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Tourism
Matters
Serving the Tourism Industry of Michigan
 Fall
1998 |
Sally J.
Carpenter - editor |
Fall: Gone are the kids in swimming suits, the families in the van, the dripping ice cream cone and the line at the gas pump. So where is our market now? Think 55 plus age group, they represent one third of the U.S. population. They own 77 percent of the nations personal wealth and hold 40 percent of the discretionary income and they shop less but want better service. They are impacting retail and travel trade.
At a national Extension Tourism Conference in May this year Dr. Lalia Rach, Dean of the Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Administration, New York University gave a good deal of information on how to think about this market segment. Thanks to James N. Briggs of Cornell Extension for capturing this for me.
Dr. Rach said the baby boom generation has driven every other element of our economy, and now is driving the tourism industry. They have no children under age 18. They are more sophisticated and demanding. They have many experiences, have a rich frame of reference and want their destination to be unique.
The boomers' toys are complex. For example a bicycle trip, boomers have the right outfit, protective equipment, the right bike, mountain, road or hybrid. They have a water bottle, map and GPS locator. The bike is attached to a fancy rack on their SUV. If a boomer goes to that much trouble to have fun, the destination had better deliver a quality experience. The destination that plays to this will get the boomer's tourist dollars.
Don't treat them as senior citizens. These people have been indulged and want to continue to be. They love ethnic and unusual cuisine, different cultures and adventure travel. As a destination you need to find a way to soften the adventure because they are aging, but don't tell them.
Money is no object with this segment who spends $3.50 for a latte, drinks microbrew and love gourmet ice cream.
Think about what Dr. Rach is telling us. What can you do to offer an experience, canoeing, biking, hiking, offering a leisure getaway in conjunction with a business trip, unique merchandise, a package trip.
Let me hear about your success appealing to the baby boomers.
Other thoughts worth
pondering ...
My office recently needed to fill a position quickly. We went through our local Michigan
Talent Bank to look for a job skills match. (See article on How to Use Michigan’s
Talent Bank) Within twenty four hours we were interviewing people. We hired in forty eight
hours. The person we hired did not come from the talent bank however. She just walked in
the door and said, "I'm looking for a job". Which goes to prove serendipity beat
out the computer once again and that job applicants still need to knock on doors.
On Another Note...
I am seeing a trend in abandoned buildings becoming tourist attractions: A coal mine
"company store" in Kentucky, a Jail house in Virginia, Old schools in Michigan a
town in Arizona and the largest, a state park in California, Alcatraz. Brownfields being
turned into a clean industry. Check out your towns abandoned buildings, what experience
could they offer the visitor and community.
While visiting Ireland restoration projects I learned that a building (in Ireland castles) do not have to be completely restored to attract visitors. Ruins, archeological digs, and restoration in progress are also of interest.
While visiting plantations near New Orleans the structure that I remember most was not the one that was restored to its previous splendor, but the one that restoration was just beginning. Seems to me that the opportunity is there to collect restoration dollars as you go by opening buildings that are in progress. In the example of Alcatraz, no excuses were made for deterioration, but accepted as part of the history.
Connecting
Michigan" First Statewide Trailways and Greenways Conference
September 27-29, 1998 at the McCamly Plaza Hotel in Battle Creek Michigan. Topics
include • Organizing the Organization, • Designing Greenways for Multiple
Objectives, • Water Trails, • Community Public Relations, • Managing a
Trail, • Public Resource Protection and Private Property Rights. For registration
form call, 517-393-6022.
1998 Arts and
Humanities Showcase
Some of the most talented storytellers, musicians, actors, actresses, lecturers,
dancers, visual artists and others will be present to perform, demonstrate and talk about
their work on Saturday, October 10, 1998 at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave.,
Lansing. If you plan community arts and humanities programming for your non-profit
organization, don’t miss this opportunity to experience 52 artists/presenters
performing "live" on stage and about 60 exhibitors. It’s your chance to
"shop" at one location for arts and humanities programs and to get information
on how to apply for Arts and Humanities Touring Program grants to help cover the fees and
expenses of performing artists/presenters. Call 517-372-7770 to register.
