en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en it de en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en
DMO marketing: How Elizabeth New Jersey Found its International Strategy
February 27, 2018 by Tom Berrigan
(The following is a result of INBOUND‘s editor taking up the suggestion that he pay a visit to Elizabeth, New Jersey, which is 20-25 minutes from downtown Manhattan and which, two years ago, began a modest effort to define and raise its profile, promote its tourism product and grow the number of visitors it receives each year. In addition to a three-day visit to the city, our editor also interviewed, by phone and e-mail, the three people who run the city’s DMO, which is funded by a one percent occupancy tax on its major hotels.)
(While the 60 percent price difference suggested above might be a bit high, it is possible. A quick price comparison on any OTA will show a sampling of properties in Elizabeth listed at rates from 30 to 40 percent lower—and sometimes more—than hotels in Manhattan.)
Virtually “across the street” from Jersey Gardens is the largest IKEA store in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state region. Obviously, many visitors—most of them from New Jersey or the tri-state region, already get the message about shopping. Jersey Gardens draws 18 million visitors a year, compared to the 4.5 million who visit the Statue of Liberty, which is also in New Jersey (a fact just about anyone from the state will underscore by aggressively pointing an index finger at  you as they tell you, in order to make sure you get the point.)
Haas, also the force behind the creation two years ago of the Elizabeth DMO, knows that he and the two-person team at the DMO (Jennifer Costa is director, Lauren Ferrigno is marketing coordinator) have work to do to take better advantage of the city’s location and its accessibility in order to make it a  more visited destination on its own.
Above (left to right) Jennifer Costa, Gordon Haas and Lauren Ferrigno)
“Outside the Gateways” vs. “Inside their Shadows”: One of the movements that the Elizabeth DMO hopes to take advantage of is Brand USA’s goal of moving more international visitors to visit U.S. destinations “beyond the gateways” by promoting places and attractions in itineraries that may begin or end in places such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago, but go through states and cities that, traditionally, been a part of the itineraries and packages that international tour operators sell in their home countries.
Cities such as Topeka, Kansas (pop. 126,805) and Hartford, Connecticut (pop. 123,2430–both state capitals—find themselves a part of itineraries for both U.S. and international operators. Why, then, is Elizabeth, which is about the same size as Topeka and Hartford (pop. 128,640) still working to be part of these itineraries?
Part of the answer lies in the fact that, while Elizabeth is really close to New York City, it is so close that it is in its shadow—almost literally. And a sizable part of Newark’s international airport is actually within Elizabeth’s borders. As such, it is a challenge to define yourself in someone else’s shadow.
How They are Approaching the Challenge: The current effort is not the first time that Haas was behind an attempt to bring visitors to Elizabeth. More than a dozen years ago, he was the force behind the launch of the “Shop and Play at 13-A” campaign. For those unlettered in the argot of New Jersey, an expression such as “13-A” is how New Jerseyans identify where they’re from in relationship to the exits along the New Jersey Turnpike. Those who reside in New Brunswick or Middlesex County, for instance, will tell you they live off Exit 9. In the case of Elizabeth, it is 13-A.
Well, the “13-A” campaign, which was aimed mostly at New Jersey residents, didn’t gain traction. But Haas, who is quite the determined and methodical creature—a one-time college professor, he has a PhD in Anatomy—was not deterred. Still believing that the city could benefit more than it was from the scores of thousands of people taking buses to Jersey Gardens, he got support for both the Elizabeth DMO and a 1% occupancy tax to fund it.
The mission of the DMO? “Simple. Put heads in beds,” Haas told INBOUND. After recruiting a two-person staff, the organization began its outreach, seeking partnerships and attending trade shows.
In addition to events within New Jersey, the Elizabeth DMO is partnering in any way they can with Brand USA as well as associations like the US Travel, SYTA, ABA, the Hispanic Motorcoach Association, and NTA. INBOUND first encountered Ferrigno at IPW last June in Washington DC, and crossed paths with Costa last week at the new Connect Travel Marketplace in Orlando.
While on the trade show circuit Costa and Ferrigno do the usual, and then some. They point to the destination’s number of hotel rooms—more than 2,500—and properties (16), as well as the motorcoach companies that serve, or could serve, the area.
