Claim OwnershipTourism Heads and Their Tales
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Tourism Heads and their Tales is a podcast featuring interviews and conversation with today’s tourism leaders and influencers, and explores how they are shaping the future of travel and tourism. Hosted by Bob Gilbert who, for over three decades, has focused on the ever changing dynamics of travel and tourism.
Bob Gilbert is the general manager for the tourism and destination marketing practice at the award-winning strategic marketing agency, Eddy Alexander. He has had the privilege of working with iconic brands including Disney, Choice Hotels, National Parks Service, Kennedy Space Center, and Best Western International. In addition, he has served on various committees, industry boards, even an elected commissioner for Visit California.
During his extensive career, he has met with world leaders and many wonderful colleagues who, in their own ways, are pushing the industry forward, improving communities around the globe, and using tourism to increase understanding, access, and quality of life for those who work in travel and those that love to travel.
Bob Gilbert is the general manager for the tourism and destination marketing practice at the award-winning strategic marketing agency, Eddy Alexander. He has had the privilege of working with iconic brands including Disney, Choice Hotels, National Parks Service, Kennedy Space Center, and Best Western International. In addition, he has served on various committees, industry boards, even an elected commissioner for Visit California.
During his extensive career, he has met with world leaders and many wonderful colleagues who, in their own ways, are pushing the industry forward, improving communities around the globe, and using tourism to increase understanding, access, and quality of life for those who work in travel and those that love to travel.
53 Episodes
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Welcome to a fresh edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today’s guest is Anne Sayers. Anne was named Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in March of 2023. Secretary Sayers has led the agency since December of 2020 after first serving as the Deputy Secretary since January 2019. Hear Anne articulate the vision and strategy driving Wisconsin as a premier destination in a competitive landscape. Listen as Anne goes beyond the economic impact and how Wisconsin has been able to attract major national conferences, iconic sporting events, the 2025 NFL Draft, popular TV show’s like Bravo’s Top Chef series and more. Understand how communities get involved and participate in innovative co-op programs. Anne shares the Four Pillars behind the Wisconsin brand and how the state is full of surprises. We learn about sustainability and its origins in Wisconsin’s history and I guarantee there is much to learn in the captivating episode.
Tune into a brand-new edition of Tourism Heads and Their Tales. Today we welcome Joe Marinelli, President and CEO of Visit Savannah. Joe is a well-respected industry thought leader with a solid background in hospitality and tourism. Listen as Joe details the DMO model in place and target markets and how workforce issues impact all destinations. Hear Joe discuss a creative initiative that partners tourism with the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) that literally takes the show on the road to support workforce development and tourism. Learn about the value of partnerships and why it's critical to destinations. We talk about what leadership traits are required to be successful, and Joe shares his thoughts on this subject. There is so much valuable information in our interview with Joe that this is a definite unmissable episode.
Welcome to "Tourism Heads & Their Tales." In this episode, we are delighted to have Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, joining us. Paula's role includes providing leadership and strategic direction for all of AAA's travel services, managing strategic alliances, and spearheading the development of innovative solutions to support AAA clubs. Tune in as Paula offers a comprehensive overview of AAA and delves into the evolution of its programs over the years. Our conversation touches on various topics including the surge in pent-up travel demand, the resurgence of cruises, and the enduring value of travel agencies. We also explore the continuing popularity of road trips and outdoor adventures such as camping. Paula sheds light on the concept of impact travel, emphasizing authentic cultural experiences that promote environmental and heightened awareness of one's surroundings, citing examples such exclusive curated experiences in Ireland. Additionally, we learn about the structure of AAA's Diamond program, highlighting its distinctions from traditional star ratings. Our discussion extends to the AAA’s recently launched Trip Canvas platform, designed to offer inspiration, planning tools, and seamless booking experiences. With valuable insights into emerging travel trends, Paula provides invaluable perspectives for all of us as we navigate the road ahead (pun intended).
