Virus upends tourism marketing, sparks idea of ‘safecations’
CONCORD (AP) – The coronavirus has upended the way cities and states market themselves as summer travel destinations, and some tourism officials are just emerging from an especially awkward position: telling potential visitors to stay away.
The pandemic’s effects can be seen on promotional websites that acknowledge the new risks of travel. An Illinois site encourages people to explore the state’s natural wonders from their sofas. Virginia’s main tourism site features a mountain range with the message “We’ll be waiting for you.”
“We really had to ask ourselves, ‘When is it irresponsible to ask people to travel? What do we do as a tourism brand?’ We can’t come out and tell people to plan a trip because we have no idea when people are going to be traveling again,” said Lindsey Norment, brand director at Virginia Tourism.
“We want people to keep Virginia in mind, but we don’t necessarily want a ton of people flooding our state right now. It’s a very tricky line to walk,” Norment said. “That’s a hurdle I never expected to face in tourism: What if we don’t want people here?”
The city of Philadelphia had a $2.5 million marketing campaign centered on live entertainment set to launch April 15. Instead, it’s developing new strategies based on research into how far people are willing to drive and what will motivate them to travel, such as weddings and other celebrations, said Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia.
“We also are reverting back to reassuring people that the Philly you know and love is still here. You’ll see much more imagery of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Rocky, cheesesteaks,” Guaracino said. “Most destinations try to evolve beyond the iconic things they’re known for so they can expand their appeal. We see in the research right now that people need to be reassured about what’s open and what’s closed.”
Beyond attracting visitors, tourism officials are also promoting how their cities and states will keep visitors safe. The tourism group Choose Chicago leads an effort to enlist hundreds of hospitality and event-related businesses to make a public commitment to prioritizing health and safety.
“There is no marketing template or operational template for what we’re going through,” said Glenn Eden, chair of the group’s board of directors. “We want to be viewed as an intelligent and socially responsible destination that visitors can trust.”
Traditional marketing messages will not work, but neither will keeping silent until the pandemic passes, said Xiang Li, director of Temple University’s US-Asia Center for Tourism and Hospitality Research. Instead, marketing organizations need to find gentle ways to persuade potential tourists to keep their destinations in mind, he said.