-year terms. However, in 2018, while Xi was in his second term, he amended the party constitution to remove all term limits giving him the opportunity for a third-term.
—The Xinhua News Agency, or New China News Agency—the official state news agency of the People’s Republic of China—has reported that, “the Congress will thoroughly review the international and domestic situations, comprehensively grasp the new requirements for the development of the cause of the Party and the country on the new journey in the new era, as well as the new expectations of the people.”
—Diplomatic relations are more important than ever given President Xi’s commitment to Covid-zero and the country’s significant control on inbound and outbound travel. For instance, Israel’s Tourism Minister recently shared Israel’s goal of 10 million Chinese tourists annually by 2030, calling Chinese tourists an “economic anchor for the state.” Re-establishing direct flights is the only way to meet such ambitious tourism goals and diplomatic relations will play a critical role in such cooperation. Israel and China publicly announced they are working on reinstating flights by the end of the year.
—While Independent Chinese travelers tend to be less politically sensitive and are more concerned about safety, it’s imperative for destinations and travel brands to be mindful of the current political climate and to keep long-term goals in mind. Having a direct line of communication to Chinese trade partners and consumers on social is essential. Do not let diplomatic tensions dictate your brand story.
—Elsewhere, the signals have been sent that, at long last, it is time for a recovery of the Chinese travel market, following a really rough period of activity during the first part of the year. Now, the domestic tourism industry has begun to improve its station, and it seems as if the Chinese government is making it easier should, and when, outbound international travel from the country resumes at pre-pandemic levels.
—We all should watch to see what kind of near-term future Chinese government has in mind for tourism. It was two Congresses ago (2012), the government announced an aggressive program of incentives aimed at making the industry an instrument of economic development. Will we find out if the government has any major plans for tourism infrastructure improvements (especially with regard to airports) and promotion to continue improvement of China’s tourism product.
TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● Have amusement parks really become cheap day-care centers for teenagers? (From the Washington Post, Aug. 30) “Explaining the decision to raise prices at the Six Flags amusement park chain, Selim Bassoul told financial analysts earlier this month that inexpensive tickets turned parks into “cheap day-care center for teenagers.” Attendance fell as the company shed small spenders in favor of bigger-budget customers. ‘I’m migrating a little bit from what I call the Kmart, Walmart, to maybe the Target customer,’ said Bassoul, who took over the top job in November.” Click here for complete article.
● Major U.S. carriers are at the top among world’s airlines, says global ranking service. Here are some details:
—American Airlines leads the US majors in taking the top four slots in Cirium’s World Airline Passenger Ranking for 2021
—Ryanair retains its spot as Europe’s largest airline as low-cost carriers climb the ranking.
—Familiar names from Europe and Southeast Asia plunge as travel restrictions bite and long-haul markets remain weak. Click here for more news release.
● Who’s at the top of New York’s most expensive hotels? The Latin American travel trade publication, REPORTUR, carried out a survey in the main online travel agencies of the hotels with the most expensive rooms in dollars per day for the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. One supposes that there aren’t any group quotes to be had. Here are the Top 10:
Baccarat Hotel and Residences New York: $1,840
Mandarin Oriental New York: $1,725
The Ritz-Carlton New York: $1,610
The Peninsula New York: $1,517
The Pierre, A Taj Hotel: $1,477
The St. Regis New York: $1,433
Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards New York City: $1,146
Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown: $1,132
The Latin American travel trade sector sometimes doesn’t have channels of communication that necessarily make it to North America, as it does in this instance. Just recently, Travel2Latam* wrote about TravelBoom‘s 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study. (TravelBoom, a data-driven digital marketing agency for hotels, resorts, and vacation rental companies, is based in Myrtle Beach, S.C.) TravelBoom’s study surveyed more than 2,000 travelers in 2022.
The results reveal surprising changes in travel planning and booking behavior that are affected by rising costs, the broader economy, ongoing risks from COVID-19 and technology. The study examines the mindset and behavior of travelers from the inception of the idea of ​​traveling to how they interact with their chosen destinations before, during and after their stay. It also displays vital metrics and pinpoints guest booking preferences and behavior changes from year to year. Some of its findings follow:
Price matters, as 36 percent of travelers say they may cancel planned vacations due to budget issues.
Travelers are doing more research online, as the average traveler visits 5.5 websites during their booking process and does more research than ever before.
In the wake of COVID-19 and a global pandemic, the factors that affect travel plans are changing. Transportation costs, amenities, and loyalty programs are just a few of the factors that can affect a traveler’s decision.
COVID-19 continues to influence travel. Fifty-five percent of the population still consider the pandemic before booking a trip. Only 13.5 percent of U.S. leisure travelers say COVID-19 is a major influence on travel, compared to 45 percent of Canadian travelers. Showing that COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on international travel.
Reviews have never been more important to travelers choosing where to stay. Eighty-two percent of travelers will not book a property without reading reviews first.
Vacation rental sites are taking a bite out of online travel agencies (OTAs). VRBO and Airbnb are growing significantly in usage, at the expense of OTAs like Expedia.
“Leisure travel continues to be one of the hardest hit industries in the post-pandemic period and consumers are acutely aware of inflation, lingering COVID-19 concerns, coupled with high expectations for destinations and accommodations,” said Pete DiMaio, TravelBoom’s chief operating officer. “Our annual Leisure Travel Trends study allows us to better understand the consumer mindset and shopping journey so we can tailor our marketing strategies for greater impact.”
* Travel2Latam is based in Miami, which is regarded in much of South and Central America as a Latin American hub.)
Click here for the complete article.
Best to disconnect; soul reviving digital detox—Red River Gorgeous, Red River Gorge, Kentucky: To get off the beaten path, check out the treehouse offerings from Red River Gorgeous, with stays in Stanton, Campton and more, ranging from traditional to the unique. For a romantic getaway, try The Observatory, featuring a glass bedroom perfect for stargazing. Bring the whole family and stay in Dome Town, a series of three geodesic domes. (mycabin.com)
Best for an urban wellness hideaway—The Peabody Memphis (Memphis Tennessee) Since 1869, the Peabody Memphis hotel has pampered guests with unmatched Southern hospitality, elegant rooms and world-class service. The Feathers Spa at The Peabody is a premiere destination for indulgent spa treatments, Tennessee’s only Vichy shower bed with steam massage, chromo light therapy, and aromatherapy for a multi-sensory hydrotherapy body treatment. It’s an urban weekend oasis waiting to happen. (peabodymemphis.com)
Best for catching up on sleep—CIVANA Wellness Report and Spa, Carefree, Arizona (Phoenix, Arizona) Wellness is the balance between healthiness and happiness. Like other destination wellness resorts, CIVANA has the healthy aspects covered: nutrition, fitness, rest, healing. The CIVANA difference is emphasis on the heart … and that separates “healthy and happy.” We never want to forget that the wellness journey is as personal as one’s own happiness and one’s unique sense of wellbeing, joy, and fulfillment. (Civanacarefree.com)
Captain Whidbey Inn—Whidbey Island, Washington: Overlooking the waters of Penn Cove on Whidbey Island, the historic Captain Whidbey Inn is tucked into old growth evergreens—a sanctuary of quiet solitude and communion with the natural world. Vogue magazine says. “Stepping into the Captain Whidbey does feel like entering another (highly curated) era, a return to the slower days of summer camp.” Stay in a cabin on the waterfront, fall into a deep sleep to the sounds of lapping waves. (captainwhidbey.com)
For more information on how to partner with TheTourOperator.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Senior Director of TheTourOperator and Partner Engagement for Connect Travel.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Lynn Bruni-Perkins has been named executive vice president and chief marketing officer of San Francisco Travel. A veteran of more than 15 years with the organization, she most recently service as senior vice president, global marketing communications. “She is a leader who will take our marketing to new heights and continue to hasten the recovery of tourism business to the San Francisco Bay Area,” said San Francisco Travel President & CEO Joe D’Allesandro.
SFA, the entity that owns and operates Saks Fifth Avenue stores, has appointed Kathleen Shea to the newly created role of vice president, travel and tourism strategy. Shea brings a wealth of tourism industry knowledge, with more than 20 years of senior sales and marketing experience within luxury travel. Shea previously served as vice president of sales at SaksWorks, a flexible and elevated life and work spaces business. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at both the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and TAJ Hotels Resorts and Palaces
Camping World has announced the promotion of Brenda Wintrow to the role of senior vice president of field operations. Wintrow joined Camping World in 2007 as a business development manager and served in a variety of leadership roles during her tenure—such as regional director of business development, and national director of ecommerce. Her experience has led to executive roles such as vice president of sales and business development and most recently, senior vice president of sales and customer experience
Brand USA recently recruited Cat Reith for the post of senior director, partner marketing programs. She joined the organization from GutCheck, a Denver-based global online market research organization, where she was director, project management. She also spent ten years at Phocuswright, a global travel market research company, where she oversaw custom and special projects, including projects for Brand USA.
Visit Albuquerque has welcomed Scott Craighead, a veteran of more than two decades in the field of association management, as its new vice president of sales, services and sports. Craighead comes to the role from his position as vice president of exhibitions and events, at the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. He also brings extensive experience working with destination marketing organizations and has implemented many event- and marketplace-related initiatives. In his new role at Visit Albuquerque, Craighead will oversee the sales, services and sports division, responsible for generating qualified meeting, convention, sports and group tour leads.
Melinda “Mindy” Meade Meyers has been selected by the National Park Hospitality Association (NPHA) as the organization’s new executive director. NPHA represents businesses key to great park experiences by more than 100 million national park visitors annually, providing National Park Service-approved and supervised services that include lodging, food, transportation, retail and recreation and guiding services in more than 100 park units.
Ian Simkins, a former head of Audley Travel, has been named as chair of Saga’s cruise operation. Simkins was previously chair of luxury villa specialist The Thinking Traveller and the Inside Travel Group which specializes in tailor-made trips to Japan and Asia.
Rob Greyber has been appointed chief executive of Vacasa, a leading North American vacation rental management platform. He comes to the job with 20 years of experience building and leading companies in the travel and technology industries. He recently served as president of Egencia, a corporate travel business previously owned by Expedia Group. Greyber is succeeding current CEO Matt Roberts in a succession planning process that commenced earlier this year.
Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock recently that announced Jessica Welch will lead the Delaware Tourism Office. Welch most recently served as communications director of the Delaware Division of Small Business. Her resumé also notes that she was a reporter for Delaware State News.
Apple Leisure Group (ALG), a well-known North American resort brand management, leisure travel and hospitality group, part of Hyatt, has announced the appointment of Sergio Rascón as vice president of development. Based in Mexico City, Rascón leverages over 20 years of professional experience in the real estate financial services and investment management industries. He now becomes part of the ALG Development team, which operates in the U.S. from the company’s headquarters in Newtown Square, Penn. and Miami, Fla., as well as in-country throughout the world.
Tauck, the widely known escorted tours spedcialist, has reappointed Tom Dumbrell as national account manager for UK and Ireland. Dumbrell first joined the Tauck team in January 2020, but was laid off four months later during the first COVID lockdown. “Tauck is a family-owned company with nearly 100 years of experience and journeys across seven continents in 100 different destinations, offering unique, exclusive access and closer connections,” said Dumbrell. “I’m delighted to be back. I look forward to connecting with those with existing Tauck business.” During his two or so years away from the business, Dumbrell found time to write a series of books, entitled the Pillars of Peace Trilogy.
Hotelbeds has announced the appointment of Pippa Williamson as its new vice president, commercial, for APAC. Based in Hong Kong, she will lead all core commercial activities across the region while growing the relationships with Hotelbeds’ suppliers and clients across APAC. Williamson has had an extensive career in the APAC hospitality sector. With almost twenty years of experience in standout commercial leadership positions, She has worked with some of the world’s leading hotel companies like Marriot, Starwood Hotels, and most recently, Shangri-la.
Zeek Coleman is departing ADARA Inc., where he was head of marketing—tourism and hospitality, to join the team at Tourism Economics as vice president, Americas. Prior to his tenure at ADARA, Coleman was director of data intelligence at Visit Savannah, where he served for more than ten-and-a-half years.
NYC & Company has announced that Tiffany Townsend has been appointed executive vice president, global communications. Townsend rejoins NYC & Company after a decade working across leading private and public sector organizations; she will oversee the domestic and international communications teams as well as corporate communications and crisis communications in her new role. Townsend comes to NYC & Company from the Biden-Harris administration, where she served as a senior advisor with the U.S. Small Business Administration in the Office of Government Contracting & Business Development. She has formerly held positions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York City Council, the New York Wheel, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. She previously worked for NYC & Company from 2007–2012, most recently as vice president, communications & government affairs.
Following are tour and travel industry jobs as posted by the recruiting firm, Searchwide Global. For more information, go their site, Searchwideglobal.com and click on JOBS.
CEO, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence
General manager, Charlotte Convention Center
Vice president of enterprise sales, American Society of Association Executives
Director of communications, Santa Monica Travel & Toursim
Sales manager, Sage Hospitality Group
Senior vice president of community engagement & public affairs, Visit Seattle
Northeast director of sales, Luxury Hospitality Global Group Sales Organization
Senior director of human resources & culture, Destinations International
Vice president, business development, Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
President & CEO, Springfield (Mo) Convention & Visitors Bureau
Executive director, Explore Sisters, The Gateway to the Cascades
National sales manager, Experience Scottsdale
Executive director, Explore Butte County
President & CEO, Fredericksburg CVB, Texas Hill Country
Senior vice president, integrated marketing, Brand USA
Chief marketing officer, Visit Williamsburg
Executive director, Visit Walla Walla
Director of the Film & Creative Industries Office, Visit Dallas
President & CEO, Visit Bath (Virginia)
Executive director, Pacific County Tourism Bureau
Director of group sales, Visit Vancouver WA
General manager, Los Angeles Convention Center
Chief executive officer, Discover Santa Clara™
Vice president of sales, Bermuda Tourism Authority
General manager, Moscone Center, San Francisco
Vice president of sales, Visit Wichita
Readers might want to check out the linkedin site for jobs. There are usually hundreds of job descriptions and links, which are updated regularly. Some samples of jobs include these:
Director of Market Research Meet Minneapolis
Remote Vacation Specialist Travel Adventure Solutions
Adventure Guide, Adventures by Disney Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
Remote Travel Coordinator My Magical Travels
Senior Marketing Manager LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Check out TheTravelVertical. Hundreds of jobs largely having to do with travel and tourism leadership positions, or in the digital side of the industry, can be found in this sister publication of the INBOUND Report.
