The CenStates board of director, under the guidance of Chair Brenda Myers, has developed a three-year Vision Plan for the chapter to empower its members to produce travel and development research to enable flexibility and responsiveness. The areas of focus are: leadership, membership, education, communications, and research. The award-winning CenStates chapter looks forward to a fulfilling and productive new year...for you and with you! Read the Vision Plan HERE. … [Read more...] about CenStates TTRA Outlines Vision for 2019-2021
How Travel Media Usage Has Changed Over the Last Decade
Written by: Chris Adams, Director of Research and Online Marketing Travelers are using media from more sources and across more points in their travel experiences than ever before. We have coined the term, the “Hyper-Informed Traveler”, to reflect a highly complex and fragmented media landscape. For more on this, check out my blog post, "The Rise of the Hyper-Informed Traveler". Working with our research partner Destinations Analysts, who have tracked US leisure traveler behavior, interests and media use over the last 11+ years, we took a long term look at how media use has changed over the last decade, which is summarized in our new research white paper, The Hyper-Informed Traveler. This new resource highlights how the rapid penetration of smartphones (around 6/10 of all US travelers now use them in planning and travel) has spurred tremendous growth in user-generated content and social media use in travel over the last decade; up 5x and … [Read more...] about How Travel Media Usage Has Changed Over the Last Decade
The Rise of the Hyper-Informed Traveler
In today's world of information and technology, consumers are using a wider variety of tools available to them and are using each of them at a higher rate of frequency. The types of media, websites, apps, channels and devices are mind blowing but traditional media is still an effective and critical part of your toolbox. While traditional may not get as much attention these days, it may just be the tipping point in your consumer's decision-making process. Regardless of the channel, the key for today's marketer is making sure your content is compelling and that its reaching the right consumer at the right time. Content personalization is now expected. If you're not already using data to provide personalized messaging, it's time to start exploring that option. While the use of data and technology are changing the way we deliver the messages, there are things that don't change. Storytelling and emotion effect our decision making process throughout the day but especially when it comes to … [Read more...] about The Rise of the Hyper-Informed Traveler
Takeaways from TTRA International Conference
CenStates members share some information they learned at the June conference: The latest Portrait of American Travelers (POAT) study by MMGY Global found that there are really two different segments in the millennial generation. This is due to that generation aging and now the older segment once considered millennials are starting to transition into a different stage in their lives. The older millennials are now 38 years old. For instance, older millennials are seeking relaxation on their vacation while the younger segment travels more for thrill-seeking. The older millennials and young millennials also vary greatly in average spend with the older segment spending $4,558 per trip and younger segments spending $3,648 per trip. They also vary greatly in their use of shared accommodations. 43% of the younger segment have stayed in shared accommodation while only 31% of the older segment has. This seems to indicate a widening gap in travel trends with the millennial … [Read more...] about Takeaways from TTRA International Conference
State Tourism Budget Growth Slows Ahead of Governors’ Races in Midterms
With gubernatorial races in 36 states and three territories this fall, state tourism boards “increasingly face pressure to justify higher spending, or in some cases even their existence,” reports Skift. State general fund spending for enacted FY 2018 budgets is up only 2.3 percent from FY 2017 — the slowest growth rate since fiscal 2010—and that has a direct effect on state tourism budgets. READ ARTICLE … [Read more...] about State Tourism Budget Growth Slows Ahead of Governors’ Races in Midterms
