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Switzerland Top for Tourists (Not Because of Chocolate)

If you're wondering which nations have the best tourism conditions, check the new World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Report. What the WEF measures is how "conducive" an environment is for travel and tourism--whatever that means--and the results make for interesting reading about the places that might be most welcoming to visitors.

Top of the list is Switzerland, closely followed by Austria and Germany, with Australia coming in fourth. Of the English-speaking nations, the UK is sixth, the United States seventh and Canada ninth.

What does that all mean? Well, they say that Switzerland is on top because it has great cultural and natural sites, useful transport and good training for tourism industry staff. Germany pops up high on the list because it's also good at dealing with business travelers and holding conventions.

At the bottom of the list--presumably destinations that just aren't able to cater to tourists at all--you'll find Chad, Burundi and Bangladesh. Surprisingly near the bottom of the list, there are also Cambodia, Namibia and Bosnia, which are all getting plenty of satisfied visitors these days. Just goes to show you can't believe everything a survey tells you.

Related Stories:
· Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report [WEF]
· New Zealand Rates High in Tourist Stakes [NZ Herald]
· Switzerland and Austria Top for Tourism [TravelBite]

[Photo: flappingwings]

Tags: Oman / Middle East / Tourism Boards / Tourism Board Travel / → All Tags

Come Back Soon: Oman Is Full

It must be fun to be a country just opening up to tourism, with all the excitement of tacky souvenirs and tourists getting in your way still to come. That's the position the people of the Middle Eastern country of Oman find themselves in at the moment. The tourism ministry had been aiming to increase visitor spending to 3 percent of the GDP by 2015, but it looks like they'll meet that target by the end of this year instead.

But don't hurry to book your Oman vacation just yet. There are just 9,000 hotel rooms in the country, currently enjoying close to 100 percent occupancy rates, so there's not much room at the inn. The plan is to double the number of rooms nationwide in the next seven years.

Once there's a place to stay, you can count on all kinds of interesting experiences in Oman. There's cave diving for the thrillseekers, traditional souk markets for the shoppers and incredible wadis and desert landscapes for those who like to use a camera. And presumably they'll throw together some tacky souvenirs for us, too.

Related Stories:
· Oman Tourism Week to Create Awareness [Khaleej Times]
· More Muscat, Please [Jaunted]
· Still Crushing on Oman [Jaunted]

[Photo: Parvinder Singh]

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Tourism Board Travel: Philly's Making It Easy

As much as we love comparing guidebooks, scoping maps and planning sightseeing routes, sometimes we just wanna go on a vacation. The tourism folks in Philadelphia must know our pain 'cause they've put together an easy-to-use weekend planner called the "What to Do Thingmabob."

It's basically a personality profile that matches you to stuff to do. Example question and answers:

The Big Lebowski is...

· I can't remember if I've seen it.
· I haven't seen it.
· Flippin' dude-tastic in every sense of the flippin' word.

Guys will probably feel like they're taking a quiz in the back of Cosmo, but it's just seven quick questions. Once you're done, your custom-fitted itinerary pops up, ready for printing out or bookmarking in your browser. It even comes complete with a Google Maps mashup to help you plot your course.

Related Stories:
· What to Do Thingymabob [Uwishunu]
· Google Map Holiday Shopping in Philly [Jaunted]
· Philadelphia for Geeks Map [Jaunted]

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Tourism Board Travel: NYC Losing Its Leader

And after almost six years leading NYC's tourism office, Jonathan Tisch is stepping down as chairman. The CEO of Loews Hotels started luring visitors in May 2002, a tough time to be in charge of anything in New York. But he's going out on a high note: More than 46 million people came to the city in 2007.

While leading the tourism board, Tisch spearheaded an effort to market the city abroad, which has clearly paid off. (A weak dollar that's turned Fifth Avenue into a 99 cent store hasn't hurt.)

He also got funding for the "Just Ask the Locals" campaign, which features a bunch of surprisingly good recommendations from Tiki Barber, Jimmy Fallon and Julianne Moore.

Related Stories:
· Tisch to Step Down as Chairman of NYC&Company [Official Site]
· Just Ask the Locals [Official Site]
· Tourism Board Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: MnGyver]

Tags: Tourism Boards / Tourism Marketing / Tourism Board Travel / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Tourism Board Dilemmas in Countries Starting With "A"

Tourism board campaigns are tricky beasts. Australia's been struggling to market itself ever since Paul Hogan "threw some shrimp on the barbie," not least because Australians don't even use the word shrimp. Over the last couple of years the "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" campaign attracted a fair bit of controversy but didn't increase visitor numbers. So now the government is fishing around for some new ideas.