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Filed Under: Complete Issue, Connect Travel, News
Complete Issue August 24, 2022
August 23, 2022 by Tom Berrigan
Spending by Brits in the international travel and hospitality category fell during the peak travel month of July (vs. June), according to Barclaycard, as consumers reduced spending—according to some key metrics. Increased inflation took its toll, reported as debit and credit card data from Barclaycard showed the following:
Overall spending was 7.7. percent in the month, compared to June—while it fell 3.8 percent at travel agencies and 3 percent at airlines.
According to Barclaycard, “This is likely due to the ongoing disruption across the aviation sector, as well as the 20 percent of Brits who are choosing not to summer holiday abroad this year, and the 16 percent instead opting to take a break in the UK … The popularity of staycations is driving spend in the hotels, resorts and accommodation category, which grew 1.9 per cent compared to June.”
Said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Sales improved in July as the heatwave boosted sales of hot weather essentials.”
“However, with inflation at over 9 percent, many retailers are still contending with falling sales volumes during what remains an incredibly difficult trading period,” she noted, adding, “Consumer confidence remains weak, and the rise in interest rates coupled with talk of recession will do little to improve the situation.” For the complete article on the above, click here.
The number of Brits who are inclined to go abroad for work is increasing.
According to the results of a survey from London-based Small Business Prices, which focuses on economic data trends, those surveyed who already worked abroad were asked about their desire to work abroad again.
The results found that, overall, 72 percent would do it abroad again in the future.
The highest percentage of respondents who would like to work abroad again was in the 36-44 age range, at 79 percent.
Asked about their reasons for wanting to work abroad again: Sixty-three percent wanted to experience a different culture, and 63 percent think they’d have a better life. As well, 53 percent cited cheaper cost of living.
Just 24 percent of respondents though moving abroad would affect their career negatively.
According to Radical Storage, a luggage storage network, 44,000 British employees moved abroad in 2020 for work.
New Travel Jobs in UK Setting Records: Recently released figures from London-based C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment show that the number of those placed in tourism is “off the charts.” For example, the total number of July job placements was the highest figure for the month since C&M’s job index began in 2012. It increased 149 percent from July 2021, 74 percent from July 2019, 49 percent from July 2018, 5 percent from July 2017 and 8 percent from July 2016.
CEM said July traditionally sees a soft reduction in activity, but last month’s total number of travel job placements was 5 percent higher than June 2022 and the fifth highest level since November 2017. There’s more:
July 2022 was the first-time vacancies, placements and new candidates all increased compared to the previous month since July 2012.
However, the number of new candidates searching for travel jobs last month was 24 percent lower than in July 2021, but 45 percent higher than in July 2019.
Also, the number of new travel jobs created in July 2022 declined 19 percent vs. July 2021 but increased by 14 percent vs. July 2019.
Observed Barbara Kolosinska, managing director of CEM, “With the summer holidays in full swing, July traditionally results in a dip in activity, but July 2022 actually saw vacancies, placements and new candidates all rise from the previous month.
“This is the first time this has happened since July 2012 and demonstrates the sheer level of demand that the travel industry has for talent at the moment,” she added. “August is usually the industry’s quietest month for recruitment outside of December, so it will be interesting to see if it also defies historical trends, and early indicators suggest that it will be another very healthy month.”
(For complete article on the above, click here.
Not all Brit holidaymakers are worried about their carbon footprint. Results of a recently conducted survey indicate that more than half of British vacationers are “not worried” about the impact of their carbon footprint.
Of the 2,000 adults surveyed by No 1 Currency between 25-28 July, less than half (43 percent) said they were concerned about what effect their travel choices were having on the environment.
According to the study, men (at 59 percent) are more likely to be unconcerned by their holiday’s carbon footprint than women (54 percent), while younger adults are more likely to be more anxious about the planet than older travelers.
Fifty-nine percent of 18- to 24-year-olds said they were worried, compared to 34 percent of over-65s, according to the research from No 1 Currency.
Simon Phillips, managing director at No 1 Currency, said: “The government must work harder to get its climate change message across to holidaymakers, and it clearly needs to do more to help travelers better understand their carbon footprint as they finally get to take a break.
Phillips also noted that No1 Currency data “confirms how most people like to unwind while on holiday. And for many, ‘getting away from it all’ also means forgetting all the troubles of the world. But they may not be fully aware of the carbon cost of their holiday.”
According the GlobalData’s latest numbers, the UK’s outbound travel figures are estimated to reach 86.9 million by 2024. This would surpass the 84.7 million trips recorded in 2019 in spite of so many troublesome factors. Inexpensive travel, especially in Spain, is expected to be the most popular outbound destination. The report—United Kingdom Source Tourism Insight, 2022 Update—points out that the recovery in outbound tourism follows a weak 2020 and 2021, where lower traveler confidence and strict Covid-19 measures saw the UK’s outbound tourism numbers shrink to a fraction of those for 2019. Click here to read TTG’s article on the subject.
Ever since the U.S. government announced last October that—effective, Nov. 8, 2021— it was lifting restrictions on inbound international travel from the EU, UK and other key markets, tour operators and the travel trade as a whole have demonstrated that they were as ready as any component of the industry in its ability to re-start the marketing and promotion of the Visit USA product.
In order to check the pulse of how the industry was doing, the travel trade media somehow managed to conduct the same monthly surveys of travel retailers (even if there wasn’t much to sell) and be ready for the distribution channels to operate in a way that resembles normalcy once travel returned to regular levels. It must have worked because, of all overseas markets who sell the U.S., Germany ranks No. 3 in traffic to the USA for the first six months of 2022.
While no one in the travel trade in Germany is guilty of over-optimism, one still detects a certain kind of confidence that sales levels and passenger traffic to North America from Germany could reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. At least, this is the sense one gets in reading the account of the recent conversation between Matthew Gurtler of the German travel trade journal Touristik Aktuell, and Dr. Ingo Burmester, CEO of Der Touristik, the No. 2 travel company in Germany. The interview took place at Der Touristik’s Frankfurt headquarters.
Following is selection of some of the points that came up during their discussion. (Caution, the account relied on a Google translation.)
For now, said Burmester, three major trends are already emerging: first, “rediscovery” of long-distance travel; second, the dominance of sunny destinations—even for long-term stays—and third, the continuing “great desire for flexibility.”
The desire of Germans to travel is unabated and will give the industry a strong winter. Germany’s second largest travel group, DER Touristik, is convinced of this. In any case, CEO Ingo Burmester is optimistic about the cold weather season for his brands Dertour, Jahn Reisen, ITS and Meiers Weltreisen.
Long-distance routes account for around 60 percent of all bookings for the winter, Burmester explained. This corresponds to the usual booking situation before the pandemic and confirms “the new normality that we have been seeing since the beginning of summer.”
Even on medium-haul routes, the desired destinations of Germans do not differ from those of the pre-COVED times: the Canary Islands, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.
“People can’t get enough of sun and sea and the easy holiday feeling that beach destinations give them,” said Burmester. There is a great need, “that summer-sun-carefree feeling in winter, too, to preserve.”
—DER Touristik, Burmester said, also has its sights set on affluent best agers* who want to reduce their heating costs and boost that holiday feeling. There are a number of long-term offers for them, some of which can be combined with other discounts such as early bird discounts and 55-plus discounts.
* Persons aged between 49-80 years old. It is said that 40 percent of the German population are older than 49 years of age.
Click here to read the full article.
Retail Tally for July 2022 vs 2021 & 2019
The current key figures are from the German travel industry through Frankfurt-based ta.ts.
The overall totals show that the retail industry’s business have greatly improved—especially when measured against 2020 and 2021, both of which suffered from the pandemic. The numbers are still down against 2019 which, however, was a record year for more than half of the Top 20 overseas source markets for Visit USA traffic. Next year just might be a year when business returns to normalcy. Meanwhile, the numbers.
The invoiced total turnover of the travel agencies recorded in the “ta.ts Reisebürospiegel” (or ta.ts travel agency mirror) was up 131.2 percent last month compared to the same month in 2021, and it was down 18.3 percent compared to July 2019.
The invoiced tourism turnover in July showed an increase of 112.4 percent compared to 2021. Compared to July 2019, the invoiced tourism turnover was down 14.1 percent.
Air traffic revenue for the month was up 173.8 percent vs. 2021. As of July 2019, air traffic revenue was down 23.5 percent.
Other sales were up 92.1 percent in July 2022 vs. 2021 and down 14.9 percent vs. 2019.
The number of tickets was up 69.9 percent compared to July 2021 and down 47.6 percent compared to July 2019.
Revenue from the tourism sub-division cruises was up 249.4 percent in July compared to 2021 and down 23.5 percent compared to July 2019.
Cumulatively, the total invoiced travel agency turnover in the months from January to July is up 295.1 percent compared to 2021. For the period January to July vs. 2019, the cumulative invoiced travel agency turnover was minus 30.3 percent.
Tourism recorded an increase of 318.5 percent compared to 2021 and minus 27.0 percent compared to 2019.
Air traffic recorded an increase of 317.0 percent vs. 2021 and compared to 2019 a decrease of 34.8 percent.
Other sales showed an increase of 186.4 percent compared to 2021 and a minus 19.1 percent compared to 2019.
The number of tickets had an increase of 226.8 percent compared to 2021 and minus 47.9 percent compared to 2019.
The cruise sub-sector shows a cumulative increase of 402.7 percent compared to 2021 or a minus of 33.3 percent compared to 2019
New York City Remains Global Favorite
“Ain’t it wonderful to be
Where I’ve always wanted to be?
For the first time, I’ll breathe free here in New York City”
From “I guess the Lord must be in New York City”—Harry Nielsen, 1969
In long-haul international travel, the regular order (that is, as it was pre-pandemic), seems to be taking shape again—with the exception, that is, of some key Asian destinations. This means, according to the latest research from the Expedia Group that, across the broad spectrum of global destinations, there were more bookings from more regions for NYC. And as the table below affirms, New York was indeed a top destination for travelers in all regions.
According to Expedia’s “2022 Q2 Traveler Insights Report,” North America, as a world regional destination, saw an increase in search activity. Canada, for instance, continued to lead search increases in Q2, as both an origin country and a destination country. Comparing June 2022 to April 2022, inter-province searches were up 10 percent, while searches from the U.S. to Canada increased 20 percent during the quarter.
Travelers in other regions were also enthusiastic about visiting North America. Globally, Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Diego saw the strongest growth in Q2 demand between April and June.
Elsewhere, the APAC region experienced consistent week-over-week international search growth throughout the quarter, with double-digit growth in May and June. In addition, following the June 10 announcement that the U.S. was lifting COVID-19 testing requirements, APAC saw another lift in searches, with Australians and New Zealanders showing the most enthusiasm and leading to double-digit growth for searches to the U.S.
Top 10 Booked Destinations
Second Quarter of 2022
For North American Travelers
7. Rio de Janeiro
*Jeju Island, South Korea
Click here to access Expedia’s “Traveler Insights: Comparing Trends in Each Region During Q2 2022”
What’s New and Cool
Here is this issue of INBOUND’s sample of new and/or cool attractions and experiences as they appear in the current annual issue of TheTourOperator.com.
Grand Canyon Adventures: One of Northern Arizona’s premier eco-friendly tour operators creates customer tours with everything sustainable in mind. Experience majestic surroundings while protecting it for years to come. (dothecanyon.com)
Santa Monica California—Pacific Wheel at Santa Monica Pier: One of the world’s “Coolest Ferris Wheels,” the 13-story landmark is the world’s first and only solar-powered Ferris Wheel. The Ferris Wheel’s 174,00 energy-efficient LED lights create a 85-foot high computer-generated light show for the enjoyment of nighttime beach-goers. (santamonica.com/what-to-do/pacific-park)
Louisiana’s Northshore: Pearl—River Swamp Tours: Explore the Honey Island Swamp with guides who reveal facts about magnificent flora, fauna, and wild life while navigating the swamp waters. Passionate and dedicated to educating visitors about the ecosystem and its preservation. (Pearlriverecotours.com)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: With more than 100 parks, squares and recreation sites across Philadelphia, enjoying the outdoors is a walk in the park. Go for a stroll, run, or bike ride on the Schuykill River Trail—named one of the nation’s best river walks by USA Today. Explore the 2,000-plus green acres of Fairmount Park, one of the largest urban park systems in the country, kick back at a seasonal pop-up park or beer garden. (discoverphl.com/things-to-do/outdoors)
Bellingham, Washington—In Bellingham’s Squalicum Harbor, the boats bob effortlessly on the waves and Still Life Massage and Float invites you to find the ultimate water relaxation. Escape gravity in a flotation tank at this wellness clinic. Recline in body temperature water with 1,200 pounds of Epson salt to de-stress and be still. (stilllifemassage.com/float-therapy)
TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● From Dezan Shira & Associates, we have their latest China Briefing, which is a nearly 3,000-word article on the latest travel trends in China. In the current issue, there is a focus on a number of topics. Two of those included are: “Family Traveling at its Peak,” and “Expect a Wave of Outbound Travel.” Click here to access to the full article. The company has offices in China, ASEAN, and India as well as Europe and North America.
Family Traveling at its Peak: Chinese travelers are instead opting for different plans based on needs and preferences, giving rise to more family vacations, healthcare tours, and research trips. In particular, “parent-child tourism” has gained momentum throughout 2021 and 2022, along with the steady revival of the national tourism industry.
Expect a Wave of Outbound Travel: Also, according to recent forecasts, a ‘strong wave’ of outbound travel from China will start up again in 2023, returning to its pre-pandemic levels by 2024. Such predictions are backed by plans announced by the country’s aviation regulator, which has issued a five-year development plan, with a strong focus on expanding domestic flights and restoring international air travel by 2025
● No surprise, the expectations for three major Asian markets for the rest of this year are nil. From CAPA (Centre for Aviation), comes this item: “While the region had initial been expected to be one of the fastest to recover during 2021, the combination of disparate national responses to COVID-19, long border closures and other restrictions, and the imposition of burdensome travel requirements, have meant that international tourism in the Asia Pacific has remained at a near standstill.” The region’s three largest outbound travel markets—China, Japan and South Korea—have been among the slowest major markets to recover. Read the complete article here.
● United States is the top international destination among Mexican travelers, followed by Canada and Spain. New York and Miami also appear independently in fourth and fifth place alongside France. Commenting on these findings, the trade journal TravelPulse said that this U.S. travel trend demonstrates a gradual recovery of consumer confidence towards the possibility of traveling in the short term, without the risk of COVID-19. Among the reasons that motivated such trips were: the perception that the opportunity of the trip would not be repeated; escape the confinement during the pandemic, visits to relatives; and the replacement of international travels instead of nationals.
