Since announcing a new branding campaign, Visit Carlsbad has been busy developing a strategic plan targeting the leisure visitor market.
In order to be successful in our marketing efforts, we need to know who that visitor is and what they want to do while visiting our city. We needed a visitor profile.
While visitor profile studies are expensive and not in our budget, Executive Director Sam Ross was able to obtain the needed information from the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. Carlsbad was part of a county-wide Market Intelligence Study the San Diego bureau contracted for in 2008.
The study shows the demographics that were needed to accurately target the sector of visitors we consider most likely to plan vacation time in Carlsbad. Visit Carlsbad will be directing the largest portion of its advertising budget to Internet marketing.
With this said, it is common knowledge that those who advertise during hard times are the most likely to weather an economic downturn. Still, many states and regional tourism agencies are cutting their marketing budgets, which are typically the first to go.
The problem is, once you do that it's hard to get back to where you were. Your brand fades and you start losing your place in the race for business.
As it relates to a destination, it could lose enough of its image that it might never recoup completely because there is another beautiful destination waiting in the wings. Visit Carlsbad is resolute in staying on course with its marketing of the city to the appropriate segment of travelers.
“When we spend advertising dollars in this down economy, we are in fact protecting Carlsbad's market share of the tourism industry,” Ross said.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults expect to take at least one trip for leisure purposes between August 2009 and January 2010, up from 61 percent who expressed the same intention in July 2008. Assuming Americans act on their stated intention, this will translate into an estimated 142 million U.S. adults taking at least one overnight trip during the next six months.
We know travelers are still concerned about having sufficient funds for travel. However, it appears those who are planning to take a trip are adjusting to a tighter travel budget by preparing to spend less on travel services, and they also intend to comparison shop for deals, especially online.
“Americans' continued strong interest in travel and positive perceptions of its affordability are positive signs for the industry,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The cost of travel remains at historic lows, giving consumers phenomenal options and the opportunity to stretch their dollars farther.”
Allison Powell, research director of Harris Interactive's Travel and Tourism practice, said the recent economic conditions of a declining U.S. dollar, mortgage foreclosures and job losses are giving many consumers reason to re-evaluate their vacation plans.
“The good news is that travelers are still taking vacations. However, the nature of their vacations has changed,” she said. “From finding less expensive accommodations to taking a road trip rather than flying, consumers are finding ways to continue taking vacations. The question remains – how long will this trend last?”
Happy 90th Dick Morel
What will you be doing on your 90th birthday? Dick Morel, hospitality ambassador for Visit Carlsbad, recently celebrated his 90th.
Since 2001, Dick has logged more than 1,441 hours as a volunteer, greeting visitors and bringing a smile to everyone he meets. If you happen to be downtown on a Wednesday afternoon, stop by the Visitor Information Center and say hello to Morel and his wife, Betty, who faithfully take care of Carlsbad's visitors.
In order to be successful in our marketing efforts, we need to know who that visitor is and what they want to do while visiting our city. We needed a visitor profile.
While visitor profile studies are expensive and not in our budget, Executive Director Sam Ross was able to obtain the needed information from the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. Carlsbad was part of a county-wide Market Intelligence Study the San Diego bureau contracted for in 2008.
The study shows the demographics that were needed to accurately target the sector of visitors we consider most likely to plan vacation time in Carlsbad. Visit Carlsbad will be directing the largest portion of its advertising budget to Internet marketing.
With this said, it is common knowledge that those who advertise during hard times are the most likely to weather an economic downturn. Still, many states and regional tourism agencies are cutting their marketing budgets, which are typically the first to go.
The problem is, once you do that it's hard to get back to where you were. Your brand fades and you start losing your place in the race for business.
As it relates to a destination, it could lose enough of its image that it might never recoup completely because there is another beautiful destination waiting in the wings. Visit Carlsbad is resolute in staying on course with its marketing of the city to the appropriate segment of travelers.
“When we spend advertising dollars in this down economy, we are in fact protecting Carlsbad's market share of the tourism industry,” Ross said.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults expect to take at least one trip for leisure purposes between August 2009 and January 2010, up from 61 percent who expressed the same intention in July 2008. Assuming Americans act on their stated intention, this will translate into an estimated 142 million U.S. adults taking at least one overnight trip during the next six months.
We know travelers are still concerned about having sufficient funds for travel. However, it appears those who are planning to take a trip are adjusting to a tighter travel budget by preparing to spend less on travel services, and they also intend to comparison shop for deals, especially online.
“Americans' continued strong interest in travel and positive perceptions of its affordability are positive signs for the industry,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The cost of travel remains at historic lows, giving consumers phenomenal options and the opportunity to stretch their dollars farther.”
Allison Powell, research director of Harris Interactive's Travel and Tourism practice, said the recent economic conditions of a declining U.S. dollar, mortgage foreclosures and job losses are giving many consumers reason to re-evaluate their vacation plans.
“The good news is that travelers are still taking vacations. However, the nature of their vacations has changed,” she said. “From finding less expensive accommodations to taking a road trip rather than flying, consumers are finding ways to continue taking vacations. The question remains – how long will this trend last?”
Happy 90th Dick Morel
What will you be doing on your 90th birthday? Dick Morel, hospitality ambassador for Visit Carlsbad, recently celebrated his 90th.
Since 2001, Dick has logged more than 1,441 hours as a volunteer, greeting visitors and bringing a smile to everyone he meets. If you happen to be downtown on a Wednesday afternoon, stop by the Visitor Information Center and say hello to Morel and his wife, Betty, who faithfully take care of Carlsbad's visitors.