Northern Lower
Michigan Legislators Conference on Tourism
This will be the fourth annual conference, and its theme is: "Tourism - past,
present, future". The event will be held on Sunday and Monday, November 8 and 9, 1998
at Garland Resort in Lewiston, Michigan.
For more information about the conference, please contact Kerri Krone from Rep.
Bodem’s office at 517-373-0833.
North American
Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association Conference
This big conference will be held on Thursday and Friday, January 21 and 22, 1999 at
the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over a thousand people are expected
to participate in a variety of workshops. Some of the topics of the sessions are as
follows: · agriculture tourism, · farm market, · farmers’ market, · marketing
innovations, · business management. There are also special tours organized before and
after the conference featuring top markets in Michigan and the Grand Rapids area.
For more information about this event, please contact Bob Tritten, Michigan State
University Extension, 4215 W. Pasadena Ave., Flint, MI 48504, phone: 810-732-2177, e-mail:
tritten@msue.msu.edu.
19th Annual
Travel & Tourism Research Conference CenStates TTRA
"Back Yard Tourism: the
Buck Starts Here"
A collaborative two-day conference with the Michigan Convention and Visitors Bureau Association. To be held September 24 and 25, 1998 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The conference, themed: Backyard Tourism: The Buck Starts Here will emphasize topics of interest to convention and visitor bureaus of all sizes, with special attention focused on the information and research needs and wants of medium to smaller CVBs. The conference will also address topics of interest to organizations involved in cultural or historic tourism or those who are involved with festivals, events or special activities in your state or city.
Phone or fax or e-mail to request registration information. Phone number is 314/225-6339; fax number is 314/825-0124 and e-mail is: samsw@aol.com.
101 More Ideas On Economic Development
A must read for Tourism and Economic Development Boards. 101 More Ideas on Economic Development, authored by Cal Clark. This worthwhile publication is about economic development in rural areas.
Topics covered are characteristic of successful communities, leadership, community foundations, labor market, building on existing industry, target marketing, responding to Wal-Mart to name a few. It is a quick read paperback with short articles on each topic that teaches the basic concepts of economic development.
This book and its predecessor, "101 Ideas on Economic Development", can be purchased from UtiliCorp United, phone number (402) 221-2091. Proceeds go to assist communities in their service area, Michigan is in that area. You might ask if your local utility company would furnish these for your board members.
The Ultimate Educational Experience to Assist in Forging Your Event's Future
The Michigan Festivals and Events Association in conjunction with the Michigan Festivals & Events Foundation will bring together over 600 festivals & event planners and suppliers during their 6th Annual convention, November 5 - 8 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo.
This year, over forty educational workshops will include festival and event related topics such as sponsorships, safety/emergency programs, IRS issues, and volunteer leadership/development. Whether you’re a paid executive or a community volunteer you will be able to utilize information you learn involving, working with the media, cultural tourism, brochure design, and food safety/licensing. Workshop sessions will also cover subjects referring to arts and youth, tradition and ag-tourism, contracting, kids activities, city/county services, and basics of successful antique, art, auto, and winter events to name a few.
Keynote speaker, Ernie Harwell, of major league broadcasting fame, will instill inspiration and motivation to convention delegates during the opening general session.
Marketplace Trade Show will offer event decision-makers the opportunity to view first hand the most current services, supplies, and equipment available to produce events of superior quality.
The Entertainment Showcases will provide Convention attendees the opportunity to view first-hand over twenty top entertainment acts available for performances at events throughout the year.
For further information on convention registration or how to become a member of the Michigan Festivals & Events Association, contact 517-845-2080 or fax 517-845-5074.
Leads from German
Travel Show Available from Travel Michigan
Leads from ITB, the international travel trade and consumer show held in Berlin in March,
are available from Travel Michigan. If you would like to receive leads from German tour
operators, travel agents, and media, call Adrienne Hoskins at (517) 335-1865.