Fifty-two percent of those who traveled from the beginning of the pandemic outbreak until November 2020 hired a traditional travel agency, while the remaining 48 percent preferred online digital platforms.
These data are part of an analysis entitled “Perceptions and attitudes of Mexican travelers in post-Covid-19 times” by Dr. Francisco Madrid Flores, general director of the Center for Research and Tourism Competitiveness of Anahuac University (CICOTUR). The findings are based on a questionnaire applied to 1,355 people—between November and December 2020, with the second phase taking place in May 2021—by students from the Anahuac University and representatives of CICOTUR. Click here to read the complete article.
●Ahem. There is Room for Groups at These National Parks. Most bus drivers who take care of series that regularly visit America’s national parks can probably tell you which parks are the most visited. But what about the least visited? As you go through the list of the Bottom 15 of U.S. national parks, you might wonder why about half (7) of them are in Alaska. Anyhow, here is the bottom of the list(s).
Number of Leisure Visits (2021)
1. Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Alaska
2. National Park of American Samoa
3. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
4. North Cascades National Park, Washington
5. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
6. Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska
7. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
8. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Alaska
9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
10. Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Alaska
11. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
12. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
13. Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska
14. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
15. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Read the article that goes with this table here.
● Apparently, Brits are Not Fond of Travel’s Service Quality. FM Outsource, a customer care outsourcer which is based in Bury in the Greater Manchester area, have discovered that British consumers are apparently not enamored with the service component of the travel product. It asked 1,000 people about performance of 10 business sectors, including travel, banking, insurance, hospitality and fashion retail, when it comes to customer service. Those interviewed were asked to rate each sector, taking into account the experiences of people they know and those they’ve read about online as well as their own.
FM Outsource found that the travel sector was one of the most likely to be rated poor or extremely poor (29 percent vs. an average of 20 percent). The travel sector came second lowest to the utilities sector (at 32 percent). And when respondents were also asked to rate the quality of customer service delivery from good to poor based on their experience, the travel sector was again one of the most likely to be rated poor or extremely poor (21 percent vs. an average of 17 percent). Read here for the complete Travel Weekly (UK) on this subject.
● Welcome to a New Experience—Astronaut School: Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. says it has secured land to move forward with a new astronaut campus and training facility in New Mexico, near the company’s commercial operations headquarters. The land, located in Sierra County, will be home to a new, first of its kind astronaut campus, for exclusive use by Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts and up to three of their guests in advance of a spaceflight from Spaceport America. The master plan for the campus will include training facilities, purposeful accommodations, and tailored experiences as well as an observatory, wellness center, recreation activities, and unique dining options. Situated near Spaceport America, the campus will sit atop a mesa overlooking the New Mexico landscape. Click here to access the complete news release on the above.
● MMGY Global’s Path of Growth Continues: As it continues its path forward as a leading global travel and hospitality marketing firm, Kansas City-based MMGY Global has announced three changes to its global leadership team. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, industry veteran and current CEO Clayton Reid will be named executive chairman, while current president Katie Briscoe and chief operating officer Craig Compagnone will move up to the roles of CEO and president and COO, respectively. The company now has $250 million in annual billings worldwide. MMGY Global employs more than 400 team members in 13 offices worldwide. It is privately owned by Peninsula Capital Partners, members of the management team and individual investors including Reid, Don Montague and Peter Yesawich. Click here for one of the many articles found in the business sections of major news sites.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Robin Sammartino has joined Teamamerica as contracting manager, Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. Previously, she was contracting manager, Northeast USA for WORLD2MEET. She has also served as contracts manager for WebBeds Europe.
Well known in the USA’s National Capital Region, Roxana Rivera has been named sales manager at the Arlington (Va.) Convention and Visitors Service (Stay/Arlington). Previously, Rivera served in senior sales roles for more than a dozen years at the Newseum, the Washington, D.C. attraction that was dedicated to explaining and supporting the role and responsibilities of a free press.
Nick Hughes, currently sales director, tour operations for dnata B2B, across the Gold Medal (and previously) Travel 2 brands, has joined Princess Cruises. He will begin his new role on October 17, and replaces Rachel Poultney, who announced last month she was leaving the line to enter the world of public relations.
Mark Topley says that he has “signed” with the New York Yankees! He has taken over the position of senior manager of strategic ticket sales & tourism for what is arguably the most famous sports attraction/team in the U.S. Previously, Copley promoted live entertainment experiences, including a tenure as manager, group & corporate sales at the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group.
Carsten Burgmann, a veteran of more than 20 years in tourism sales and marketing, is taking over as director at Neckermenn Reisen—the Anex Group brand—replacing Michael Nickel, who had spent less than a year on the job.  “We are pleased to have already found a successful expert who is very familiar to us, who now takes over the Neckermann team and brand marketing in a permanent position,” said Murat Kizilsac, head of Anex Group Germany. Burgmann has more than 25 years of experience in the tourism industry, having served as commercial director at Anex Tour itself, director of sales and marketing at ETI and director of Sales at L’tur.
Barrhead Travel, one of the largest independent travel groups in the UK, with more than 900 employees and more than 60 locations across the county, has appointed a new regional sales manager for Scotland—Matt Hands. He started his new job August 8th. Hands has more than two decades experience working in retail travel and more than 10 years as a store manager with Barrhead.
Derek Jones, CEO of the upscale British tour operator Kuoni for the past 14 years, is leaving parent company DER Touristik. In a statement to staff Jones thanked the team for their dedication and resilience and said the UK Group was now well placed to recover strongly in the months and years ahead.
Dave Duncan was recently named chief sales officer at Explore St. Louis. He joins the organization from his post as director of sales and marketing at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown. Previously, Duncan had served in senior sales and management positions in the hotel industry in San Antonio, St. Louis and Orlando.
Dirk Janzen is taking over the position of vice president sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group Airlines, responsible for global market strategy, joint ventures, as well as passenger sales across North and South America. He succeeds Frank Naeve, who was in charge of The Americas region for the last three years until his recent appointment as senior vice president global markets & stations for the Lufthansa Group. Janzen, who has been a part of Lufthansa for more than two decades, will be relocating to New York from Brussels.
Delta Air Lines has appointed Alex Antilla as vice president, Latin America. Based in Santiago, Chile, he will oversee Delta’s business and customer experience strategy throughout Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, as well as the airline’s partnerships with the LATAM Group (Delta and LATAM Joint Venture pending U.S. Department of Transportation approval. Delta and LATAM Joint Venture pending U.S. Department of Transportation approval) and Aeromexico.
Antilla has worked with Delta for 16 years in the trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Latin American regions, and in this new role he will focus exclusively on Latin America. Before this new position, he served as managing director, Latin America pricing and revenue management. He has been based in Minneapolis, Tokyo, Atlanta and Amsterdam during his career with Delta.
Lorne Edwards has started a new position at Visit Phoenix. He is now chief sales officer. Previously, he was senior vice president of sales and services. Edwards has been with the DMO for more than ten years. Prior to that, he was a senior sales executive for Hyatt Hotels.
Uniq Brown has been named as associate guest experience at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt in Manhattan, New York City. Brown began working for the attraction more than a year ago as a guess experience ambassador.
Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) reports that Steve Solomon, vice president of global customers and data products, has been promoted to chief commercial officer, a new executive role at ARC. Solomon will help lead ARC’s long-term business strategy and commercial capabilities while serving as a key advisor and business partner to the ARC executive team. Prior to ARC, Solomon held senior roles at Kastle Systems, Fannie Mae and MicroStrategy, with diverse experience across strategy, sales, marketing and customer engagement. He began his career with Citigroup’s Global Institutional Bank and spent a number of years as a managing consultant with Willis Towers Watson.
Louisa Gomez has been appointed partner success specialist at Hoteltrader. She joins the company from Hotelbeds, where she worked for more than four years as an area yield manager. Prior to that, she served for nearly 13 years at Tourico Holidays as a product support manager.
Choose Chicago has appointed a new director of corporate communications—Isaac Reichman, who joins the organization with considerable experience in the field of public information. His resumé also includes experience as a fellow in the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The San Francisco Travel Association has strengthened its marketing division with the appointment of Aaron Danzig to the team as manager of digital and social media marketing. Danzig comes to the organization from Hilton Hotels & Resorts where he worked for more than seven years.
Darragh Flood has been appointed manager, contracting, for the Globus family of brands. He joins the company from Hotelbeds. Previously, he held senior management positions at G2 Travel, Destination America (The Travel Corporation), and AmericanTours International.
—Visit Seattle is searching for a senior vice president of engagement & public affairs. More details here.
—A luxury hospitality global group sales organization is looking for a director of sales, Northeast. More details here.
—Destinations International has an opening for a senior director of Human Resources & Culture. More details here.
—The Explore Ashville Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new vice president of business development. More details here.
—The Springfield (MO) Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Explore Sisters (Sisters, Oregon) is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Experience Scottsdale has an opening for a national sales manager. More details here.
—Brand USA, the USA’s destination marketing organization, is recruiting for a senior vice president of integrated marketing. More details here.
—The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence has an opening for a new executive director. More details here.
—Explore Butte County in California is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—The City of Vacaville, California is searching for an executive director for its Downtown Vacaville. More details here.
—Visit Williamsburg has an opening for a chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Walla Walla (“Where wine, culture and the beauty of the outdoors meet”) is searching for an executive director. More details here.
—The Fredericksburg (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a director of the Film & Creative Industries Office. More details here.
—The Pacific County Tourism Bureau, which serves the Washington coast and Long Beach Peninsula and Pacific County, is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Vancouver WA is searching for a director of group sales. More details here.
—The Los Angeles Convention Center is recruiting for a new general manager. More details here.
—Visit Bath, in Virginia, is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of communications. More details here.
—The Muncie Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Greenville SC is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—G Adventures, the small group adventure tour operator, has an opening for a tour leader (CEO) in Hawaii. More details here.
—The Royal Caribbean Group is looking for an on-site copywriter, digital content. More details here.
—The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opening for a communications and public relations representative. More details here.
—Epsilon is searching for a vice president, sales (travel and tourism, remote). More details here.
—MGM Resorts International has posted a job for the position of public relations manager (hybrid) in Las Vegas. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation is looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Burbank and reports to the senior vice president, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
— Icon Park, the entertainment complex on International Drive in Orlando, has an opening for a director of trade sales. More details here.
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
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Filed Under: Complete Issue, News
Complete Issue August 10, 2021
August 9, 2022 by Tom Berrigan
Brand USA is Back & More than Fully Funded
Its aim is to tell the U.S. story better than any other marketer does it.
Flush with $250 million to help it recoup and recover in its marketing and promotion of the Visit USA travel product, the board of directors of Brand USA recently held its Q4 meeting in Puerto Rico, which turned out to be a nice, polite way of signifying to other national destinations that the United States was prepared to compete for international travelers and dollars in just about every imaginable way. But first:
“All together shout it now
Who can doubt it now
So let’s tell the world about it now”
—Happy days are here again.
Music by Milton Ager; lyrics by Jack Yellen
As it turned out, the board’s meeting was the longest session it’s had in the memory of most who were there. And as do occasions and agendas like this one, it seemed to have a theme, a signature, that was easy enough to conjure up, given the talent pool of the organization’s 11 members. Television, as well as all of its kindred media modes, and U.S. destinations of all sizes and locales and with their uniquely American sound and signature, comprise an inexhaustible inventory for storytelling. And tell the country’s stories they will.
Brand USA is very serious about this. Serious enough that, following a presentation on the subject of finding a way to valuate storytelling media, Tom Garzilli, Brand USA’s chief marketing officer, underscored its importance in his own words. “It’s not just important to us. So many of our stakeholders are now doing so much more on this,” he said. “What’s interesting is that there is no standardized valuation method to measure the value of a consumer choosing to watch a minute, five-minutes, twenty minutes, of what is really advertising in the form of story-telling. We are able to measure for example, the value of the film because we were able to talk to consumers coming and coming out … but it’s really hard to do via (current) methods.”
Garzilli pointed out that Brand USA is already working with partners to address this issue. Participants in the initiative include such entities as Odyssey, a production company, Tourism Economics, Destination Analysts and various DMOs. Explained Garzilli, “Working with those partners … we are looking at and trying to come up with a common valuation that we can attach to telling the stories of our story-telling.” Briefly, here’s the situation as it stands.
● Toward a standard for valuating the stories—the challenge: No standardized valuation method exists to measure the impact and value for branded entertainment content on digital streaming and connected TV programs. Thus, understanding “the value of a minute watched” is difficult, imprecise and ambiguous at best.
● The solution: Odyssey has established, and is leading, a working group of major tourism industry DMO partners, research organizations and media partners to established a standardized measurement approach. The approach seeks to publish and continually refine an advertising equivalent value using public data sources to measure content watched against cost averages for similar types of video advertising.
● Next Steps: With a baseline model established, the working group is meeting to publish an initial standard by early Fall 2022.
Those wanting to get involved and work with Garzilli on this project are invited to contact him and join the effort.
About that $250 million for Brand USA: The global pandemic we’ve experienced (and still are experiencing) was certainly not an afterthought on any travel and tourism industry itinerary. Pushed beyond the limit of what was supposed to be a budget funded equally ($100 million in ESTA collected funds, matched by an another $100 million in matching industry contributions), Brand USA was ravaged by the pandemic, and had to scrambled merely to survive.
Mercifully, furious-but-effective lobbying by the U.S. Travel Association and its tourism sector associates and organizations was able to convince Congress to appropriate funds to help it stay alive. The $250 million is to be spread over three fiscal years (‘22, ‘23 and ’24)—the largest portion is going to be allocated by Brand USA in the upcoming FY 2023.
Board members used the occasion of their Puerto Rico meeting to approve the FY 2023 budget and give a required 60-day notice to the appropriate federal agencies to continue its operations.
Here’s the budget document, with the millions required and ready to tell all those stories about the USA.
Indeed, happy days are here again.
Slow and Weak, Brazil’s Recovery Still on
First, a snapshot of its overall picture:
—The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tells us that, after a strong recovery by 5 percent in 2021, Brazil’s GDP growth is expected to slow significantly in 2022, to 0.6 percent, before picking up to 1.2 percent in 2023. Rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, and tighter financial conditions have eroded economic sentiment and purchasing power, which is expected to strongly dent domestic demand in the first half of 2022.
—As previously noted by INBOUND, Brazil’s 2022 presidential election is adding uncertainty, helping to keep investment subdued until 2023. During such times, a nation’s people who have the capacity and means to travel internationally are hesitant.
