From the State Travel Director
Can you believe it’s already 2008? I hope that you've all had a wonderful holiday season and a festive New Year's celebration. This is the time for resolutions and I'm sure we've all been making them. Some are easier to keep than others, but it definitely helps when you can share them with your peers.
In that spirit, I'd like to recommend some New Year's resolutions for the Illinois tourism industry to take on as a team. I know that together we can keep them.
- We resolve to act as ambassadors for our regions—Some of our proudest moments are when visitors rave about how our industry partners go above and beyond the call of duty to make them feel special during their stay. We can take an active role in providing visitors that extra bit of hospitality that won't be forgotten.
- We resolve to develop at least three strategies we can implement to attract visitors to our area—This is our chance to be creative. Look at the case studies in this and previous ITNs and you'll see that original ideas can come from a variety of sources. Here at IBOT, we're proud that innovative programs like Seven Wonders of Illinois and Fantastic Fall-O-Ween Road Trips have garnered so much attention. Let's brainstorm and come up with three new ideas to implement in '08.
- We resolve to travel throughout Illinois ourselves—Even tourism professionals need a getaway every once in a while. Since we know better than most what Illinois has to offer, why not take advantage of it? It's a great way to have fun, support tourism in Illinois and learn from what your colleagues have done.
- We resolve to keep our database updated—Now that the new ITIMS system is up and running, there's no reason not to be consistently updating your entries to keep consumers informed of all the attractions and events in your region. It's easier than ever (and it's required under the terms of our CVB contracts).
- We resolve to take full advantage of new technologies—It seems so recent that Web sites were considered cutting edge. We live in a new world of blogging, RSS feeds, webinars, social networks and citizen-generated media. Even our cell phones are fast becoming marketing tools. A new generation of consumers is looking for information at their fingertips. By staying on the cutting edge of new technologies, we can provide enhanced travel resources.
- We resolve to attend the 2008 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism—and to bring our staff and stakeholders along too—Everyone can benefit from this year's conference, with new educational tracks that focus on technology, marketing and media, niche and specialty marketing, and sales, not to mention the great networking socials we have planned. The theme this year is "Making News" and it’s news you won't want to miss. I look forward to seeing you all on February 13-15 at the Hilton Springfield.
