For ten years Andria has been leading DMO strategy and development by working with the travel industry to navigate the world of data and analytics. Currently, Andria serves as Senior Director of Tourism and Hospitality at ADARA, providing strategic direction and drives cross-team decision making to grow enterprise opportunities in the Americas. Along with her passion for advancing the travel and tourism industry, Andria brings to the team ten years of destination marketing and research experience, as well as expertise in leveraging data to enhance marketing efficiency and promote DMO advocacy. Prior to joining ADARA Andria spent seven years in research leadership positions for destination marketing organizations, including Research Director roles at Georgia Tourism and Texas Tourism.
Andria is an active member of the travel and tourism community, serving on the board of directors for the Travel and Tourism Research Association. She is a proud Texas Aggies receiving both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Texas A&M University.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Andria Godfrey, the senior director of tourism and hospitality at ADARA, discusses the data evolution in travel and tourism. She explains the importance of using data to tell a story, she talks about privacy and how it affects our access to data, and she explains why we need to better understand human behavior and the ‘why’ of our visitors.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Andria’s journey into the travel and tourism industry
- The importance of data storytelling
- How privacy impacts the data we have access to
- The importance of understanding human behavior and the ‘why’ of our visitors
- Different ways that Andria has solved challenges using creativity and collaboration
- How to personalize your communication with travelers
- Examples of data that we have access to but may not be considering
Using Data in Travel and Tourism
Andria Godfrey is the Senior Director of Tourism and Hospitality at ADARA, a company that provides the travel and tourism industry with greater visibility into the needs and wants of in-market travel consumers. They use people-based insights to increase marketing efficiency, foster growth, and maximize the value of a DMO’s customer portfolio. In the latest episode of the Destination on the Left podcast, Andria discusses her role at ADARA, the importance of data storytelling, how privacy affects access to different types of data, and why we need to better understand human behavior and the ‘why’ of our visitors.
It’s All About the Big Picture
Nowadays, it is difficult to find someone who works at a destination that doesn’t geek out about data. Artificial Intelligence is commonplace, and it has enabled communities of all sizes to access more data than they’ve ever had access to before. It is extremely exciting for all DMOs, but it also presents new challenges as we figure out how to use it. Understanding data for a single destination is powerful, but understanding the same data in the context of the travel industry as a whole is unbelievably powerful. That is the ultimate goal as we mold our data into something meaningful.
Data That Tells a Story
When DMOs understand the story their data is telling relative to the travel and tourism industry as a whole, it enables them to create more effective messaging. For decades, DMOs have designed their communication strategy to tell their destination’s story, but using the right data can give that story even more meaning. It can help DMOs direct their communication efforts to the ideal target audience so they can create a real connection. They can articulate why the destination should matter to them and help them understand what they will get out of their experience. To learn more about ADARA’s work with data collection and measurement in the travel and tourism industry, listen to the latest episode of Destination on the Left.
- LinkedIn:
- Website: adara.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaraGlobal/
- Twitter:
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Tanner Knorr manages EplerWood International’s new business, develops the newsletter, and continues to build a presence for the company via public relations, social media, and events. Tanner holds a Bachelor’s in Archaeology and a Master’s in Administrative Studies, concentrating in Economic Development and Tourism Management from Boston University. He was also a Teaching Assistant at Harvard Extension.