Our guest is Melyssa Reeves, President and CEO of Destination Marketing Association of the West. We learn about the changes at DMA West and what the future will bring to this 40-year membership organization. We hear about DMA West's focus on three main events; Technology Summit, CEO Leadership Summit and Education Summit. We discover how DMA West adds value to those destinations that have budgetary constraints and where opportunities exist for these small and mid-size DMO's. Delve into the heart of DMA West's ethos, where peer-to-peer sharing and learning flourish, fostering an invaluable trust network among industry leaders. We also touch on the significance of technology and how it is being utilized in destinations. Prepare to be enlightened and inspired as we embark on this enlightening voyage with Melyssa Reeves, charting the course towards a future brimming with endless possibilities for DMA West. All this and so much more!
Welcome back to Part 2 of this insight-rich episode of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, powered by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander with Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions. This episode explores the complex world of destination marketing. Nancy discusses the relationship and make-up of the board and how re-branding alignment was achieved and highlights the value of advocacy. We learn about the various committees that all have a seat at the table in representing their areas of expertise whether it’s culinary, hospitality, entertainment, etc. Nancy enlightens us on the evolving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), shifting from simple visitation metrics to more comprehensive views on economic impact across the five boroughs. Discover the significance of authentic storytelling in highlighting the essence of neighborhoods, a crucial aspect emphasized by Nancy. Join us as we discuss emerging trends and forecasts in visitor dynamics, witnessing New York's remarkable growth and pace. Our conversation delves into the realm of partnerships, demographic insights, international promotions, funding, and beyond, unveiling the intricate marketing narrative of New York City and its five boroughs.
Welcome to a freshly brewed installment of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Our featured guest is Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions. In this riveting podcast, delve into Nancy's remarkable journey and impassioned commitment to destination marketing. Uncover the enthralling backstory behind the rebranding of New York City Tourism + Conventions, a narrative that is as inspiring as it is transformative. Join us as Nancy reveals the intricate process of aligning with diverse stakeholders, essential to the timely rollout of the major rebranding initiative. Explore how the diverse marks within the brand architecture harmoniously unite, guided by a strategic compass that propels the brand forward. Gain insights into the structure and funding that seamlessly blend public and private sectors, fostering a dynamic relationship with key stakeholders. This exclusive interview promises to captivate destination marketers and leaders alike, offering unique insights and strategic wisdom.
Welcome back to a freshly brewed installment of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Our featured guest is Claudia Vecchio, President & CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. In Part Two of this podcast, I delve into the challenges Claudia faces in developing a Tourism Master Plan amidst a multitude of diverse stakeholders. Discover how she navigates alignment with various independent "voices" crucial to the planning process. A key focus of our conversation is the delicate balance between sustainable tourism and economic growth. Can these two elements coexist harmoniously? Join me as I explore this critical question with Claudia. We also delve into the halo effect stemming from key source markets like San Francisco and explore ongoing studies to measure their impact. Our discussion takes a deep dive into the risks associated with making assumptions versus the merits of data-driven decision-making. Claudia shares her perspective on the challenges that keep her up at night and offers an understanding into the future of destination marketing. For those engaged in tourism, this episode is a valuable source of insights and a must- "tune in turn on" experience.
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. In this episode, we sit down with Claudia Vecchio, President/CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. You will hear Claudia discuss the development of organizational priorities, stewardship, and resilience (remembering fires, floods, and the pandemic that Sonoma has had to overcome). We hear how you can connect sustainability and stewardship with economic development and how she manages that balance, and we learn how the visitor economy is measured. Claudia points out that it is important to look for consumer data outside of the tourism space as it ultimately impacts all discretionary spending. Learn how Sonoma County engages the local community and tune in to so much more in this insight-packed podcast.
