IN OTHER NEWS
Mark Pestronk Legally, OTAs are subject to the same standard of care as traditional travel advisors. 17
Jamie Biesiada
A growing number of countries are requiring or advising travel insurance 4 Key West gains cruise traffic as Havana is pushed off ships’ itineraries 6
This advisor, once a Food Channel designer, today specializes in culinary travel. 6
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PASSION PLAY
Destination marketers are increasingly focusing their messages on interests such as culture or cuisine, often in the hope of luring visitors off the beaten path. BY ERIC MOYA Second of a two-part look at the evolution of DMOs.
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Damage to Bahamas shipyard leaves SO-CALLED ‘DRIP PRICING’ UNPOPULAR WITH CONSUMERS cruise lines desperate to find drydock Analysts: D.C. suit vs. Marriott By Tom Stieghorst Damage to a drydock facility at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in the Bahamas is proving inconvenient and expensive for the cruise industry, and it demonstrates how few drydock options exist on the U.S. East Coast. The damaged drydock, the largest of three at Grand Bahama, was put out of commission on April 1 when a crane collapsed while raising the stern of the Oasis of the Seas to repair its propulsion pods. The accident forced Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) to take the Oasis to a yard in Europe to finish repairing it.
The repairs, plus the cost of three canceled Oasis cruises, will pare an estimated $52 million from RCCL’s 2019 earnings. But Royal is not the only line affected by the loss of the Bahamas drydock. In June, Carnival Cruise Line’s 4,000-passenger Carnival Vista also developed a problem with its Azipod motors that required immediate replacement of their bearings. Normally, the work would have been done in drydock at Grand Bahama, a facility jointly owned by RCCL and Carnival Corp. But on June 20, Carnival Cruise Line disclosed to investors that because it was not See DRYDOCK on Page 18
could spell death of resort fees By Christina Jelski
Pesky hotel resort fees could soon be on their way out. At least, that’s what some hospitality analysts predict might happen following news that the District of Columbia attorney general earlier this month filed a lawsuit against Marriott International, accusing the hotel giant of deceptive fee practices.
The suit, which was filed with the District of Columbia Superior Court, accuses Marriott of employing “an unlawful trade practice called ‘drip pricing’ in advertising its hotel rooms, whereby Marriott initially hides a portion of a hotel room’s daily rate from consumers.” That hidden portion, according to the AG’s office, is typically labeled a resort, amenity or destination fee. Marriott declined to comment on the pending litigation but said, “We look forward to continuing our discussions with See FEES on Page 16
ON THE RECORD
TRADE NEWS
RIVER CRUISING
OCEAN CRUISING
MMGY’s Chris Davidson on the company’s ‘Portrait of American Travelers’ survey. 2
Travel Leaders appoints Pearlman to head its aggressive international leisure push. 16
An unscripted solo bike tour of Vienna was full of lessons and adventure in Austria. 13
With a slew of new apps, cruise lines get passengers’ onboard spending started early. 8
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COVER STORY Part two of a two-part look at the evolution of DMOs.
PASSION PLAY
TW ILLUSTRATION BY JENN MARTINS
Destination marketers are increasingly focusing their messages on interests such as culture or cuisine, often in the hope of luring visitors off the beaten path. BY ERIC MOYA
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everal destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are forgoing messages based on traditional demographic criteria in favor of campaigns that more directly appeal to travelers’ interests — in marketing parlance, their “passion points.” And while these campaigns are primarily meant to motivate travelers by focusing on the ever-increasing interest in authentic experiences, several DMOs said that another goal of this approach is to put less-visited areas and attractions on travelers’ radars. “We know we’ve got great castles, we’ve got royalty, but what we want to say is, ‘We’ve got all that plus a lot more,’” VisitBritain CEO Sally Balcombe said of her organization’s “I Travel For” campaign, which launched last year and focuses on appealing to travelers’ motivations. That approach can be seen on the homepage of VisitBritain’s website, where a scroll-down menu enables visi-
tors to choose one of eight ways to complete the sentence “I travel for …”: stories, local flavor, culture, the undiscovered, bliss, characters, the unexpected or thrills. Click “culture,” for example, and the website redirects to a page with topics spanning a number of interests as well as destinations — everything from “five familyfriendly activities in London fit for royalty” and “foodie map of Britain” to “48 hours in Newcastle” and “let’s go to Edinburgh’s festivals!” With that approach, Balcombe said, the campaign “allows us to show lots of different aspects of Britain [and] allows us to show lots of different parts of Britain,” such