Travel Michigan Web Site Goes Online with Intranet Component
With the March launch of the new on-line Intranet component of Travel Michigan’s website, more than 40 tourism organizations (CVB’s, tourist council, etc.) now have the ability to update travel property and events information on this secure Intranet site.
The Travel Michigan database which contains detailed information about more than 10,000 Michigan tourism properties, is used to provide potential visitors to the State of Michigan, information in the following categories: attractions, lodging facilities, restaurants, charter boats, campgrounds, ski facilities (downhill and cross-country), shopping, agricultural, nature-based attractions, and a calendar of events.
Participating tourism organizations have received passwords to enter the Intranet and can now modify data on any of the travel properties that are within their assigned geographic area. Participating in this effort guarantees that Michigan will have the most comprehensive and up to-date listings of travel properties in the nation.
Michigan travel businesses wishing to participate in this effort should contact their local tourism organization to inquire if the organization is participating in the Intranet project. The tourism organization can then inform them about how to best maintain their information. If a business’s local tourism organization is not participating in the project, then the business should call Travel Michigan to discuss the possibility of direct participation, or to request that Travel Michigan update the information. Tourism organizations or businesses wishing to participate must have a Windows 95 system, a PC with Internet/web access and Internet Explorer 3.02 or Netscape Navigator 3.4. For more information, call Ron Marabate at (517) 241-7200, or e-mail him at: marabater@state.mi.us.
As a result of the second Michigan Agriculture and Natural Resource Products Tourism conference held in November, 1997 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a working group has been formed to develop a strategic plan to develop and facilitate marketing of agriculture tourism in Michigan. The working group includes representatives from the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture, Travel Michigan, Farm Bureau, Michigan State University Extension, commodity groups and leading agriculture tourism businesses in the state. Rep. Don Gilmer, Sen. Harry Gast, are also members. The financial support of the working group comes from the surplus of the funds from the November conference. For more information contact Ed Mahoney at 517-353-5190.
How To Use Michigan's Talent Bank
Employers first register with Michigan’s Talent Bank (MTB). From the MTB site on the Michigan Works! home page (http://michworks.org), then:
Select "Registration" from the employer options menu. This selection will take an employer to Employer Registration, where company information must be input, e.g., contact person, address, phone number and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).
Next, the employer needs to create a password, which will be required along with the system generated account number (username), each time MTB is used. Employers should write down the password - make it easy to remember!
Once an employer has supplied all the required information, the system will generate an employer account number. Write down the account number (username). An employer may search for and access resumes immediately. However, contact information will not be divulged until the employer has been validated. The validation process takes 24 to 72 hours to complete and is necessary to protect the privacy of these submitting resumes. Employers will know the validation process is complete when they return to the MTB website and are able to access contact information on the resumes they review. Employers are not otherwise notified.
Remember, keep a record of account number (username) and password as both are needed each time MTB is entered.
MTB Search Options:
MTB provides employers with several options to use in searching for resumes:
Text Search:
allows employers to choose job skill words important for the position they want to fill.
Advance Search:
allows employers to limit the number of resumes to be retrieved by setting specific parameters each resume must meet, in addition to matching for skill words. Such parameters could include education, wages, and where the job is located.
Search Predefined Job Titles:
allows employers to select a job title from a list of employers to select a job title from a list of occupations/job titles and to search for resumes of job seekers who have selected the same job title when creating their resumes.
Saved Search:
allows employers to save their favorite or most used searches in a separate file for easy access.
For more information about Michigan’s Talent Bank, contact the Michigan Jobs Commission at (517) 373-9808.
County Tourism
Profiles
This project is being conducted in cooperation with MSUE’s Tourism Area of Expertise,
county chambers of commerce and convention and visitors bureaus. This summer each county
received a copy of its tourism profile.
Contact your local extension office to receive a copy.
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| Tourism Area of Expertise Team Michigan State University 172 Natural Resources Bldg. East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 Phone: 517-353-0793 Fax: 517-432-2296 |