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Let's rejoin our conversation with Tim Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office, in Part 2 of the podcast. Tim discusses the trends that are now commonplace, accelerated by the pandemic, the value of international tourism, and how each country is unique in its visitation habits that can have a year round impact on the visitor economy. We explore partnerships and co-op programs and discuss how tourism is a key element in economic development. We hear about the challenges of making a difference in diverse destinations within the state. Tim has some great stories and great insights with crucial takeaways that will impact all destinations. This is an unmissable podcast episode!
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander. Today's guest is Timothy Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. Hear how Tim got into the tourism industry and is continuing his role as a state tourism leader. Listen as he talks about tourism objectives through three primary pillars for Colorado's tourism as a whole. Learn about Colorado's destination stewardship Initiatives like Do Colorado Right and Leave No Trace. Tim also explains the lifecycle of a tourism destination and how it impacts a state as a whole. Tune in to this unmissable podcast from an industry icon.
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Today’s podcast is Part Two of the fascinating conversation with Peter Pantuso, President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). He also serves as President of the National Bus Traffic Association, and the ABA Foundation. ABA is North America’s leading and largest motorcoach, tour, and travel association, representing over 70 percent of all motorcoaches on the road and also includes a $10 million foundation that provides research to the industry and has awarded over $1 million in scholarships since its inception. In this episode, we learn about youth group travel, advocacy efforts, working with the Department of Transportation and even take a peek into touring with rock bands and performers. Pete talks about other ABA Councils and the state of inbound travel and its relationship with bus operators. We take a deeper dive into how a destination can run a self-assessment and evaluate its potential for group travel within its community. Pete shares his concerns about the industry as well as his hopes for the future of ABA after his retirement. This is a very entertaining and informative episode.
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales, brought to you by the award-winning agency, Eddy Alexander. Today’s podcast features Peter Pantuso, President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). He also serves as President of the National Bus Traffic Association, and the ABA Foundation. ABA is North America’s leading and largest motorcoach, tour, and travel association, representing over 70 percent of all motorcoaches on the road and also includes a $10 million foundation that provides research to the industry and has awarded over $1 million in scholarships since its inception. Hear how Pete became President and CEO of the American Bus Association, a role he has held for 27 years. Listen as he talks about ABA’s 97-year history (which started as a motorcoach division of AAA back in 1926), and the importance of group travel in the travel and tourism industry. Pete discusses membership growth, now at about 3,800, and explores the various councils within ABA. Learn about ABA’s CERTS program and how it helped post-pandemic recovery but had its own challenges and learn about the state of the bus industry segment. Discover how ABA’s Marketplace has grown over the years and how bus passengers are trending younger. Tune in to this unmissable podcast from an industry icon.
It’s time for another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the multi-award-winning agency Eddy Alexander. Welcome to Part Two of the great conversation with Leah Chandler, CDME, Chief Marketing Officer for the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, Discover Puerto Rico. Tune in as we learn about Discover Puerto Rico’s travel advisor program and how they generate excitement with that key intermediary market. Learn how Discover Puerto Rico identifies and manages marketing to key target markets and what KPI’s are in place to measure results, and what actionable insights drive their consumer engagement. Find out how important earned media is to Puerto Rico’s tourism growth and how valuable journalists and influencers have been in their promotional efforts. Hear how Puerto Rico launched “Live Boricua”, a campaign that focuses on people and culture rather than places. Listen as Leah details future plans to continue the growth Puerto Rico has seen in just five years, and where the key focus areas will be. This is a “can’t miss” episode and touches on many more valuable insights.
It’s time for another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales brought to you by the multi award winning agency Eddy Alexander. For the first time, we head to the Caribbean. Tune in and listen to Leah Chandler, CDME, Chief Marketing Officer for the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, Discover Puerto Rico and how they transitioned from a government run bureau to become a successful DMO. This is a "must listen" podcast. Hear how this transition took place and what this evolution looked like. Hear how Puerto Rico’s resilience overcame two hurricanes as well as the pandemic, and tapped into available grants to leverage data to drive marketing that positively impact the local community. Learn about how its creative marketing won 3 Emmy's to increase visibility in a very unique way. There is so much incredible insight you will enjoy, and all delivered in Leah’s captivating style. This is Part One of a Two Part podcast.