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as England’s North Yorkshire county, which hosted this year’s ExploreGB conference. “This is a beautiful county,” Balcombe said in an interview at the conference. “This is just stunning. But I think if you went to the States, most people wouldn’t know or have heard of Yorkshire.” But if a potential visitor is, say, a fan of British film and TV, or an antiques enthusiast, the VisitBritain site might steer them toward Newby Hall and Gardens in the North Yorkshire town of Ripon. The 18th-century manor has served as a filming location for TV series such as “Mansfield Park” and “Victoria” and boasts one of the world’s largest collections of Chippendale furniture. “So we’re trying to respond to their passion” and suggest itineraries and experiences from there, Balcombe said. During ExploreGB, daytrips for international media showcased Newby Hall and other attractions in the North Yorkshire area, while fam trips held before and after the conference visited Scotland and Wales, respectively. I participated in the Scotland fam, which brought travel advisors, tour operators and members of the media to Edinburgh and the Isle of Arran. On one hand, the Edinburgh leg offered major sights, such as the city’s 14th-century castle, and essential experiences, such as a tasting at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. On the other hand, the Arran itinerary was arguably one for those whose tastes run toward “the undiscovered.” Attractions such as the ancient Machrie Moor stone circles might not be as well known as the Isle of Lewis’ CalaSee PASSION POINTS on Page 12
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PASSION POINTS Continued from Page 11 nais stone circle (used in the filming of the “Outlander” TV series), but they proved to be at least as Insta-worthy, judging from the handful of selfie-taking visitors we encountered there on a weekday afternoon last spring.
WHERE’S THE BEEF? IT’S IN KOBE Like VisitBritain’s campaign, the Japan National Tourism Organization’s (JNTO) “Enjoy My Japan” campaign launched last year and similarly seeks “to entice longhaul travelers to … explore the country beyond the wellknown popular attractions and immerse themselves in the rich depths of Japanese nature and culture that exist off the beaten tourist path.” The JNTO conveys that message via seven passion points: art, cities, cuisine, nature, outdoor adventure, relaxation and tradition. According to Sayaka Fujii, director of the JNTO’s New York office, the passion points strategy has helped the country’s tourism message resonate with its target markets in a variety of ways. For example, cuisine and relaxation are popular among potential U.S. visitors, while those from Germany and Italy have expressed the most interest in outdoor activities. That, in turn, could help Japan promote some of its less-visited areas, which Fujii said was “one of the important pillars” of the campaign, “in terms of revitalizing rural economies and fixing [the] imbalance between popular cities and lesser-known cities.” This global effort by the JNTO could be seen as a continuation of recent efforts by Japanese regions such as Setouchi and Tohoku, which, via their own DMOs, have touted their tourism assets as alternatives to more well-known Japan experiences. In Tohoku’s case, for example, that includes promoting fall foliage in a country renowned for its springtime cherry blossoms. One example of how the JNTO seeks to encourage exploration via passion points is the organization’s recently released brochures listing “100 Experiences in Japan,” which divide those experiences into the aforementioned seven categories. The Cuisine brochure, for example, mentions Kobe beef among the country’s quintessential culinary experiences, as one might expect. But rather than list a res-
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taurant in a major tourist destination such as Tokyo or Kyoto, the listing directs visitors to Setsugekka in the city of Kobe itself, where the prized cattle originates.
STREET FOOD AND STREETWEAR Unlike the U.K. or Japan, Singapore didn’t have overtourism or promoting lesser-known areas in mind with the 2017 launch of its “Passion Made Possible” campaign, which targets travelers based on six “passion tribes”: foodies, explorers, collectors, socializers, action seekers and culture shapers. Still, the strategy of focusing on passion points does appear to be influencing how travelers experience the destination, according to the Singapore Tourism Board. “On average, there are about 169,000 visitors in Singapore at any given time, which is a healthy ratio relative to the local population, and there is room for growth in
‘Leaning solely on demographics as a way to understand audiences is not relevant anymore.’ —Katie Briscoe, MMGY Global Singapore,” said Kershing Goh, regional director of the Americas for the Singapore Tourism Board. She added that while the Passion Made Possible campaign does not explicitly seek to promote lesser-visited areas of the Lion City, “as travelers become more adventurous and seek more local, authentic experiences, we are seeing more visitors go off the beaten track.” Enabling that exploration are local suppliers that have capitalized on the tourism board’s efforts by launching more than 35 tours based on aspects of the Passion Made Possible campaign, Goh said. The itineraries include Vespa tours with Singapore Sidecars (for “explorers at heart,” Goh said) and the Next Gen Hawker Food Tour by Wok ’n’ Stroll, on which visitors “can connect with Singapore’s new generation of hawkers and enjoy rejuvenated classics.” Helping connect visitors to all aspects of Singapore’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAHITI TOURISME
PHOTO COURTESY OF AKITA TOURISM FEDERATION
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4 1) Lochranza Castle, a 16th-century site on Scotland’s Isle of Arran. 2) Streetwear designer Mark Ong is one of Singapore’s “Passion Ambassadors.” 3) Choshino Falls in the Akita prefecture, in Japan’s Tohoku region. 4) While Tahiti Tourisme still uses romantic imagery in its marketing, the DMO is also promoting cultural experiences.