At the same time, Austria--confused often enough with Australia that there are T-shirts and caps proclaiming "There are no kangaroos in Austria"--has decided on its own new campaign. The simple phrase "It's got to be Austria" is meant to tempt a stack of extra visitors over the next few years.

Sorry Austria, but since we're not yet sure why it's got to be you, we're not sold on this campaign. But it's better than Australia's idea to use a talking kangaroo. Perhaps the two nations should combine forces: Both of them together could probably come up with one decent tourism campaign.

Related Stories:
· Where the Bloody Hell is the New Ad Campaign? [NineMSN]
· It's Got To Be Austria [Austria Tourism]
· Bloody Campaign Bloody Good [Jaunted]

[Photo: thenerdsangle]

Tags: Tourism Board Travel / Tourism Boards / Tourism Marketing / Bar Refaeli / 2008 Swimsuit Issue / → All Tags

Swimsuit Issue Travel: Is '08 The Year for Israel?

Am I overdressed?

It's amazing that Sports Illustrated has managed to keep it's cover model and shooting locations secret, but a lack of facts didn't stop New York Post gossip queen/crazy lady Cindy Adams from speculating that the issue would feature Israel. The Ministry of Tourism, Adams says, sponsored a trip to the Holy Land for a photo shoot with native Israeli Bar Refaeli on the shores of the Dead Sea.

SI has confirmed that a crew was in Israel, but added that the tourism department didn't pay for anything. (Directly chipping in money would be a journalism no-no.) The ministry did something similar last year when it helped Maxim put together a "Women of the Israeli Defense Forces" spread.

Funny thing is, the country doesn't really need the free publicity. Riding the wave from its largest-ever advertising campaign, Israel set a new record for tourist arrivals in 2007, with more than 2 million visitors dropping by.

Related Stories:
· SI Swimsuit Issue Heavy on Israel [NYP]
· Ethics of the SI Swimsuit Issue [Portfolio]
· Make-Your-Own Beyonce Getaway [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bar Refaeli]

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US to World: Please Come Visit (and Buy Stuff)

While scuba fanatics are marketing the other two-thirds of the Earth, the United States is still trying to get its act together. While pretty much every other nation has a well-defined and well-financed agency charged solely with marketing, the US has struggled to put together a national tourism board. (Given its track record with new agencies, maybe that isn't a bad thing?)

Filling the void are city and state tourism offices, including New York City's. This new ad from NYC Visit is aimed at foreign visitors, 8.5 million of whom stopped in the city in 2007. (That's an increase over the 7.3 million who visited in 2006.) California--with its Austrian-born governor--has just started advertising on the Continent, even if it is an 11-hour flight away.

Vegas, too, is increasing its marketing to those lucrative foreign tourists. But Sin City will be taking a different tack than New York, as the New York Times notes:

In Canada and Mexico, Las Vegas will run the same ads it has been using in the United States, with the tag line, "What happens here stays here." In Britain, the tourism authority is still conducting research to determine whether that theme would resonate with consumers. After all, a main reason European visitors travel to the United States these days is to bring something back.

Related Stories:
· US Cities Put on the Charm for Tourists [NYT]
· Tourism Marketing: Going Overboard [Jaunted]
· Tourism Marketing coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Florida / Florida Tourism / Tourism Boards / Tourism Marketing / Tourism Board Travel / Fark / Websites / Travel Websites / → All Tags

Fark vs. Florida: Round 2

Visit Florida has unleashed a revamped website, gunning for the same kind of smashing success Philadelphia has racked up with its Web 2.0 initiative, uwishunu. After asking for a bigger budget last year, tourism officials are actually spending the loot on tourism initiatives that should boost visitor arrivals. Go figure!

The new Florida site offers all the usual suspects, including a trip planner tool that lets you save useful tidbits to your online profile, videos and an extensive events calendar. The site also offers blogs on 10 different subjects; arts and culture, shopping, golf, fishing and beaches are just some of the choices. On the beach and surf blog, for example, you'll find up-to-date beach reviews, a Google map mashup and a video about snorkeling.