In Part Two we continue the conversation with Julie Gilbert and hear how community engagement is critical to success, listen as she discusses sustainable tourism efforts, communications channels, the relationship with Green Bay and Packers AJ Dillon, and find out how Barbie won a debate at ESTO. All this and more.
Today’s freshly brewed Tourism Heads & Their Tales podcast is a first. I have the pleasure to interview Julie Gilbert CDME, President & CEO of Destination Door County. You will notice the same last name, and yes, Julie is my wife. Door County has a population of 30,000 and gets about 2 million visitors each year. Listen as Julie discusses the significance of transparency with stakeholders and residents while also working with complex tourism organizations within 19 distinct municipalities. Hear how she is overseeing the transition from “heads in beds” to destination stewardship, and sustainable tourism in a shared values environment. Discover how Door County communicates the value of a Visitor Economy with residents, business owners, and stakeholders. Listen to new initiatives introduced that benefit both visitors and local residents. And hear about Barbie’s appearance at ESTO! All this and a lot more.
In Part 2 listen to Jake Steinman expand on upon true accessibility by destinations (not simply checking the box) but how to develop a playbook. Hear how Mesa, AZ is setting the pace in embracing accessible travel and is the only designated Autism certified city in the country. Hear how grant programs not only attract visitors with a disability but benefits accessibility challenged local residents. Learn about TravelAbility’s PitchFest that brings together innovative products developed for those with a disability. Discover how Wheel the World is becoming the OTA for travelers with a disability. Understand how ADA is an outdated measurement as there many more disabilities in the spectrum. Find out how disabled influencers are creating accurate and realist travel itineraries for their followers. And get advice on how to tackle accessibility one disability at a time and what the future trends will be for meetings and sports events. Turn on and tune in now.
Welcome to another freshly brewed episode of your favorite podcast, Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today’s guest is no stranger to the industry. We welcome Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility, a platform that aims to make travel easier and more accessible for people with disabilities. From travel and tourism conferences to events globally, Jake has been involved in the travel sector for over 30 years as a journalist, publisher, consultant, and entrepreneur. In fact, he produced his own event under the brand eTourism Summit, a digital marketing conference for the travel industry. In today's episode, we define what a "disability" is and hear his passion for promoting inclusion and diversity in travel and tourism. We learn how destinations and the tourism industry at large can improve accessibility for this important market using a variety of tools, such as an accessibility assessment. Jake is an expert in this field and offers invaluable insights. Don’t miss this impactful episode, part one of two.
Welcome to another freshly brewed edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today, we air Part 2 of the interview with Erin Francis-Cummings, co-founder and president of Destination Analysts. She is just back from Destination International's annual conference in Dallas. This episode dives deeper into traveler sentiment insights and behaviors, that will help shape your tourism business plans; hear about the types of destinations travelers want to visit post pandemic, and what experiences travelers are looking for and discover a few surprises. So turn on and tune in to the second part of this captivating interview. You will not want to miss this episode.
Welcome to another freshly brewed podcast edition of Tourism Heads & Their Tales. Today’s guest needs no introduction to those of us in the tourism industry. When we search for insights into traveler sentiment and behavior, one of the resources we often look to is Destination Analysts. Erin Francis-Cummings is co-founder, President, and CEO of Destination Analysts and we often see her presenting at industry conferences. Tune in and learn about Erin’s career journey and listen as we dive in to some meaningful insights about trends you need to know to help frame up your tourism business plans; hear about the types of destinations travelers want to visit post pandemic and the experiences they're are looking for - even take a little "trip" into Psychedelic Travel…so much more for you to discover in part one of a two part interview.
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