—And then, there is the matter of the largest quadrennial sporting event in the world—futbol’s World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022. It is expected to put a damper on international travel by anyone—unless you’re one of the fortunate few who has tickets and is making the trip to Qatar to watch the matches in person.
The table below shows us what an economy that has gone through two economic recessions, a fair degree of political turbulence and a global pandemic looks like. In spite of all it has experienced in recent years, Brazil and its people—including its population of international travelers—remain competitive on the marketplace.
A case in point is that, using NTTO data through the first six months of this year, Brazil ranks Number 5 as a source market for overseas visitors to the United States. Chances are that, once the summer travel season (it’s winter in Brazil) is over, the country could very well have sent enough visitors to approach the million-visitor mark for the year.
Overseas Arrivals to USA
Number of Arrivals (millions)
* Through June 2022
Population in 2010: 195.7
Population in Jun3 2022: 214.8
Change in population: + 9.8 percent
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel & Tourism Office, tradingeconomics.com; Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBOE).
Yes we can! In the latest Brazilian Overview Monthly Report (BOM Report)—a joint effort of the Brazilian publishing company PANROTAS and FecomercioSP, an economic research organization, José Guilherme Alcorta, CEO of PANROTAS, told readers, “As we advance in the second half of the year, we will still have many disruptions and headaches, that are impacting the tourism recovery after these months of pandemic restrictions.”
He adds, “Inflation, fuel cost, airlines tickets skyrocketing, flight delays and cancellations, especially in Europe and the US, and the devaluation of our currency against the U.S. dollar are factors that may delay even more the rebound of international travel in Brazil.”
We keep optimistic, after all we have some very great numbers and the covid restrictions are almost gone, but also alert, he says—taking note of some of some sluggish benchmark numbers that industry analysts point to:
First, there is the Consumer Confidence Index, which retreated 2.1 percent in June and reached 103.6 points, considering the 105.9 points in the month of May. In comparison with the same month in 2021, there is a 3.5 percent decrease.
Then, there is more inflation—according to estimates performed by FecomercioSP fuel cost, airline tickets are skyrocketing, and there are flight delays and cancellations, especially in Europe and the U.S. As well, the devaluation of its currency (the Real) against the US dollar are factors that may delay even more the rebound of international travel in Brazil.
Tourism inflation, specifically, was 41 percent in the 12 months up to June, according to estimates performed by FecomercioSP. The index was driven by the increase in flight tickets by 122.40 percent. This item has suffered on behalf of the rise in the aviation kerosene prices. (This article, archived in the New York Times, explains the “ancient” importance of kerosene to the Brazilian economy.)
José Guilherme Alcorta closes out the latest BOM Report this way: “We keep optimistic, after all we have some very great numbers and the covid restrictions are almost gone, but also alert.
Have a great end of Summer (for those up North) or Winter (for us down here).”
You can contact José Guilherme Alcorta here: [email protected]
Click here to download the July edition of the Brazilian Overview Monthly Report
To recommend the Brazilian Overview Monthly Report  to a friend or colleague, click here.
TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● From a recent issue of FVW|TravelTalk, the respected German travel trade publication: “Where have all the workers gone? Aviation, tourism, the hotel industry, gastronomy, trade—suddenly there seems to be a shortage of staff everywhere, while three years ago unemployment was constantly increasing. Is this impression correct at all? And if so, what are the reasons?”
● International Visitors Spent $13.2 Billion in June 2022—Another Month with a Balance-of-Trade Surplus; Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in June 2022:
—Visitors spent more than $13.2 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of nearly 95 percent compared to June 2021.
—Americans spent $12.5 billion traveling abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of $670 million for the month. This is the eighth consecutive month during which the United States enjoyed a balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism.
—Year to date (January through June 2022), international visitors have spent more than $68.8 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services (up nearly 105% when compared to the same period last year), injecting, on average, more than $380 million a day into the U.S. economy.
NTTO is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating international travel and tourism statistics for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistical System. For more monthly travel and tourism-related trade data dating back to 1999, please visit the International Travel Receipts and Payments Program.. Keep up-to-date on the travel and tourism industry by visiting and subscribing to TI News.
● New Tourism Segment? “Blended Travel” works its way into the tourism’s industry’s book of definitions. From the TravelMarketReport: “The times they are a-changin. Seasonal high peak destinations are no longer getting the cold shoulder during shoulder season—thanks, in part, to people working remotely.”
Travelers have traditionally sought out the shoulder and off-peak seasons to snag the best deals, says Ginger Taggart, vice president, brand management, Global Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts. “My view, informed by the trends revealed in Crowne Plaza’s new ‘The Future of Blended Travel’ whitepaper suggests that is all about to change.” She adds, “Blended travel—business and leisure travel together—provides greater flexibility and has empowered the traveler of today.” Click here for the complete article.
● From GlobalData’s Company Filing Analytics—it reveals that environment, social and governance (ESG), COVID-19 and geopolitics are the top three themes mentioned by European tourism companies so far in 2022, respectively, indicating that these are the most pressing issues that the continent’s tourism industry faces. As shown by the leading data and analytics company, ESG is the most mentioned theme totaling nearly 14,000 mentions in 2022 (as of July 28, 2022), demonstrating its importance. For the complete TravelDailyNews article on the issue, click here.
● Destination Canada’s Tourism Outlook Forecasts Recovery by 2025: In its most recent Tourism Outlook, Destination Canada—the country’s official tourism promotion agency—the organization said, “travel demand is high and domestic travel will continue to lead recovery, with US following closely behind. Our other international markets have been slower to recover; international arrivals from Destination Canada long-haul markets have only recovered to 35 percent of the equivalent September to April period in 2018/19.” While recovery is uneven among our markets, the Outlook explained, “momentum is building and we are forecasting that pleasure visitor segments will return to 2019 levels by 2025, with an upside to 2024 as our best-case scenario.”
● From Expedia Group Media Solutions: “The Top 5 Takeaways for DMOs from Destinations International’s Annual Convention 2022”
Inclusion and diversity are top of mind for DMOs in their organizations and in their marketing efforts
Cultural experiences are important to visitors, and good for business
The transition from destination marketing to destination management
Sustainability continues to rise in importance for all destinations
Pay attention to emerging platforms, including TikTok for user generated content
For the complete commentary, by Mark Churchill, click here.
● Food as a Market in its Own Right? Top Japan chefs group to open Japanese cuisine theme park in China: (From an article published by Kyodo News) A group formed by top Japanese chefs will open a theme park in China as part of efforts to further popularize Japanese food culture in the world’s second-largest economy. The celebrity chef/company, Chefoodo said in a recent press release that it would collaborate with leading Chinese food conglomerate Bright Food (Group) Co. to bring the interactive facility to life, providing visitors with the opportunity to learn about and sample different styles of Japanese cuisine.
● According to a survey by CheapHotels.org, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, two island destinations located off the southern coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, are the most expensive places to stay in the United States this summer. The survey compared accommodation rates across all U.S. destinations during the month of August 2022. Only hotels or inns rated at least 3 stars and located close to a beach or city center were considered.
Martha’s Vineyard (MA) $485
Long Beach Island (NJ) $384
Bar Harbor (ME) $383
Saratoga Springs (NY) $372
Huntington Beach (CA) $357
For the full results of the survey, please visit:
TheTourOperator.com Partner of the Week
Among the itineraries that draw visitors to Alabama are the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and the Music and Adventure in the Deep South Mountains of America. Now, read on.
Top Sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
Major Alabama cities include Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham and Muscle Shoals. See where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world plus food and music of the south. This amazing educational adventure mixes fun with history. Embark on a journey of discovery and memories while standing where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached and marched. It’s not only a Top 10 King site tour, but a true southern USA experience. You will start in Atlanta and end in Memphis, but as visitors discover, Alabama stands at the center of southern cultural and history that changed the world.
Ideas for First Timers:
In Montgomery go on More Than Tours, featured in the New York Times.
In Birmingham go to 16th Street Church Sunday service for Gospel music.
In Montgomery, eat at Cahaba House, downtown local food restaurant.
In Montgomery tour the Alabama State Capitol Building, beautiful and free.
In Birmingham seek out the Atomic Lounge, a hip retro 60s bar where one can borrow a costume from their closet and wear.
Ideas for Repeat Visitors:
In Birmingham go to a show at either historic theaters, The Alabama or The Lyric.
In Muscle Shoals area, shop at Billie Reid. This local fashion clothing designer has stores in New York, Austin, Charleston but this Florence store is his hometown headquarters location.
Add Anniston, Alabama, to your trip for Freedom Riders site and outdoor fun.
In Montgomery explore American Civil War history at the 1st White House of the Confederacy.
Visit Muscle Shoals during the annual 10-day W. C. Handy Music Festival. Held in July, this annual festival is nearing its 40th year.
Music and Adventure in the Deep South Mountains of America
For this itinerary, which features Music and Adventure in the Deep South Mountains of America, major cities are Nashville, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Birmingham and Fort Payne. Lovers of the outdoors and music of the Deep South USA will find this tour offers adventure and the sounds of the south. It begins and ends in Nashville, but you could easily add Atlanta and shift the days slightly for a circle tour from that gateway as well.
Ideas for First Timers:
In Birmingham, go to the Saturday morning Market at Pepper Place. It’s Alabama’s largest farmers market and a way to experience the city like a local. Some 200,000 people attend yearly.
In Muscle Shoals area, eat at Trowbridge’s, a historic ice cream parlor serving classic cones, shakes and sandwiches in downtown Florence.
In Muscle Shoals area, go to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and make your own karaoke style recording.
In Birmingham, be sure to see the world’s largest motorcycle collection at Barber’s Vintage Motorsports Museum
In Birmingham, go to Vulcan Park and Museum to overlook the city and see Vulcan, the world’s largest cast iron statue weighing the 100,000 pounds.
Ideas for Repeat Visitors:
In Muscle Shoals area, plan you trip around the 10-day W. C. Handy music festival in July in Florence, Alabama.
In Fort Payne, go to Orbix Hot Glass to watch artist blow glass and make ornaments.
In Birmingham, attend 16th Street Church Sunday morning service for Gospel music.
Visit Helen Keller’s Home during June/July when outdoor play “The Miracle Worker” is performed.
In Birmingham, see the city by using Zyp BikeShare. More than 400 bicycles available.
For more detailed itinerary suggestions, contact Alabama’s Verified Destination Contacts.
Domestic Group Sales Manager
Royalty-Free Hi-Res Photos—A Sampler from TheTourOperator.com Photo Finder
16th Baptist Church, Birmingham
Hank Williams Museum, Montgomery
Mobile Mardi Gras Parade: RSA Tower in Background at Night
Barber Motor Sports Museum, Vertical View
Muscle Shoals Studio: Street View
Huntsville: US Space Rocket Center
Want to see more? Then, click here for Alabama’s pages in TheTourOperator.com. For more information on how to partner with TheTourOperator.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Senior Director of TheTourOperator and Partner Engagement for Connect Travel.
What’s New and Cool
Here is this issue of INBOUND’s sample of new and/or cool attractions and experiences as they appear in the current annual issue of TheTourOperator.com.
In New Orleans, on the 33rd and 34th floors of the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, Vue Orleans is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor observation deck and exhibit featuring the only 360-degree panoramic riverfront views of New Orleans and beyond. It is a state-of-the-art cultural exhibit designed to honor, celebrate and share stories of the diverse cultures that converged to create the magic that is New Orleans. (vueneworleans.com)
Clearly Tahoe: In South Lake Tahoe, one will find unique guided tours in completely transparent kayaks, a sustainable concept designed to give back with every paddle that touches the water by monitoring the spread of invasive plants and animals. Planning and implementing trash removal also helps keep Tahoe as clear as can be. (clearlytahoe.com)
In Bellingham, Washington, visitors can plan a farm-to-table that features local produce from this corner of the state, which is home to nearly 700 farms, markets, and eating places registered with the finder. All have taken a pledge that 10 percent or more of their food purchases are local. (eatlocalfirst.org/wa-food-farm-finder)
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab & Alabama Aquarium on Dauphin Island, Alabama is a center for transformative U.S. oceanic and coastal research and education where research ranges from biogeochemistry and oceanography to ecosystem ecology. Work encompasses near-shore and estuarine processes in the northern Gulf of Mexico and globally. (www.disl.org)
Gondwana Ecotours: See the Northern Lights in winter and view grizzly bears in the summer. Expert local guides offer activities and trips that are accessible for older guests and those with low mobility, as well as active options for younger travelers. (gondwanaecotours.com)
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina, has been named national State Tourism Director of the Year. Tuttell was announced as the honoree before more than 1,000 destination marketing professionals at the U.S. Travel Association’s just concluded Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) conference, held this year in Grand Rapids, Michigan. U.S. Travel’s National Council of State Tourism Directors—a body representing the official tourism offices of all states and U.S. territories—votes on the award annually ahead of ESTO.
Tuttell has 30 years of experience in the tourism industry and has been with North Carolina tourism since 2006. He previously worked for Universal Studios Florida and the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. Tuttell has also lent his expertise to U.S. Travel Association’s board of directors and has served as chair of Travel South USA’s board of directors. Candidates for State Tourism Director of the Year are nominated by state and territory tourism directors. A slate of three finalists is presented annually for selection by ballot.
Roger Dow, the outgoing president & CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, is the 2022 inductee into U.S. Travel’s Hall of Leaders. He will be the 104th travel luminary inducted into the Hall, which was established in 1969 with the goal of recognizing “sustained, noteworthy contributions that have positively impacted the travel industry.” Dow has led the organization for 17 years, announcing his retirement last year. Prior to his tenure at U.S. Travel, he worked for 34 years at Marriott International, where he led the company’s global sales and marketing functions. He notably developed the first hotel loyalty program, which would become Marriott Bonvoy and the related Marriott credit card. Dow has received many honors and accolades during his career and has served on many boards, including ASAE, GWSAE, MPI Foundation, PCMA, Tourism Diversity Matters, RE/MAX International, the Travel Institute, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, among others. Dow will be honored by the U.S. Travel board of directors at a dinner on November 14, 2022.
The Visit USA UK Association has appointed Kate Kenward as its new CEO. She brings to the position almost 30 years’ travel industry experience in association leadership, destination marketing, public relations and promotions. Before joining Visit USA UK, she worked as a board director for the African Travel & Tourism Association—serving in the last six months of this period as the organization’s managing director. Previously, she undertook the executive director role at AITO (The Specialist Travel Association) for 11 years, raising the group’s profile while leading their strategic and digital transformation.