He owns a business called Off Season Adventures that strives for sustainable tourism practices in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Nepal, and is the President of Second Look Worldwide, a 501(c)(3) organization that sponsors infrastructure improvements around tourism destinations in the developing world.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Tanner Knorr, the Program Manager at EplerWood International and the Founder of Off Season Adventures, joins us to talk about Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism. He discusses the impact of crisis scenarios and overtourism on destinations, and explains what we can do to manage unaccounted for destination costs to provide local infrastructure and protection of eco and sociocultural systems for tourism and local people.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How to access The Invisible Burden Report, a report that helps destinations uncover and account for hidden costs to protect and manage vital assets worldwide
- Why The Invisible Burden Report can help DMOs support responsible tourism growth
- The primary goal of The Invisible Burden Report and how it came about
- Who was involved in the collaborative effort it took for The Invisible Burden Report to materialize
- The individual subsectors of a destination that are affected by overtourism
- Phase two of the research report and what we can expect to see
- The key findings of last year’s research report
- The concept of holistic accounting and how it works
Collaboration in a Time of Crisis
Tanner Knorr is the Program Manager at EplerWood International and Owner and Founder of Off Season Adventures. He is a self-proclaimed sustainable tourism entrepreneur who is dedicated to making infrastructure improvements around tourism destinations in the developing world. Through our conversation, Tanner discusses the recently-released research study, Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism. At a time when our industry is in turmoil due to the impacts of the global pandemic, there is an opportunity to open our minds to new ideas and possibilities. Download the research report and start understanding what we can do to support responsible tourism growth.
The Invisible Burden
The Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism report was put together by EplerWood International, the Cornell Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and The Travel Foundation in the UK. The main goal of this report is to uncover the “invisible burden” of tourism which Tanner defines as the unaccounted for destination costs to provide local infrastructure and protection of eco and sociocultural systems for tourism and local people. It is difficult enough for destinations to find those pieces of the puzzle, so EplerWood International and its collaborators are stepping in to help them manage and finance more efficiently.
Overtourism
When we talk about The Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism report, there are a number of different subsectors of a destination that are affected. When tourism populations exceed the populations of the destination, we start to see destinations crack under the weight of it. It affects things like energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water, solid waste, sewage, and other natural and social capital. Tanner Knorr and his associates are working diligently to mitigate the risks of overtourism and manage the issues that have already arisen. Currently, they are working on phase two of The Invisible Burden where they will provide the necessary skills training to people on the ground.
- Website:
- Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism Report: https://www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/invisible-burden/
- LinkedIn:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OffSeasonAdventures
- Twitter:
Jim Bartoo has been the director of marketing and public relations at Nashville Zoo since 1999. During that time, he has seen the Zoo grow from local awareness to national and international recognition with more than 1.2 million guests visiting in 2019. Before coming to Nashville, Jim spent seven years marketing the Columbus Zoo in Columbus, OH. He is accomplished in all aspects of marketing and communications initiatives across the Zoos owned, earned and paid platforms. Jim lives in the Bellevue area (southwest Nashville) with his wife Carole and two daughters, Emma and Grace.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Jim Bartoo, the Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the Nashville Zoo, joins us to share his story. He discusses the challenges of marketing a zoo when the destination brand experience is Music City, and he shares the creative solutions his organization has developed to fit into Nashville’s brand.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How Nashville Zoo’s Expedition Peru exhibit received top honors in exhibit design by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
- Why the women’s bathroom at the Expedition Peru exhibit as well as the men’s room in the Zoo’s Entry Village were named America’s Best Bathrooms by Cintas in 2019
- Jim Bartoo’s journey to becoming the Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the Nashville Zoo
- How Jim’s role has changed over twenty years with Nashville Zoo
- What Jim and his team have done to help the Nashville Zoo stand out from the crowd
- Why Nashville Zoo shifted its focus from the local market to the visitor market a couple of years ago
- Why construction can create a negative effect on your visitor audience
- How the Nashville Zoo went from a work-in-progress to a full-fledged destination
- How Jim’s team responds to actionable visitor reviews
Nashville Zoo
Jim Bartoo is the Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the Nashville Zoo. He is a lighthearted and enlightening individual who brings so much value to the table. Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, a light-hearted conversation that doesn’t harp on the widespread panic is a much-needed change of pace. Jim discusses the challenges of marketing a zoo when the destination brand experience is Music City, and he shares the creative solutions his organization has developed to fit into Nashville’s brand. His perspective on partnerships and collaborations are invaluable, and he has helped bring more than 1.2 million visitors through the gates in the last year.