Haas, Costa and Ferrigno realize that it will take more networking and more face-to-face meetings with operators before tours and tourists make the connection that Elizabeth can host international travelers—especially operators who are looking to cut costs for clients who want to visit New York City but would not mind staying at a hotel that’s 20-25 minutes away from Penn Station.
Meanwhile, the Elizabeth team are still working at compiling the numbers of packages already in place that include Elizabeth, the operators who sell Elizabeth to their clients, or an accurate estimate of exactly how many travelers visit Elizabeth each year and what they are doing—such  numbers will help the organization going forward as they fine tune their marketing strategy.
The Product? Vintage New Jersey¹, Vintage USA: The city is compact and densely populated. In fact, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the USA, and Elizabeth is the state’s fourth-largest city. It’s not a challenge to get around Elizabeth quickly. (The width of many of its streets could present a challenge for the traditional tour bus, however, and it might be better suited for the DMO to promote products that use smaller vehicles such as the Mercedes Sprinter for smaller groups.)
As for its people, Elizabeth is a Petri dish of America’s ethnic and racial diversity. Among its residents, there are 30 languages spoken by people representing 50 countries. It is likely that most passengers on every single busload of overseas visitors that visits Jersey Gardens will hear their native language spoken in the Mall at Jersey Gardens. The people in the mall, both shoppers and employees, comprise a multicultural festival.
Places to eat? One restaurant site we reviewed had more than 300 restaurants listed for Elizabeth, with a dizzying number of cuisine choices listed. While not revealing our preference, INBOUND can point out that, among the favorites of visitors is Manolo’s Restaurant, a Spanish/Mediterranean fusion eatery where the first episode of the popular TV show, The Sopranos, was filmed!
About its historic and cultural attractions: They are many, many in number—too many to detail here. One can only imagine, however, how many there must be for a city that goes back to the mid 1600s. As one stops off at any number of sights, monuments, parks or museums, one will probably intersect with the path once trod by Alexander Hamilton, who once lived in Elizabeth.
Perhaps what best qualifies Haas, Costa and Ferrigno is that all three are authentically New Jersey and, for the most part, authentically Elizabeth. While not born in the city, both Haas and Costa are long-time residents, while Ferrigno is a “third generation Elizabethian.”
While Haas is looking to retire within the next five years, Costa and Ferrigno will likely be at the Elizabeth DMO for some time. And both are eager to hear ideas and suggestions on how they can better package and promote their city. Contact them at:
Jennifer Costa: [email protected]  Lauren Ferrigno: [email protected]
¹ Full Disclosure: INBOUND’s editor spent a number of years attending Drew University in Madison, New Jersey as both an undergraduate and graduate student, was a radio and newspaper reporter in northern New Jersey and once served as press secretary to a Congresswoman from the state. He really likes New Jersey.
Who are the Top Ten Operators in Germany?
Houston Gets New Tourism Chief; KC Opts for Interim Chief
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
Click to print (Opens in new window)
Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
Filed Under: Destinations, Marketing
The Inbound Report September 07, 2022
The Inbound Report August 24, 2022
The Inbound Report August 10, 2022
The Inbound Report July 27, 2022
The Inbound Report July 13, 2022
The Inbound Report June 22, 2022
The INBOUND REPORT June 08, 2022
The INBOUND REPORT May 25, 2022
The Inbound Report April 27, 2022
Archives Select Month September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014
Categories Select Category Agritourism Airlines Annual Outlook for Overseas Markets Asia/Pacific Associations Attractions Australia Brand USA Brazil Canada China Complete Issue Connect Item Connect Travel Destinations DMOs Eurozone France Full Issue Germany Guest Article Guest Columnist Hodge Podge Hotels Inbound Arrivals India Industry Jobs Industry News Internat’l Media Marketing Interviews ipw Ireland ITB Japan La Cita Latin America LGBT Lobbying Marketing Medical tourism Memoriam Mergers and Acquisitions Mexico NAJ Items NAJ News New Product News Photo Album Receptive News South America South Korea Sponsored Content Sponsored Story Student Market The Touroperator,com Tour Operators TourOperatorLand Trade News Travel Agents TravelAbility Trends & Research Trump Slump Unbound Uncategorized United Kingdom WTM