Sabre Corporation has announced that Wade Jones, executive vice president and chief product officer of its Travel Solutions business, has departed the company. He has been succeeded by Garry Wiseman (right), who joined the company on August 1. Jones will remain with Sabre for a period of transition, before officially stepping away this fall. Wiseman brings more than 25 years of product, technology and digital leadership experience in developing and operating large-scale platforms at some of the world’s most innovative technology companies, including Dell, eBay, Microsoft, Nautilus and Salesforce.
It has been announced that Rainer Stoll, who has managed the German nature tour operator, Travel-to-Nature, for nearly three decades, will be reinforced by a second managing director, who will take over the position of CEO. In addition to his role in Travel-to-Nature, Stoll has organized and/or managed numerous tourism-related ventures over the years.
The Western National Parks Association has announced that Marie Buck has been named as its new CEO. Buck was most recently chief operating officer for the Grand Canyon Conservancy, where she successfully managed operations, organization strategies, and systems. She previously served on the board of directors for the Conservancy. As the senior director of business operations at Phoenix Raceway (NASCAR), Marie’s leadership was instrumental in the $180 million facility modernization project resulting in substantial increases in revenue and customer satisfaction. Buck has lived in Arizona most of her life and is an avid outdoorswoman. She succeeds Jim Cook who is retiring after more than 11 years.
TTC Tour Brands is expanding its UK sales team, with the appointment of two new sales managers: Freya Sutcliffe and Harry Taylor. Sutcliffe joins TTC Tour Brands from Jet2holidays, where she was national non-retail business development manager. Taylor recently joined the TTC team from JTA Travel.
TTC Tour Brands comprises sister brands Contiki, Costsaver Tours, Insight Vacations Luxury Gold, and Trafalgar. Both Sutcliffe and Taylor will report to Becky Francis.
The leading travel management company BCD Travel has appointed Michèle Lawley to the role of president, Europe. She will take over complete operational and financial responsibility for BCD’s activities in Europe, focusing on creating and capitalizing on opportunities to ensure long-term, sustainable growth in the region. A long-time travel industry veteran, Lawley brings over 35 years of industry experience to her new role. She was previously senior vice president, Europe. BCD Travel has its global headquarters in Utrecht, with regional headquarters in Atlanta, London and Singapore
Destination Toronto has announced the appointment of Paula Port as its new vice president of global marketing. With more than twenty years of experience and expertise at Destination Toronto, Port will lead the strategic development and implementation of marketing and communications for the destination. In her most recent role as director, brand & content, Port established content marketing as a core function of the organization, launching the re-imagined content hub DestinationToronto.com that prioritizes diversified content and editorial contributors; and developed a regionally-focused content and marketing strategy during the pandemic that provided urgently needed local support and direct value to the tourism and hospitality community.
Louisville Tourism has announced the appointment of Stacey Yates to the newly created position of chief marketing officer. Yates began her tenure at the destination marketing organization in 2005 as vice president of marketing and communications, heading up the agency’s branding and positioning throughout her 17-year career with the agency. Prior to joining Louisville Tourism, Yates served as the Kentucky Derby Festival’s primary spokesperson, maintaining press contact with more than 600 media representatives annually and overseeing the Festival’s public relations and promotional efforts. Also, Yates is a life-long Louisville resident
Dyninno Group of Companies, which operates products and services in travel, fintech, and entertainment technologies sectors globally, has announced the appointment of Gerard McEvoy as managing director of industry relations at the International Travel Network. McEvoy is a seasoned senior executive with over 25 years of experience within the airline industry, having held several leadership roles over the past twenty years with British Airways, both in the UK and the U.S.
Benjamin Maddy, a well-known figure in the tourism business in New York City, has joined the team at NYC’s Topview Sightseeing as director of business development and partnerships. Maddy has been part of the tourism scene for more than two decades, having served in managerial positions with such marquee brands as Madison Square Garden, Dave & Busters and Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Times Square.
Maddy Simpson, director of NeoLux Consulting, in partnership with Mark Meredith at Rocket Travel Marketing, will now be representing Sonoma County Tourism in the UK & Ireland. Before she started NeoLux nearly two years ago, Simpson was director of public relations worldwide for Small Luxury Hotels of the World, based in the UK.
Merlin Entertainments has announced the promotion of Martin Moli to the position of trade sales manager under the North America trade team. He has been promoted from his support role as a sales support executive. His focus will be to build backup business in the Northeast, concentrating on Madame Tussauds New York and partners and clients in New York City. Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Moli has 15 years of experience in the hospitality/travel trade world. He graduated from Ramapo College in New Jersey, majoring in sales and marketing. Prior to joining Merlin Entertainments in 2020, he worked as a contracting coordinator for the online travel agency Flight Centre.
Xplorie a Destin, Florida-based guest experience solution for lodging providers, has announced the appointed of Tom Kenyon as vice president of B2B product marketing. Before joining Xplorie at the beginning of June, Kenyon built up more than a decade of experience in product roles for a global B2B SaaS platform, where he was responsible for defining the product vision, roadmap and features. He will now focus on overseeing the B2B arm of Xplorie’s product marketing
Visit Panama City Beach is pleased to announce the appointment of industry veteran Steve Bailey as vice president of sales. A Panama City Beach native, Bailey, who is also a licensed real estate broker, previously served as director of sales & operations for The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach. In addition to Panama City Beach, Bailey brings prior hospitality experience from locations including Destin, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; and Birmingham, Alabama.
Mobile app company Airship has announced the appointment of Tracey Ryan O’Connor as senior vice president of global sales. O’Connor will be responsible for driving Airship’s new business globally and is a member of the company’s executive leadership team. She will report directly to CEO and President Brett Caine. O’Connor has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, e-commerce and personalization technologies for companies such as ATG, Neustar and Oracle. Most recently, O’Connor was group vice president of commerce at Coveo, an AI-based search technology SaaS company that acquired the Qubit personalization platform.
Heather Bagshaw has joined the team at Destination Niagara USA as its new vice president of marketing. She comes to the new post after serving for nearly ten years as director of tourism at Greene County, based in Catskill, New York. Previously, she had served as executive director of the Capital District (New York) YMCA. She also ran her own publishing company.
—The Springfield (MO) Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Explore Sisters (Sisters, Oregon) is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Experience Scottsdale has an opening for a national sales manager. More details here.
—Brand USA, the USA’s destination marketing organization, is recruiting for a senior vice president of integrated marketing. More details here.
—The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence has an opening for a new executive director. More details here.
—Explore Butte County in California is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—The City of Vacaville, California is searching for an executive director for its Downtown Vacaville. More details here.
—Visit Williamsburg has an opening for a chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Walla Walla (“Where wine, culture and the beauty of the outdoors meet”) is searching for an executive director. More detailshere.
—The Fredericksburg (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a director of the Film & Creative Industries Office. More details here.
—The Pacific County Tourism Bureau, which serves the Washington coast and Long Beach Peninsula and Pacific County, is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Vancouver WA is searching for a director of group sales. More details here.
—The Los Angeles Convention Center is recruiting for a new general manager. More details here.
—Visit Bath, in Virginia, is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of communications. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara is looking for a new CEO. More details here.
—The Muncie Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Greenville SC is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau has an opening for a vice president of marketing and communications. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More details here.
From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—The Virginia Tourism Corporation is recruiting for an international marketing manager. More details here.
—The Colorado Tourism Office has an opening for a marketing copywriter. More details here.
—Epsilon is searching for a vice president, sales (travel and tourism, remote). More details here.
—MGM Resorts International has posted a job for the position of public relations manager (hybrid) in Las Vegas. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation is looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Burbank and reports to the senior vice president, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
—The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is searching for an Industry Marketing and Partner Relations Manager. The position is headquartered at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s office in Madison, Wisconsin. More details here.
—Argonaut, a Noble House Hotel, has an opening for an area managing director in San Francisco. Click here for more details.
—Travel Wisconsin has an opening for a visual production specialist. More details here.
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Filed Under: Complete Issue, News
Complete Issue July 27, 2022
July 26, 2022 by Tom Berrigan
From the perspective of a veteran operator.
By the time the year 2022 fades into 2023, the professionals who market and promote the Visit USA product abroad will witness some changes in the way they do business. But it’s likely that many of the core tenets of the process will likely remain the same, according to Jeff Karnes.
Karnes should know. Since before the 21st century began, he has been executive vice president of New World Travel, operating out of its Los Angeles headquarters. (Its U.S. headquarters are in New York City, where the company’s president, Peter Dorner, is based. The operator is part of Germany’s DER Touristik and its agencies, which send scores of thousands of visitors to the U.S. each year. The company is owned by the German retailer REWE, one of the largest in the world.)
Germany and the scores of thousands of visitors it sends to the USA, is a most important market. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) in Washington D.C. show that, for the first half year of 2022, Germany ranked Number 3 among overseas source markets, sending more than 570 thousand visitors to the USA.
For its clients in Germany—and, in fact, for much of Europe—Karnes told INBOUND with a slight smile, it is likely that that the holiday in the United States is going to remain, largely, a-two-week fly-drive-with-stops-in- San Francisco-Los Angeles-and-Las Vegas-along with-some-familiar-national-parks.
What prompted the characterization of German visitors to the USA was, in part, the news coverage given to the slide of the euro to parity vs. the U.S. dollar for the first time in 20 years.
Did you hear about the currency crash? The slide in the value of the euro against the U.S. dollar that began last year crashed through a barrier of sorts last week as the two currencies are at par for the first time in 20 years. Will it have any impact on the rest of the 2022 holiday season? We’ll have to wait and see.
Time magazine boiled everything down to a paragraph: “The drop in the euro’s value results from recent global economic challenges–a war in Ukraine, supply-chain shocks, inflation and pandemic inspired stagnation, all of which are hitting Europe much harder than the U.S. Even so, the implications of the currency move will reverberate across America and the E.U. for years, experts say.” Click here for complete article.
U.S. Dollar v. Euro and British Pound*
U.K. pound sterling (£)
* Figures from x-rates.com. Based on mid-market day for the 20th of each July. Table by INBOUND. Numbers rounded to nearest U.S. cent.
The table includes the UK’s pound, which is an integral part of the mix above and the two currencies—the euro and the pound—comprise the medium of exchange for at least two-out-of-five visitors to the United States.
Inclusion of the pound in the table also serves as an economic history book of sorts, during which the reader will see episodes of stagnation/recession, along with a 20-plus percent drop of the pound vs. the U.S. dollar in the aftermath of the June 2016 “Brexit” vote that triggered the departure of the UK from the European Union (EU). Still, both the EU and the UK survived.
And what about the post-pandemic tourism industry? Beyond any impact of the euro-vs.-pound-vs.-dollar discussion, there was still the ongoing recovery from the global pandemic that was triggered by the COVID crisis.
For starters, Karnes told us that he expects a “a modest” recovery for the inbound tourism industry to the United States. And he went on to make a number of points, some of which are noted here:
● Consumer behavior in the post-pandemic marketplace is telling. Consider how the visitors from different markets and countries have been accommodating their “pent-up” demand of travelers.
Professionals in the travel trade are finding out that the German consumer is somewhat conservative and methodical in planning a holiday, as opposed to Americans, many of whom are last-minute or impulsive, “do it now” bookers. The concept or practice of a static contract is well-known to the German traveler and operator. For the U.S. traveler? Not so.
● Will the second half of 2022 experience a difference? Yes. One change already apparent is that travelers to the U.S. from Germany and other European source markets have begun to explore destinations and experiences that are further away from large cities and urban hubs. Meanwhile, Americans are “re-enjoying” reliable favorites among the attractions and destinations that they are visiting.
● Midst all the “busy-ness,” consumers are sharing a now familiar lament. Yes, more Germans are now using OTAs to book shorter trips. However, those who assemble their own holidays online find out that they are all alone if something goes wrong. If one books through DER or other operators, they have backup and 24-7 service operators provide.
● Hotels represent a real challenge for some industry partners. While hotel room rates are back at pre-pandemic levels and healthy occupancy rates have returned, services and amenities have not. Beleaguered by an industry-wide shortage of employees, reports of reservations that are missing and unkept beds have become a fact—and they are not infrequent. There have been some instances in which hotels have simply lost reservations.
● For likely the same reasons affecting operators, agents and consumers are experiencing a shortage of available airline flights. It seems to be a chronic condition: There simply are not enough skilled workers to maintain the planes or operate the highly computerized infrastructure used by air traffic.
● Perhaps it’s a matter of a safe or a safer harbor for those who like breaches, but it doesn’t seem to matter to those enjoying the experience, as the numbers of travelers going to Hawaii are “through the roof.”
● And again, expect the industry’s recovery to be modest. This means that the pace and volume of sales might not reach pre-pandemic levels next year, 2023. In other words, the industry should work to make 2024 the next 2019.
A note: for INBOUND, a conversation with Karnes is a refreshing experience. Not only does he know what he’s talking about, but he does so with a refreshing courtesy—in a way that makes one want to use the archaic word “courtly.” If you would like to carry on the conversation with the courtly Jeff Karnes, you can reach him at [email protected].
French Not Booking ‘til Last Moment
Surroundings (or Alentour), a digital platform for local tourism in France, recently reported on a survey of the expectations of French holidaymakers this summer on national territory. Among the major trends: leisure booking is done at the last moment, by gleaning ideas online. Preference goes to outdoor activities.
In terms of tourist activities, the trend is last minute: 83 percent of holidaymakers plan to book their leisure activities once there. This is what emerges from the survey carried out by the Paris-based research institute, Odoxa (http://www.odoxa.fr/), for Surroundings.
Although the Odoxa survey focused on the domestic market—it looked at behavior and expectations of 822 French holidaymakers who planned to travel on national territory between May and September 2022—the results provide French travel marketers with a better framework of understanding French behavior and its relationship to the travel product as part of a whole. This will no doubt not be lost on those who French operators and agencies who sell Visit USA product.
A note: For the first half of 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) reported that France ranked Number 4 among all overseas source markets to the U.S., sending more than a half-million visitors to the United States.
From the Survey—The big trends
For their holidays, 73 percent of French travelers surveyed planned to stay in commercial accommodation (hotels, hostels, vacation homes, lodges and other seasonal rentals, etc.), rather than in a second home or with friends (26 percent).
Nine out of ten intended to practice tourism and leisure activities. Sports and outdoor activities are the most popular (49 percent), closely followed by culture (48 percent), gastronomic or wine tourism activities (35 percent) and guided tours or “tours.”
The average budget granted to leisure activities reaches 351 euros. (Almost a quarter of those surveyed were even ready to go over 600 euros.)
More than 8 times out of 10, these activities are decided at the last moment and booked on site.