Adaptive Marketing
Nashville has a large tourism market and visitors have a certain expectation when they travel there. Being a zoo in the market has been very challenging, but Jim has learned a lot in his twenty years there. At first, it was about letting people know they were there in the first place. The marketing efforts were initially designed to get the local populace over to the zoo to sample what was going on. Discounted or free admission, promotional events, and fundraisers were just some of the ways they managed to draw traffic. But as things progressed, Jim and his team were able to focus on promoting specific exhibits and events at the zoo itself. People became more familiar with it over time, but that does not detract from the challenge Jim faced in separating the zoo from the city.
Becoming a Destination
When you talk about destination marketing, everything is very brand-centric. DMOs are responsible for fulfilling the brand experience they create and ensuring that the experience a visitor has circles back to the brand itself. But that is difficult to achieve when your experience is not complete. Nashville Zoo struggled to wow visitors while major exhibits were being built because the guests felt as though they were missing out on something. When the Expedition Peru exhibit was completed, however, visitors could finally navigate a continuous circuit of attractions. Jim shifted the marketing focus from building anticipation and began to construct the identity of the zoo as a destination. The zoo is not a place for live music or drinking, so they are not the poster child of the Music City brand. But their hard work and creative marketing have put them on the map anyway.
- Website: www.nashvillezoo.org
- LinkedIn:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nashvillezoo
- Twitter:
Erica Paolicelli is a Partner at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates and War Horse Brewing Company located in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Erica joined the company in 2007, before it opened its doors and helped grow the destination and brand which now sees 150,000+ visitors annually, has distribution regionally to over 300 locations, and employs 150 full and part-time employees. The campus at Three Brothers houses Iron Heart Coffee Company, a café serving lunch (and soon to be dinners) daily and also hosts private events.
Erica is a strategic planner, marketer and brand builder at heart with a keen business sense. She serves on several regional boards including the IDA, the NY Wine Industry Association, the Finger Lakes Community College Advisory Board, and Geneva Community Projects. Together with her colleagues, Erica is one of the founders of the successful Rose Soiree held annually in downtown Geneva which has raised $30k in funds donated to local community organizations.
Erica is a firm believer that the rising tide raises all ships and she thinks it’s her calling to inspire collaboration within her community to help the Finger Lakes continue to be recognized as a premier destination on a global scale.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Erica Paolicelli, Partner at Three Brothers Wineries and Estates and War Horse Brewing Co., explains how she and her team are responding to the current coronavirus pandemic. She discusses the creative solutions they thought up and implemented since the shelter-in-place and social distancing restrictions have gone into effect. And she talks about the unique visitor experiences that make Three Brothers Winery a destination in and of itself!
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why Three Brothers Winery is a destination in and of itself
- Why the experiences offered at Three Brothers Winery are unlike any other wineries in the country
- How Three Brothers is developing products like their new wine spritzer to accommodate curbside pickup and delivery
- Why Three Brothers decided to lean into their online presence in response to the global pandemic
- How Erica and her team are responding to the current coronavirus pandemic
- Creative solutions that Three Brothers has thought of and implemented since the shelter-in-place and social distancing restrictions have gone into effect
- How Three Brothers is using old school communication techniques to garner support from the local community
The Ultimate East Coast Wine Destination
Erica Paolicelli is a Partner at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates and War Horse Brewing Company located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region in New York State. In our discussion, Erica shares so many creative ideas about how to navigate the coronavirus pandemic in the travel and tourism industry. Erica and her team have thought up and implemented innovative solutions in response to the shelter-in-place and social distancing restrictions have gone into effect. And their ability to use creativity and collaboration is one of the many reasons Three Brothers Winery is a destination in and of itself!
Rally Around a Vision
Erica started with Three Brothers as an intern before the winery was anything like it is today. Over time, she moved from $15/hour to a 1% share in the company and, eventually, she started buying stock as well. Erica became a partner because she believes in Dave Mansfield’s vision, and that vision made Three Brothers what it is today. It is no small task for a leader to energize people around their vision or to keep their ego out of the mix. Dave did both, and his ability to see what Three Brothers could become combined with Erica’s drive and ability to execute led Three Brothers to become one of the top wineries in the Finger Lakes region.
