While A.I. bots are far from ubiquitous, their growing presence in American homes is undeniable. According a recent Destination Analysts’ The State of the American Traveler Survey, over 15 percent of travelers report having used such an artificial intelligent assistant device to plan their trips in the past year, up from 13.3% one year ago. […]
Global Tourism is booming. An estimated 1.3 billion persons traveled internationally in the past year, marking a robust 7 percent annual growth rate. However, it’s painfully clear that America hasn’t kept up. Our country has been losing market share, and with it, billions of dollars in tourism revenues. How much does the controversy swirling […]
Among the many intractable challenges DMO marketers face, deciding which traveler types to go after is always top-of-mind. One thing is clear though: our industry’s keen interest in the relatively nascent Chinese travel market is well-founded. Not only is the volume of potential visitors from China staggering, Chinese visitors intend to do the one thing […]
America may be the most high-profile of countries. What happens here can quickly find its way into the news around the world. Of course, no news travels more quickly than bad news, and America has recently had no shortage of such content. Mass shootings, wildfires, landslides, violent protests, hurricanes (and even now a volcanic eruption […]
Now trending on Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and beyond, digital influencers are moving the needle for destinations of all types. Our latest research sheds some light on the extent of their impact. Influencer marketing has quickly grown into a big business over the past few years, and savvy destinations around the world are already working to […]
Natural and man-made disasters have been known to wreak havoc on a destination’s reputation and visitor volume. But how much do disasters truly affect the interest of travelers in visiting a destination, and how long do these effects linger? We asked American leisure travelers for an answer, and found that people may not hold onto […]
Did you know that, on average, 3.4 percent of DMO website users are converted by these sites from an undecided potential traveler to an actual visitor? Our recent landmark study of 13 Western U.S. DMO websites revealed that while this conversion factor may seem modest, the resulting economic impact to the DMOs’ communities is very […]
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. — Benjamin Franklin Ben Franklin understood something we modern folks have forgotten. Getting ample rest and relaxation is vital to a happy and productive life. Not only are we a chronically sleep deprived nation, with 40 percent of us getting less […]
There’s little denying that we’re living in uncertain times. Just days ago, who would have predicted mass protests at U.S. airports or newspaper headlines suggesting America’s tourism industry is closed for business? Our industry, and in fact, the American economy as a whole, depends on robust international travel. International travelers spent $246.2 billion in the […]