79 percent of holidaymakers asked people working in the accommodation where they are staying for recommendations to find out about nearby leisure activities (76 percent), restaurants (73 percent), monuments and other points of interest (65 percent).
The other preferred method for finding out what is possible is the web, via activity recommendation and reservation sites or the destination’s tourist office.
Observed Timothée de Roux, president of Surroundings: “The results of the Odoxa survey reinforce our convictions concerning the need and the opportunity represented by the digitalization of the offer of tourist activities in France.”
For UK and USA, Mobile Phones a Must
Social networking influences the way we travel, whether it be for leisure or business, a recently published YouGov Global Profiles report tells us. From planning and researching trips to keeping in touch with others, it’s no wonder that most leisure and business travelers say that having their phones on them can enhance their travel experience and that they like to stay connected to people back home while traveling. They are an integral part of the travel experience.
Following are several tables and data breakouts based on the Global Profiles material which illustrate the importance of phones and staying connected to others while traveling. (They show percentage in each country who agree with the following statements).
USA: A phone/tablet can improve my traveling experience
USA: I like being connected to people back home when I’m traveling
Great Britain: A phone/tablet can improve my traveling experience
Great Britain: I like being connected to people back home when I’m traveling
Which platforms do these travelers use? Among business travelers in the U.S. and Great Britain:
—Three in five people who travel for business say they use social media at least once a day or more often (63 percent for the U.S. and 68 percent for Great Britain).
—An additional fifth of all business travelers in the U.S. (21 percent) and Great Britain (19 percent) say they use social networking sites a few times a week, bringing total weekly usage to above the 80 percent threshold for business travelers in both markets.
What platforms are they using?
-Business travelers seem to have a stronger affinity for certain platforms than the overall population.
-In the U.S., they are most likely to be members of Facebook (70 percent vs. 72 percent of all U.S. adults) but skew heavily toward their usage of Twitter (45 vs. 35 percent), Instagram (50 percent vs. 40 percent) and LinkedIn (33 percent vs. 24 percent). This is an important insight for those aiming to reach this audience with their digital marketing spend.
-In Great Britain, a greater share of business travelers uses LinkedIn when compared to the overall British population (33 percent vs. 20 percent).
Question: Which, if any, of the following social networks are you currently a member of? Please select all that apply. (Percentage of business travelers in each market)
YouGov: Not displaying responses for Pinterest, Snapchat, Tumblr, Other and N/A
TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● The world’s three most beautiful sights, according to some 452,00 travelers: Four of the sights are in North America. Luxury travel company Kuoni has analyzed 452,148 TripAdvisor reviews to reveal which sights around the world people are raving most about. New York’s Central Park, the Trevi Fountain in Rome and the Fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas are the top three most beautiful sights according to visitors.
The top 10 most beautiful sights around the world:
Central Park, New York City, USA
Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas, USA
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Paris, France
Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle, USA
More details on this article from TravelDailyNews.
● Hotels are overlooking a treasure lode of revenue by overlooking what their British guests want. British hotel guests will pay on average £40 more per night for a hotel that makes their stay personalized, the equivalent of at least £1.8 billion additional revenue across the global hotel market. Yet, reports TravelDailyNews, research from Mews, the hospitality cloud platform, reveals that very few hotels are seizing this opportunity, with over half (59 percent) of returning guests having been overlooked as a loyal customer. This is not just frustrating guests, but it is impacting on hotel’s bottom line as guests take their business elsewhere. For the complete article, click here.
● What about our pets? It’s estimated that 70 percent of U.S. households have pets, and many of them travel. How do we square this with cleaner airplanes and hotels, renewed interest in national parks and the revival of the road trip? All are post-pandemic travel trends, to be sure. But there’s one trend that wasn’t so predictable: the surge in vacationers who bring their pets along for the ride. For more, check out this article from AARP.
● And … Should operators accommodate dogs on holiday? Thanks to Condé Nast Traveler, INBOUND can point to a list of “12 dog-friendly beaches that humans will also love—on the East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, and even inland (hello, lake beaches).” On this list, the reader will notice a few things Condé Nast prioritized: places that allow pups year-round (versus seasonally), have leash-free policies, and could easily prompt the “zoomies” on any given visit. Click here to read the complete article.
Block Island Beaches, Block Island, Rhode Island
Baker’s Cay Beach, Key Largo, Florida
Huntington Dog Beach, Orange County, California
Fort De Soto Park, St. Petersburg, Florida
Fort Funston Beach, San Francisco, California
Montrose Dog Beach, Chicago, Illinois
Herring Cove Beach, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Jupiter’s Dog Friendly Beach, Jupiter, Florida
Morris Island, Charleston, South Carolina
Coronado Dog Beach, San Diego, California
● It still takes longer to renew a U.S. passport than it did pre-COVID, but wait times have improved since the trough of the global pandemic, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said last week in a recent conversation with the TravelMarketReport trade journal. According to the source, passports are now being issued within 8 to 11 weeks for routine service and as little as 5 to 7 weeks for expedited service, time periods that cover “when an application arrives at a passport agency until we issue a passport.” TMR reported that this turnaround time is longer than it was in 2019 when the State Department increased the typical processing time from 4 to 6 weeks to 5 to 7 weeks, but still a major improvement over what some travelers have experienced over the last two-plus years. For more information, read the complete article here.
● With overseas source markets making U.S. “outlying cities” a staple of their marketing and promotional activities, U.S. destinations are taking their activity to a new level. Visit Tampa Bay, for instance, now offers German language training for travel agents. In promotional material that encourages agents, it wants agents to show Germans “how to enjoy one of America’s most beautiful outlying cities, and where you can discover an eclectic mix of museums and waterfront activities.” Graduates receive a certificate. Visit Tampa Bay upon completion of German language training. For more information, agents are urged to contact The Travel Institute (www.thetravelinstitute.com)
● The International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) has announced the release of 2021 overseas visitation statistics to U.S. states, territories and cities-MSAs*, and a new data visualization tool called the U.S. States & Cities Visited Monitor. These statistics cover overseas visitation to 45 U.S. states and territories and 91 U.S. cities-MSAs for years 2021 and 2020.  Data include visitor volume, market share, volume % change and volume # change for each reported state, territory and city-MSA. 2021 highlights include:
Top state visited by overseas visitors in 2021: Florida (4,092,000)
Top city-MSA visited by overseas visitors in 2021: Miami (2,759,000)
Biggest gain of overseas visitors from 2020: Florida (+1,793,000)
Biggest decline of overseas visitors from 2020: Hawaii (-503,000)
Top 5 states’ market share was 91.7% of overseas visitors in 2021
Overseas visitation statistics to U.S. states, territories and U.S. cities-MSAs can either be downloaded in excel or explored in a new interactive data visualization tool called the U.S. States and Cities Visited Monitor.
* Metropolitan Statistical Area
TheTourOperator.com Partner of the Week
Cowboys and Culture, Only in Fort Worth
Fort Worth and Dallas are two distinct cities, only 45 minutes apart and completely different from each other. The beauty of their geography provides many advantages to visitors. Instead of spending hours driving far destinations far away, one can spend that time learning how to be a cowboy or shopping-for example! It’s all here: Western Heritage, Ranches, Sophistication, Arts and even Tax-Free Shopping! And they’re look forward to seeing you soon!
First-time visitors might want to put together a visit from these:
Fort Worth Cattle Herd
A Texas steak at Del Frisco’s Steakhouse
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
If you’re a repeat visitor, enjoy an itinerary from among the following ideas:
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Fort Worth Water Gardens
Texas Civil War Museum
For more detailed itinerary suggestions, contact Fort Worth’s Verified Destination Contact.
Phone: 817.698.7834 | M: 817.917.6615
Royalty-Free Hi-Res Photos—A Sampler from TheTourOperator.com Photo Finder
Horseback Riding in Downtown Fort Worth
Bureau of Engraving & Printing $100 Note Carousel
Fort Worth Stockyards Cattle Drive
Amon Carter Museum of American Art—Exterior View
Bucking Horse at Rodeo
Taco Heads Restaurant in Fort Worth
Want to see more? Then, click here for the Visit Fort Worth’s pages in TheTourOperator.com. For more information on how to partner with TheTourOperator.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Senior Director of TheTourOperator and Partner Engagement for Connect Travel.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Long-time inbound tourism industry veteran Gina Jackson has joined New World Travel in its group department. She comes to her new role with an impressive resumé showing extensive experience at major inbound tourism brands, including a previous tour of nearly 14 years at AlliedTPro, as well as tenures at Jetabout North America and Americantours International.
Edison Rivas has started a new position as contract manager, Northeast USA, W2M WORLD 2 MEET. He joins the company from Trip.com Group, where he was executive contract manager. Previously, Rivas served at such well-known NYC tourism entities as Secret Escapes, JacTravel and GTA.
Katie Bunting has joined the trade sales team G Adventures. She’ll be working with the company’s global purpose specialists team to help elevate and support its agent relationships across the south of the UK. Bunting has a long career in the tour and travel sector. She began her career in travel as a consultant for First Choice, then moving to Co-op Travel as an assistant manager. In 2013 she became a branch manager for Hays Travel. Bunting crossed over in 2019 to the adventure operator sector, taking on the role of partnership growth manager for Intrepid Travel.
John Feenaghty has joined Australia-based Inspiring Vacations as president, North America. He will be responsible for growing the company in B2C and B2B markets across North America. Feenaghty joins the company from Toronto-based Goway Travel; where he was chief operating officer for nearly three years. Previously, he held several senior positions across his 15-year career with the Flight Centre Travel Group, including two years with Liberty Travel in New Jersey.
Luxury tour operator Ker & Downey has promoted Tiffany Dunn to the role of executive vice president and general manager. Dunn will oversee the daily operations and sales strategies of the company, which includes a diverse group of employees in Houston and across the United States. Dunn has served in a variety of capacities at Ker & Downey during her 12-year service for key VIP clients, and oversaw a core team of worldwide travel designers. tenure with the company. She began in inside sales, specializing in luxury travel to Africa. She was then appointed director of sales and operations in 2020 and led the company through the worst of the pandemic.
Adventure tour operator Explore has appointed two senior heads of team in newly created roles: Rachael Stone, who joins as the new head of product role; and Andrew Steward has been promoted to the new post of head of digital transformation. A veteran of the tourism industry, Stone joins has considerable experience in the sector, having worked for Tucan, Exodus and, most recently, Flash Pack, where she led product innovation and strategy. Steward has spent 10 years in the adventure travel industry, having work for six years in a senior digital role with the Intrepid Group before joining Explore to lead the digital marketing team three-and-a-half years ago.
The Globus family of brands is expanding its Canadian marketing team with the addition of a new senior director of marketing for the region. Joining the company into the role of senior director of marketing for Canada is Ainsley Ericksen, who brings more than 20 years of travel industry experience, most recently at Rocky Mountaineer, the world’s largest privately owned, luxury train tourism company, where she served for more than six years.
Lindblad Expeditions has announced the appointment of industry executive Bertha Espinosa as vice president of expedition sales. Espinosa joins the company from Crystal Cruise Lines, where she oversaw all facets of their customer support and service, spanning reservations, group sales, air services, guest relations, and consumer sales. Espinosa brings over 25 years of call center/reservations leadership experience to her new role. Her tours included service at American Express and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Internova Travel Group has announced that Simon Brooks has been named president of Bonotel Exclusive Travel. Bonotel is a leading inbound marketing and distribution partner of branded and boutique luxury hotel rooms to international business-to-business clients. Brooks has over two decades of commercial leadership experience in the airline industry. Having led teams in the leisure and corporate sectors in the UK, his most recent position was as senior vice president of sales, North America, for British Airways, leading the Atlantic Joint Business team alongside American Airlines and Iberia.
Collette recently named Willie Montano as senior director, global brand marketing. In this position, Montano will drive the creation and execution of brand marketing strategy at a multi-channel level in the United States, Canada and Australia markets. Prior to joining Collette, Montano served as the vice president of marketing at Insight Vacations & Luxury Gold USA, and vice president of marketing at CIE Tours USA.
The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Bureau recently announced the promotion of Ms. Kate Chang from regional director of China to managing director of China. Chang, who joined Los Angeles Tourism in 2013, and is based in Beijing, is responsible for growing L.A.’s business in China, including four offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. She and her team are dedicated to promoting Los Angeles as a top destination for Chinese tourists, driving traffic and tourism economic growth, while increasing Los Angeles’ share of the Chinese outbound travel market.
In Germany, Matthias Lange is moving into the top management level of the DER Touristik company and has been given new, additional tasks. According to published reports, DER Touristik wants to further sharpen its focus on customer centricity and has appointed Lange as chief marketing & customer experience officer (CMXO). Lange thus expands his existing management role as marketing manager and managing director of online sales to include the topic of customer experience. He will also become a member of DER Touristik Germany’s central management body, the Executive Committee. Lange joined DER Touristik nearly five years ago from DB Vertrieb GmbH, a truck transportation company.
Jourdan Mackey recently joined the team at Visit Baton Rouge as tourism sales manager. She joined the bureau from her post as  manager of new business development at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter where she was manager of new business development. Previously, she held managerial positions at several hotel brands in New Orleans. Mackey points out that she is a Louisiana native, wife, mother, and avid traveler. And she’s ready to assist with your travel plans so you can experience the unique culture, food, and hospitality for yourself! She can’t wait to welcome y’all!
—Brand USA, the USA’s destination marketing organization, is recruiting for a senior vice president of integrated marketing. More details here.
—The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence has an opening for a new executive director. More details here.
—Explore Butte County in California is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—The City of Vacaville, California is searching for an executive director for its Downtown Vacaville. More details here.
—Visit Williamsburg has an opening for a chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Walla Walla (“Where wine, culture and the beauty of the outdoors meet”) is searching for an executive director. More details here.
—The Fredericksburg (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a director of the Film & Creative Industries Office. More details here.
—The Pacific County Tourism Bureau, which serves the Washington coast and Long Beach Peninsula and Pacific County, is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Vancouver WA is searching for a director of group sales. More details here.
—The Los Angeles Convention Center is recruiting for a new general manager. More details here.
—Visit Bath, in Virginia, is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is searching for a president & CEO. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—The Orange County Convention Center, site of the recent IPW 2022 in Orlando, has an opening for a deputy director. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of communications. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara is looking for a new CEO. More details here.
—The Muncie Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Greenville SC is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau has an opening for a vice president of marketing and communications. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More details here.
From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—Hilton has an opening, based in McLean, Virginia, for a director, executive communications. More details here.
—MGM Resorts International has posted a job for the position of public relations manager (hybrid) in Las Vegas. More details here.