Of course, this shouldn't be the only place you look for Florida info. Why's that? Because it's produced by the tourism board, who's editorial judgement we have to question:

Businesses listed on VISITFLORIDA.com are participants in the VISIT FLORIDA Partners program or are members of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, the Florida Attractions Association or the Florida Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds. Partners must be at a Silver level or above to be listed on the site.

That gripe aside, it looks like Fark will finally have some good news to publish about Florida: The state has finally embraced the Internet!

Related Stories:
· Visit Florida [Official Site]
· Fark vs. Florida [Jaunted]
· Florida Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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Portugal Travel: West Side Story

Portugal, the country's tourism board wants you to know, is more than sun-soaked beaches filled with British snowbirds. The nation's new marketing scheme calls it the "West Coast of Europe", which we suppose is fairly accurate, given that it's on the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean.

Turismo de Portugal commissioned some striking new photographs to help make the case, and the marketing campaign features shots of footballers Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo--as well as other athletes and fadista Mariza--superimposed on drool-worthy landscapes. The country is hyping its dedication to renewable energy and innovation and perhaps obliquely referencing the United States' tech friendly West Coast.

The head of the agency who created the ads says people already know about Portugal's history and culture. He wants to tell potential visitors something new about the country:

We were trying to move away from the stereotypes and clichés of this kind of advertising...We know that you cannot change the perception of a country just like that. But this is about trying to put perception closer to reality.

Related Stories:
· Portugal Tourism [Official Site]
· Portugal Seeks New Image [IHT]
· Portugal Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Tourism Board Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Tourism Board Travel / Tourism Boards / Tourism Marketing / Christmas / → All Tags

Tourism Board Travel: Google Map Holiday Shopping in Philly

You totally haven't started your Christmas shopping, have you? Well the Philadelphia tourism board is here to help with a hotel deal and a pre-made gift list, featuring Philly-centric gifts that range from ties to cookbooks to handmade chocolate truffles. If you're gonna have to shop for all your friends and family, shouldn't you get a trip out of it?

To make things easier, the tourism board has a new Google map mashup, highlighting all the boutiques featured on the shopping list. (This map won't get you as tipsy as the last one they put together.)

You'll have some left over spending money, too, if you take advantage of the $50 holiday discount at a bunch of the city's hotels. With the discount, we dug up a deal on a two-night stay for this weekend at the Loews Philadelphia for just $269, including taxes. Just be sure to type in the promo code "HOLIDAYS" when booking.

Tags: Tourism Board Travel / Tourism Boards / Tourism Marketing / → All Tags

Tourism Board Travel: Spain and Portugal Are BFFs

Thanks to one of our marketing-minded readers, we've learned that the tourist offices of Spain and Portugal are co-branding tourism efforts and encouraging travelers to visit two of the four countries in the Iberian Peninsula. (No word yet on whether little, autonomous Andorra or the UK, in the form of Gibraltar, are getting in on the action.)

The effort's website is little more than a one-stop catchall for the content stored on the official tourism sites for the two nations. Its one extra feature is the trivia game dubbed "Exploria." Until December 31, site visitors can test their knowledge about both countries with the chance to win "the ultimate vacation experience to Portugal and Spain."

The tourism boards also offer up a sample 14-day itinerary explaining to those who don't win the all-expenses-paid trip how to hit up both countries' highlights in the span of an American's yearly allotted vacation time.

Related Stories
· Portugal? Spain? Both [Official Site]
· Tourism Board Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: pylbug]

Tags: Tourism Board Travel / Tourism Boards / Wine Travel / Alcohol / → All Tags

Tourism Board Travel: Cheap Wine In Philly

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. is yet again touting its ability to get you drunk on the cheap. The organization is pressing to make BYOBs (bring-your-own-bottle restaurants) as synonymous with Philadelphia as cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and Rocky, it says. [Ed note: It's working!]

The tourism board's site has introduced an interactive BYOB restaurant map that gives locations, descriptions and directions to the more than 200 restaurants in the city that allow patrons to bring along their own bottle of booze.

The map also includes the sites of liquor stores in relation to the eateries, and can be searched by restaurant name, cuisine or according to neighborhood. Click on the mini bottles of booze lining the streets to reveal a bubble of text describing the restaurant, its hours and the address of the closest liquor store. Sort of like our maps--only tipsy.

Related Stories:
· BYOB Map [Official Site]
· Tourism Board Travel coverage [Jaunted]