tourism are the Passion Ambassadors, whom the tourism board describes as “Singaporeans and residents who have persevered and achieved their dreams, constantly striving for progress amid challenges, whom potential visitors might be able to personally identify with.” They include entrepreneurs such as Mark Ong, a streetwear designer whose customized sneakers have been worn by former NBA great Kobe Bryant and other international celebrities. For the campaign’s rollout in China, a key market for Singapore, the tourism board enlisted singer-songwriter and Lion City native Nathan Hartono to talk about his favorite hangouts and Singapore’s music scene.
BEYOND THE BUNGALOWS Like Singapore, Tahiti Tourisme isn’t necessarily concerned about overtourism, but the DMO for the 118 islands of Tahiti is interested in spotlighting lesser-known islands and their associated experiences, as it does in its “Pick Your Paradise” effort. Visitors to the Tahiti Tourisme website’s Pick Your Paradise microsite are invited to “choose your own virtual adventure” by selecting from three prompts: Go Far (Explore Adventure), Go Deep (Explore Culture) and Go Together (Explore With Loved Ones). Those prompts, in turn, lead to other prompts: Click on Go Far, for example, and the next prompt invites visitors to Hold On (signified by a photo of water skiers) or Let Go (which shows cliff divers next to a waterfall). After a half-dozen such prompts, a video compiling all six of the user’s selections plays. Then the user is encouraged to share the video via social media as well as to contact a travel specialist for a price quote on their adventure. According to Kristin Carlson Kemper, managing director of Tahiti Tourisme North America, the campaign represents a substantial shift in approach from previous efforts that emphasized iconic island imagery. That, in turn, helps Tahiti target audiences beyond its traditional honeymoon-and-romance market, such as multigenerational and adventure travel as well as more culturally minded visitors. Recent fam trips for social media influencers have highlighted aspects of Tahiti tourism that go beyond romance and relaxation. “If you were to go back and look at our advertising images from before 2016, you’re basically going to see an See PASSION POINTS on Page 20
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overwater bungalow, a lagoon and Mount Otemanu,” Kemper said. “Whereas now, you see the diving, the snorkeling, the fire
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dance, ziplining, somebody doing a stone or wood carving. We still have the overwater bungalow [in our ads], but it’s not the
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end all, be all.” And on the subject of those overwater bungalows: While that iconically Taihitian accommodation style is ideal for couples, Tahiti Tourisme is also interested in highlighting other options at other price points, such as smaller, B&B-style offerings on less-visited islands. “There are about 400 of them throughout the islands of Tahiti, so actually the room count is more than there are in the resorts,” Kemper said. “There are only so many hotel rooms on Tahiti and on Bora Bora, so we do have to get people out to the lesser-known islands.”
STAGE, NOT AGE These DMOs’ current approaches represent “a fundamental shift from focusing on mass marketing and messaging based on a foundation of demographic information,” said Katie Briscoe, president of travel marketing agency MMGY Global. “Leaning solely on demographics as a way to understand audiences is not relevant anymore,” she said. She said that millennials, for example, can be at vastly different stages in their lives and thus represent a broad range of potential travel interests. “Millennial families make up more than half of the millennial age core, so they’re obviously looking for a very different experience than a 25-year-old backpacking through Europe,” Briscoe said. “And millennial families spend more significantly on travel each year, and because of the nature of that stage in their life, they’ve transitioned into more rooted, predictable behaviors.” Whereas past efforts to understand travelers’ habits and motivations were limited by the more traditional types of data available to marketers back then, “now there is this capability to provide far more depth in the development of relevant audiences or personas for these travel brands,” said Briscoe, whose company released its 2019-2020 Portrait of American Travelers study this month. DMOs, she said, “really can understand who is interested and what the assets are that they have to offer and sell and really create a connection across the consumer journey.” Moreover, understanding that consumer has less to do with traditional demographic data and more to do with traveler mindset. “A persona like a wanderluster, we’re not concerned as much about age,” Briscoe said. “That’s still an important factor, but we’re really concerned more about motivators, the interests that are driving them to these travel decisions — talking about getting off the beaten path or a real desire to focus on self-care. Because that gets more into that aspirational lifestyle that we see driving travel decisions.”
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