—Visit Detroit has an opening for a sales manager—all levels of experience (Hotel, Tourism, CVB). More details here.
—New York City-based USA Guided Tours is searching for a tour guide in the New York City area. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Los Angeles, but reporting to the senior vice president, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
—The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a creative copywriter. More details here.
—The Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon is recruiting for a tourism manager. More details here.
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
—The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is searching for an Industry Marketing and Partner Relations Manager. The position is headquartered at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s office in Madison, Wisconsin. More details here.
—Argonaut, a Noble House Hotel, has an opening for an area managing director in San Francisco. Click here for more details.
—Travel Wisconsin has an opening for a visual production specialist. More details here.
Have a job opening that you would like to post on INBOUND? Just mail it to us at [email protected].
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Filed Under: Complete Issue
Complete Issue July 13, 2022
July 12, 2022 by Tom Berrigan
TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● The just published edition of the Brazilian Overview Monthly suggests that the second half of this year has some good reasons for the tourism industry in South America’s largest overseas source market for inbound travel to be cheered. José Guilherme Alcorta, CEO of Brazil’s PANROTAS, which partners with FECOMERCIOSP—the São Paulo-based business and economic research organization—in producing the overview, told subscribers in a cautious-but-still-upbeat-message “We are, clearly, more optimistic, and the numbers support us. But also, we are alert and still unable to do long term plannings.” Click here to download the June edition of the Brazilian Overview Monthly Report
● German Operator Says Outlook for Long-haul Travel Looks Good: From Touristik Aktuell, July 4, 2022: “Tour operator Alltours expects an increase in participants of over 25 percent for the 2022/2023 winter season compared to the pre-crisis winter of 2019/2020. ‘After two difficult years, we feel that we have a lot of catching up to do, which will continue in the coming winter season,’ says Alltours owner Willi Verhuven. ‘We expect a significant increase in bookings for all travel destinations, especially for long-distance travel.’”
● Brightline expansion to Orlando area won’t include station on Disney property. As reported by the Palm Beach Post, the rail line says it moved the station away from the Disney Springs entertainment complex to place it closer to Orlando-area employers. Just prior to the news, Brightline announced that in addition to expanding its service to Orlando International Airport, it now plans to build stations at the Orange County Convention Center and an alternate site near Disney Springs, but not on Disney-owned land. Click here for the complete Palm Beach Post article on the announcement.
● Dot Erased in Favor of New Brand: Places Dot, LLC, a content strategy company focused largely on the use of AI to produce the most relevant and targeted text-based content possible, has announced that it will rebrand and start doing business as “Intentful.” The rebranding reflects the company’s realization that its services can, and presently do, provide significant value to clients in a broad array of industries, allowing it to offer such services beyond its original travel-oriented (or “Places.”) target market.
Said Marina Petrova, CEO, “We came to realize that the name ‘Places Dot’ no longer appropriately conveyed the way we provide value-added service to our customer base. We are excited to introduce our new name, which we feel more accurately reflects the way we are able to contribute to our clients’ success – producing content matched to customer intent.” Leaving the Intentful venture day-to-day operations, Jonathan Elkoubi, co-founder and previously CCO of Places., will return to the helm of his consultancy firm, NAVEW (the North American Visitors Experience Watch), to maintain his focus on the travel sector.
● New Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO) via the International Trade Administration: April 2022 total international inbound travel volume (visitor arrivals) to the United States was 4,330,371 – a year-over-year increase of 216.5 percent and 61.5 percent of April 2019 arrivals. Want to view interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit  ADIS/I-94 Visitor Arrivals Monitors (Country of Residence) and (Country of Citizenship) and its I-92/APIS International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.
● From Travel Weekly (UK): A&K Travel Group, the company owned by Geoffrey Kent and Heritage Group, has confirmed the acquisition of two Crystal Cruises ocean-going ships. Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony will resume service in 2023 after an extensive refit and operate under the Crystal Cruises brand which has also been acquired by A&K Travel Group. Click here to read the complete article.
● With all the hype already being afforded in China to Singles Day, we thought better to ask an expert on such things—Z.J. Tong, a USA-based marketing consultant who knows the Chinese travel market and is also a widely-listened-to podcaster/influencer—what he thought about the hype and whether it was worth investing in by U.S. travel marketers. (Singles’ Day is a holiday celebrated in China on November 11. Unmarried people commemorate the occasion by treating themselves to gifts and presents, leading Singles’ Day, or Double 11 as it’s also known, to become the largest online shopping day in the world—by quite some margin.)
Here’s what Z.J. told us: “Historically I haven’t seen Singles’ Day to feature outbound travel products as much since Single’s Day usually carries deep discount and outbound travel products usually have limited room for further discounting. Plus, at this moment, there are not many US-bound travel products listed on Chinese OTAs, other than products that are catered to Chinese travelers who are already in the US. In general, I do not recommend travel products to participate in Singles Day campaign because with reduced profit goes with the quality of service.”
● Canada Jetlines, the new all-Canadian, leisure airline, has announced that the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) has provided approval to the carrier’s subsidiary—Canada Jetlines Vacations Ltd.—as a travel retailer and travel wholesaler under the Travel Industry Act, 2022. TICO is mandated by the Ontario government to administer the Ontario Travel Industry Act, 2002 and Ontario Regulation 26/05 which governs approximately 2,100 travel retailers and travel wholesalers registered in Ontario—providing Canadian travelers with confidence from their stamp of approval. For a complete news release on the action, click here.
● Back at pre-2019 Booking Levels? According to Amadeus’ Demand360 business intelligence data, hotel reservations have been on par with pre-pandemic 2019 booking levels since March this year. April 2022 was the first month to surpass 2019 occupancy levels and continued to climb in May hitting a new high of 63 percent, compared to 60 percent in May 2019. High performing countries like the U.S. saw occupancy levels of 68 percent for the month, 7 percent above 2019’s performance, while Canada reached 64 percent occupancy in May, 8 percent higher than the same time in 2019. Forward looking on-the-books data tells a similar story globally with the summer months of June, July, and August currently tracking just one percent off 2019 levels. For more on the Amadeus report, click here.
● A recent TTG article tells us that more than half of Britons are more likely to book a U.S. trip after Covid testing was lifted, but almost the same number said travel and accommodation costs were a worry, new research has found. Last month, Kansas City-based MMGY Travel Intelligence surveyed 774 Americans and 436 Britons and found that, among British respondents, 49 percent said the cost of airfare and lodging would impact their decision to travel to America, while 39 percent said personal safety concerns were an issue. Click here for the complete article.
● From the Nuremberg-based Travel Data + Analytics (TDA): In May 2022, holiday travel bookings in sales exceeded both the previous month (+ 13 percent) and May 2019 as a benchmark to the pre-Covid level: the latter by a remarkable 51 percent. The catch-up race of the low-booking winter months is still ongoing: Cumulatively, the backlog of the summer season 2022 to the previous month melts by a further 10 percentage points to a minus of currently 13 percent to the booking level at the end of May. As the positive booking trend continued in June, so far, it is to see: The current summer season will have achieved the turnaround in two months.
With the continuing extremely good holiday demand in the German market, it can no longer be ruled out that the 2022 summer season will return to growth as the first travel season since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic – provided that the airlines’ many flight cancellations due to staff shortages do not thwart the Germans’ holiday desire. Whether and to what extent this effect will have an impact will only become clear with the June data. More details here: Strong holiday demand is going on – Travel Data + Analytics GmbH
● Globally, “The summer months of 2022 are expected to be exceptionally strong, with many noting that the summer of 2022 is actually three summers merged into one.“ This is the ultra-short summary of the recently released Airports Council International World in its 10th annual quarter assessment reviewing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects on airports, and the path to recovery. You can read the complete report here.
Overseas Travel to USA Has a Good 1st Half
t was the earliest such release of data that INBOUND can recall. And there is nothing better to the ear of someone in the travel and tourism industry than the good news in the release of National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) data that is early.
The reader of the Top 20 Overseas Source Markets for the U.S., either for the past month or the year-to-date totals through last month, have just about something encouraging for everylne selling and promoting Visit USA market travel—whether it’s done in the U.S. or through in-country efforts abroad.
Some thoughts on all this good news:
● Western Europe has resumed its standing as the top regional overseas market of Visit USA product. As in decades of the past, more than two out of every five visitors to the United States from abroad come from Western Europe, with familiar markets a part of the Top Ten: the UK, German, France, Spain and Italy. The strong performance should definitely help the buzz for the Brand USA UK and Europe Travel Week event Monday, September 26 to Thursday, September 29 in Frankfurt.
● Still in the Top 10 from South America is the newcomer, Colombia, which—were not it still dealing a massive movement of millions of Venezuelans seeking refuge in Colombia—would probably be a permanent fixture in this ranking.
● No surprise, but welcome nonetheless is the strong showing by India, which has been able to secure additional airlift from the Middle East and whose travelers use these air carriers to connect on flights to and through Europe, and to the United States.
● There was a slightly supportive tone for tourism among the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with all of them home to more than 3 billion people. At the organization’s just ended 14th Annual BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration at the end of the event, in the 64th (out of 75) point, the group acknowledged “the urgent need for tourism industry recovery and the importance of increasing mutual tourist flows.”
● As for China’s outbound travel, the data show that, with half of 2022 now past, 2022 is pretty much a lost year for the industry. Should the government continue to relax some of the Covid crisis measures it has had in place since the beginning of 2020, there is a possibility that Q4 might be salvaged.
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Countries
Month of June 2022
Country of Residence & Rank
% Change vs. 2021
Total Top 20 Overseas Countries
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Countries
Year-to-Date Through Month of June 2022
Country of Residence & Rank
% Change vs. same period 2021
Total Top 20 Overseas Countries
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by
World Region of Residence
For Month of June 2022
% Change vs.Same period 2021
Central America (Excluding Mexico)
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by
World Region of Residence
Year-to-Date Through June 2022
% Change vs. Same Period 2021
Central America (Excluding Mexico)
INBOUND reminds the reader that, if you find that you want to dig deeper into your data collection and analysis program, you might want to contact David Huether at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). He is deputy director for research, and he can probably help you point your venture in the right direction. You can reach him here: [email protected].
FLA’s Formula: Don’t Stop Now—We Didn’t
VISIT FLORIDA’s leader didn’t let the pandemic stop its marketing program. Shortly after INBOUND sat down last month to interview Dana Young, president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, to get an update on the condition of the state’s tourism industry during the recent IPW trade show in Orlando, the occasion seemed more like a legal deposition than a casual interview. Anticipating just about any possible query, Young, an exceptionally able attorney, was prepared well in advance to make key points. And she did.
Equipped or, one might suggest, armed with sheaths of data, tables and the presentation points to make that she had in front of her, Young was able to refer to the right material at just the right inflection points in order to highlight and/or emphasize a point. Although INBOUND had heard her speak at an industry function several years beforehand, we didn’t really know that much about the former state senator, lawyer and lifelong Floridian.
Twenty minutes with Young, followed by a review of answers to some follow-up questions, were illuminating. The reams of data and lists of numbers were—and still are—impressive. She cited the kind of numbers that one doesn’t forget throughout our discussion.
But what seemed to INBOUND to matter the most were the emphases she made with those points that counted the most for the woman who heads an organization where both domestic and international visitors to Florida are equally important. Some of them follow.
● “We Didn’t Stop” is what Young told INBOUND most emphatically. After the COVID-19 virus flattened the global tourism industry in the spring of 2020, she still had a budget For FY 2020-21 to deploy and “a marketing team that is second to none” to help her. Young said that VISIT FLORIDA “re-started” its marketing efforts in August of that—well before other DMOs did.
● Work the Domestic Market, which has gotten larger. Traditionally, the domestic market—or drive market—especially the group travel market sector, translates into those travelers or group travel segments within 300 miles of a destination. (While not a hard-and-fast rule, it is a measure that is likely to be around for a while, as 300 miles is roughly the range of a charge for electric automobiles, which are becoming increasingly popular.) Survey data were also telling VISIT FLORIDA that COVID-19 was increasing the range of the Domestic Market to measure up to 700 miles, as motorists seemed to want to put distance between themselves and other, well-traveled and well-known destinations. A longer day trip puts Florida within day trip range from much of the Southeast and Midwest U.S.
● Keeping Florida Top-of-Mind of Buyers Matters. Although the international travel trade show circuit basically shut down for a year-and-half (from April 2020 to October, when the U.S. government announced that it was lifting its ban on EU countries and some other nations), Young and her marketing team managed to make in-country visits to all of its top markets. And even though Europe and Asia’s top markets were essentially closed, Florida was able to take advantage of its proximity to, and long-standing relationship with, South and Central American markets which, for the most part, had less restrictive border measures in place (the data below seem to confirm this notion).
● Keeping It Live and In-Person: While other DMOs in the United States stayed home, VISIT FLORIDA resumed international staff travel in June 2021, traveling to Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Germany—and making a statement to most of its key international markets.
What their numbers tell us—Florida kept its marketing stayed strong: Young shared more data sets than one could possibly imagine in emphasizing its point about working its key markets, a global pandemic notwithstanding. A sampler* follows.
2021 Domestic Visitation: 117.4 million (+55.7 percent from 2020 and 0.2 percent from 2019)
2022 Q1 Visitation: 34.1 million (up 35.1 percent from 2020 and up 7.2 percent from 2019)
Market Share: Florida captured the largest share (13.6 percent) of domestic overnight vacation travelers of all the U.S. States in 2021
Florida, VISIT FLORIDA’s Young points out, has shown consistent growth in a wide variety of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), including:
—Hotel demand: exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time in Q1 2022.
—Rooms sold: grew by 31.4 percent in Q1 2022
—Average daily rate (ADR): up over 38 percent from Q1 2021
—Occupancy rate: increased by nearly 24 percent in Q1 2022
—Over 39 percent of visitors traveled to Florida by plane in Q1 2022, marking the highest share for air travel since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
—Total enplanements in Florida were up over 70 percent in Q1 2022
Data for 2022 Q1
A month ago, VISIT FLORIDA released its Q1 visitation estimates that show Florida welcomed 36 million total visitors between January and March 2022.
This marks a 14 percent increase from Q4 2021, and the third consecutive quarter that overall visitation has surpassed 2019, pre-pandemic levels.
Over 34 million of these visitors were domestic, which capped off twelve solid months of domestic visitation growth from 2019.
VISIT FLORIDA is also seeing substantial progress on the international side, with 1.3 million overseas travelers visiting Florida in the first three months of the year.
This marks an increase of over 169 percent from Q1 2021, and puts Florida’s quarterly overseas visitation 14 percentage points closer to full recovery than the rest of the United States.