Use Creativity to Open New Streams of Revenue
The Three Brothers campus has three wineries and a brewery, each with an entirely unique experience from shopping to food and entertainment—it is Disney World for adults. The creativity that makes Three Brothers a destination has also helped them navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, they have been deemed an essential business because they are a beverage manufacturer, but the tasting rooms and communal spaces have been shut down.
They decided to lean into their online presence to engage their current audience to drum up excitement for future events. They are generating long-form content to add value to their customers and give their readers something to look forward to. They are even doing wine slushies to-go which has driven pick-up orders significantly, and they added merchandise to the website. Coupled with a push for real conversations between Three Brothers leadership and their clientele, Erica and her team have seen an outpour of support from the local community and wine lovers all over.
A thirty-plus year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry, Amir leads the entire Longwoods international team responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization from program development to customer acquisition and retention.
He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving as the destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing international visitation to the US. He led the team responsible for helping to increase Brand USA’s partnership base and ensuring that participants received excellent service throughout Brand USA’s deployment of joint marketing programs. During his tenure, Brand USA grew its base to 475 partners, comprised of destination marketing organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, travel brands, airlines, and tour operators.
Prior to joining Brand USA, Amir served as Director of the Ohio Office of Tourism. Under his leadership, the state’s marketing programs realized a tremendous return on investment and contributed to the growth of the state’s $40 billion tourism economy. The programs he developed leveraged industry and nontraditional partnerships that generated $14 in new state and local taxes for every $1 invested and included active participation by thousands of Ohio’s tourism-related businesses. He has also served as Executive Vice President of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, Assistant Director of the Ohio Tourism Division, and Sales & Marketing Manager with the Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
He has been recognized with a number of Industry honors including Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing award (2014) by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI); The Ohio Tourism Industry’s Highest Honor, The Paul Sherlock Award; and The State of Ohio Distinguished Service Medal.
Amir holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Dayton.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International, joins us to share his story and talk about market research in travel and tourism. Amir discusses some of the trends he has seen as DMOs rush to respond to the COVID-crisis, and he talks about the changes in traveler sentiment as the pandemic continues to unfold.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Amir’s journey into destination marketing and the travel and tourism industry
- How Longwoods Intl. is tracking traveler sentiment
- How Amir is seeing destinations respond to the global pandemic
- How Longwoods Intl. is adapting their business model to meet the needs of the COVID-crisis
- How destinations are using creativity to respond to the pandemic
- How traveler sentiment has changed since the pandemic was declared a national emergency
- Why crises produce some of the travel and tourism industry’s best work
- The short term and long term responses we are seeing in DMOs across the country
Traveler Sentiment Amidst the COVID-Crisis
Amir Eylon is the President and CEO at Longwoods International, a respected leader in market research that helps drive destinations toward their goals. Amir and his team have been tracking traveler sentiment for years, but in the midst of this global pandemic, Longwoods International has started tracking traveler sentiment every week. Their objective is to inform and serve the travel and tourism industry as we collaborate to determine the best response to the COVID-crisis.
Researching Traveler Sentiment
Amir is a marketer who happens to run a market research company, so he speaks our language. He understands how to use research to produce robust marketing strategies and he has been in the travel and tourism industry for almost thirty-two years. In destination marketing, research not only provides us with a roadmap of where to go, it provides us with information about whether our strategy is working. It enables us to accomplish more with our ideas and resources which is especially important when the going gets rough.
A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Some of our industry’s best work has come out of crises. And be it 9/11, the great recession, or the COVID-crisis, the great minds of travel and tourism have continued to shine by taking creativity, collaboration, and partnerships to a new level. Traveler sentiment has changed drastically since the pandemic was declared a national emergency. The numbers are not necessarily surprising, but it’s not all bad news either. The silver lining in all of this is that Americans are still looking to travel in the next six months. Many trips have been postponed or canceled, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and a beacon of hope that we will all make it through.