In addition, 578,000 Canadian travelers visited our state in Q1, representing a 955 increase from the same period last year, and making Canada once again our No. 1 international origin market.
Top 10 Overseas Countries—Q1 of 2022
* The information was sourced from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office, Global Agency Pro. and VISIT FLORIDA.
● Finally: Does Dana Young have any specific target goals regarding the number of tourists—both international and domestic—she would like to see visit Florida this year (and in 2023 and 2024) as it works to reach and exceed 2019 levels? “Though VISIT FLORIDA doesn’t make projections,” Young told us, “We are committed to building upon 2021’s record-breaking visitation growth and taking Florida’s tourism industry to new heights both this year and beyond.”
What’s New and Cool: INBOUND offers brief profiles drawn from the current annual issue of TheTourOperator.com of New and/or Cool attractions and experiences as our way of introducing the latter to our readers.
● SoFI Stadium—Los Angeles, California: Home of the NFL Rams and the Chargers, SoFI Stadium is the centerpiece of the 300-acre Hollywood Park complex in Inglewood. The state-of-the-art stadium and host of Superbowl LVI is one of the largest and most technologically advance in the NFL with its incredible Infinity Screen video board. SoFI Stadium welcomes guests on immersive tours with opportunities to run through the tunnel, check out the locker rooms and test their football and test their football skills on the field. (Sofistadium.com)
● The Ballpark Loudon—Loudon, Virginia: “America’s Favorite Pastime” is re-imagined. The Ballpark Loudon delivers an active entertainment experience that combines cutting-edge technologies, top-of-the-line skill development opportunities and a full-service restaurant. The Ballpark Loudon features four HitTrax™ Suites, interactive batting cages that combine eSports with baseball. Game opportunities range from team competitions to home run challenges and take place in virtual backdrop settings of more than 40 ballparks. (Theballparkloudon.com)
● Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience—Vacherie, Louisiana: Visit Spuddy’s Cajun Foods in Louisiana’s River Parishes for home-cooked plate lunches or to purchase smoked meats made in-house, Spuddy’s offers a Cajun Cooking Experience, where visitors can put on an apron and head into the kitchen for lessons on how to make local delicacies like a roux for gumbo and andouille. (cajuncookingexperience.com)
● Viking Mississippi River Cruises—Mississippi: Viking’s new cruises on the Mighty Mississippi offer a different type of journey for the curious explorer—one that allows you to be immersed in American history and culture. The newest ship on the Mississippi has all outside staterooms, private verandas, spacious public areas and Viking’s signature Scandinavian design. Immerse yourself in the region’s culture with an included excursion at every port, including Natchez and Vicksburg. (vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destintions/mississippi/index.html)
● SUMMIT One Vanderbilt—Midtown Manhattan, New York City: Set against the incredible backdrop of the New York City skyline, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt blends elements of art and technology, taking the concept of an “observation deck” to entirely new heights. Explore three levels of mind-bending multi-sensory immersive experiences set atop the tallest commercial skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. Step out from the envelope of the building and stand on transparent glass 1,070 feet (325 meters) above Madison Avenue, enjoy a cocktail at Après or outside on the SUMMIT Terrace. (summitov.com)
TheTourOperator.com Partner of the Week
Austin—Live Music Capital of the World®
Austin, the Capital of Texas, is also known as the “Live Music Capital of the World®”. In the evening, the city echoes with the sounds of all types of music. This vibrant and pedestrian friendly cosmopolitan city offers a variety of things for travelers to see and do. Austin, with its lakes and rolling hills, is the gateway to the scenic Texas Hill Country.
Here are just a few itinerary ideas for which Austin is famous: Cultural and Art Tours, Family Fun Getaways, Music Tours and more.
For more detailed itinerary suggestions, contact one of Visit Austin’s Verified Destination Contacts.
Tourism and Marketing Specialist
Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Royalty-Free Hi-Res Photos—A Sampler from TheTourOperator.com Photo Finder
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge Hike and Bike Trail
Dale Watson at the Little Longhorn Saloon
Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake
Want to see more? Then, click here for the Visit Austin’s pages in TheTourOperator.com. For more information on how to partner with TheTourOperator.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Senior Director of TheTourOperator and Partner Engagement for Connect Travel.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Fritz Joussen (left), who has led TUI, Europe’s largest tour operator, for nearly a decade, has announced that he is stepping down from his position as CEO effective at the end of September. He will be succeeded by current Chief Financial Officer Sebastian Ebel, an experienced TUI veteran of 24 years. Before he was appointed CFO in 2021, Ebel served on the company’s executive board, taking charge of growth across various sectors.
Joussen joined the leadership team at TUI in 2013, following a lengthy career at Vodafone where he was chief executive from 2003 to 2012. An engineer by training, he became a software developer in the USA. He spent 22 years in the telecommunications industry before joining TUI. During the COVID-19 virus and crisis, Joussen was credited with keeping TUI afloat and in a leadership posture. It was unclear, amidst all of the credits and praise he has received since announcing his departure from TUI, whether he will stay professionally active, as he is but 59 years old.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which just opened last year and has already become a major tourist attraction in Los Angeles, has announced that Jacqueline Stewart, currently the attraction’s chief artistic and programming officer, has been named director and president. She takes over later this month from Bill Kramer, who has been named chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, succeeding Dawn Hudson. Stewart, who joined the museum in January 2021 before its opening that year, is a leading film historian, scholar and archivist who taught American film history at the University of Chicago, with a specialty in African American cinema, as well as the first Black host of Turner Classic Movies’ “Silent Sunday Nights,” which spotlights silent films. A MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient, Stewart was raised on Chicago’s South Side. She received her BA from Stanford University and her PhD from the University of Chicago.
Rob Lyons has started a new position as vice president, group sales & tourism strategy, at Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Lyons has been a part of the company—one of the most recognizable sporting event venues in the United States—since early 2009. He began his career there some 14 years ago as an event presentation production assistant.
Gathan Borden has been appointed senior vice president marketing and communications at Destinations International. He joins the organization from VisitLEX in Lexington, Kentucky, where he is vice president of marketing and where he has served for more than seven years. He has overseen the advertising, branding, marketing, public relations, social media, visitor services and web strategies for the city of Lexington as it relates to travel and tourism. Borden is a 15-year veteran of the tourism industry, having spent time at Louisville Tourism in Louisville, Kentucky in various marketing roles, before accepting the role of vice president of marketing at VisitLEX.
Jill Kidder has left her post as president and CEO of Louisiana Travel Association, where she served for almost six years, and is now the CEO of Visit Baton Rouge. She replaces Paul Arrigo, who announced he plans to retire in September after 20 years leading Visit Baton Rouge.
Attraction World Group has made a number of senior appointments as part of a restructuring of its commercial team a year after its acquisition by Ten Oceans Private Equity. Among them is the naming of Isabel Beckermann (left), head of client success, as commercial director to oversee the group’s product supply and distribution strategy and strengthen links between the two. Also, Phillipa Standley, will move to a new role in the business as head of theme parks and USA partnerships to allow the group to forge ahead with contracting plans and expansion of its product range.
Lufthansa City Center (LCC) Reisebüropartner GmbH—the network of travel agencies and its own 23 stores—has announced that Thomas Klein has signed off and is taking charge of finance the franchise network. Klein is well known in the German tourism industry. He was CEO and CFO of tour operator Berge & Meer. He left the company shortly afterwards it was sold be TUI. LCC It brings together over 500 agencies worldwide (presence in 85 countries), 270 of which are based in Germany.
Nick Leonti has been named director of tourism development at the Port of Seattle. He comes to the organization from Visit California, where he was public relations manager. His tourism resumé includes a tenure of more than 15 years with Visit Sacramento, where he was director of tourism.
Katie Harber has joined Aurora Expeditions, where the former head of business development for Tradewind Voyages takes up the role of business development manager as part of the expedition cruise company’s plans to bolster its UK team. Harber will join the existing UK team of managing director Jos Dewing and BDM James Turner, and she brings experience from her previous roles with Tradewind Voyages, P&O Cruises and Shore Excursions.
Beverly Nicholson-Doty, a long-time veteran in tourism public relations in the Greater Miami area, has been appointed CEO of Figment Design, the Miami-based marketing and advertising agency. Nicholson-Doty, a former chair of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, has more than three decades of executive leadership experience, having served most recently as CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. During her career, she also served as commissioner of tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism from 2007 to 2018.
Harry Taylor, a former JTA sales manager, has joined The Travel Corporation as sales and business development manager. He’ll be taking care of Contiki, Costsaver, Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold. Taylor joined JTA in 2018 but during the pandemic he worked as a Covid testing operative for five months, and also as a car salesperson for six months, before returning to JTA. Previously, Taylor served a brief tenure with Saga Holidays.
EJ King has been named manager, social media, at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. In his new role, social King is responsible for overseeing the voice and message of the ACVB across all social media platforms, and for showcasing Atlanta as a top destination for business and leisure travel while ensuring content adheres to brand standards. He will also support sales and convention services to raise awareness for upcoming events. Previously, King served as lead brand ambassador for Porsche Experience Center Atlanta.
Visit Salt Lake recently named global marketing veteran Tyler Gosnell as its new chief brand and marketing officer, responsible for helping to develop Salt Lake’s brand image and increase public perception through cohesive brand narratives and strategic marketing campaigns. Gosnell has led global brand and marketing programs for leading destination marketing organizations including Visit California and San Francisco Travel, and has most recently been a key member of the destination management and marketing team at the Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia.
Christian Lesjak will be the new sales director at Condor effective September 1, 2022 and will be responsible for partnerships with tour operators, travel agencies and cruise lines. He reports directly to Ralf Teckentrup and succeeds Paul Schwaiger, who left Condor in order to focus on other tasks. Lesjak is currently responsible for network planning and development at Finnair. He is already familiar with the German market from various positions at several airlines.
In the wake of the announcement late last month by Fritz Joussen that he was stepping down as CEO of TUI, there might have been a tendency on the part of those who cover the travel trade to overlook another significant development at TUI—that is, the news that the company’s tour operations and airlines chief, David Burling, has had his TUI contract extended ahead of schedule by two years until May 2026. He has worked for the company in various roles for more than 30 years after starting his career at Thomson Holidays in 1990. Burling was instrumental in the merger with First Choice in 2007 before heading TUI UK and Ireland for four years—until 2015 when he joined the overall executive board.
Vertical Travel Group has appointed a new general manager, Chris Richmond, for its trade sales divisions to oversee its Bedbank.com, Amathus Holidays and VillasforTravel.com brands. Richmond was previously reservations manager for Amathus, the group’s Greece and Cyprus specialist operator. Prior to joining Vertical in October 2021, Richmond, who has more than 25 years of industry experience, worked in corporate travel at CWT for six years and had a short stint as call center manager for Biblio Travel.
Donna Jeavons is leaving The Travel Corporation (TTC) at the end of August to join Abercombie & Kent in September. Currently she is managing director for the UK and Europe, TTC Tour Brands. Jeavons, managing director of UK and Europe for TCC, said: “After eight fantastic years at TTC, it is time for a new challenge and I’m excited for my new role, but I leave behind a brilliant UK and Europe sales and marketing team, who I will miss very much and that I know will take the brands from strength to strength in this important market.”
Air Canada Vacations has announced the promotion of Ana Pa?ula De Souza to the position of director of sales. De Souza, who has been with the company for more than 15 years, was most recently national manager of corporate sales. In her role, she will be responsible for the development of the national sales strategy, as well as growing various lines of business and increasing distribution channels. Led by De Souza, Air Canada Vacations’ sales team now consists of Christine Faulkner, Erminia Nigro, Marigold Frontuna, Marco Gagnon and Matthew Djorsev.
Dustin Arnheim, senior vice president of sales and customer experience at Visit Baltimore, where he has served for three years, is leaving the organization to join Choose Chicago. Previously, he was with Visit Indy for nearly a dozen years, lastly as senior director of sales.
At Travel South USA, Angelica deStefano (left) has been promoted to the position of senior manager, industry communications & events, and Catherine Li has been promoted to manager, global partner programs. DeStefano joined the organization more than five-and-a-half years ago from YourDailyTech, where she was editor. Li’s past experiences include serving as an academic adviser at the University of Nebraska, a market coordinator at H&R Block, and an intern at Nebraska State Attorney’s General.
—The City of Vacaville, California is searching for an executive director for its Downtown Vacaville. More details here.
—Visit Williamsburg has an opening for a chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Walla Walla (“Where wine, culture and the beauty of the outdoors meet”) are searching for an executive director. More details here.
—The Fredericksburg (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a director of the Film & Creative Industries Office. More details here.
—The Pacific County Tourism Bureau, which serves the Washington coast and Long Beach Peninsula and Pacific County, is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Vancouver WA is searching for a director of group sales. More details here.
—The Los Angeles Convention Center is recruiting for a new general manager. More details here.
—Visit Bath, in Virginia, is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is searching for a president & CEO. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—The Orange County Convention Center, site of the recent IPW 2022 in Orlando, has an opening for a deputy director. More details here.
—Longwoods International, a tourism industry leader in marketing, advertising and public opinion research, is searching for a senior vice president. More details here.
—The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a new vice president of marketing. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of communications. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara is looking for a new CEO. More details here.
—The National Comedy Center has an opening for a director of marketing and communications. More details here.
—The Muncie Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Greenville SC is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Tulsa is recruiting for an SVP-president, Tulsa Regional Tourism. More details here.
—The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau has an opening for a vice president of marketing and communications. More details here.
—Visit Albuquerque is searching for a vice president of sales. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More details here.
From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—New York City-based USA Guided Tours is searching for a tour guide in the New York City area. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Los Angeles, but reporting to the senior vp, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
—Visit Seattle is recruiting for a coordinator, partnership and tourism. Location is also hybrid. More details here.
—The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a creative copywriter. More details here.
—Tourism Australia has an opening for a director of public relations-North America. Job is in Los Angeles (hybrid). More details here.
—Epsilon is looking for someone to lead selling activities for the LATM, Central America, and Canadian territories with the tourism vertical. Job is remote. More details here.
—The Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon is recruiting for a tourism manager. More details here.
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
—The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is searching for an Industry Marketing and Partner Relations Manager. The position is headquartered at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s office in Madison, Wisconsin. More details here.
—Argonaut, a Noble House Hotel, has an opening for an area managing director in San Francisco. Click here for more details.
—Travel Wisconsin has an opening for a visual production specialist. More details here.
Have a job opening that you would like to post on INBOUND? Just mail it to us at [email protected].
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