April 19, 2005

What's New in Bronzeville!

Bronzeville heritage tourism professionals attend Governor Rod Blogojevich's Conference on Tourism

Link to Director Jack Lavin's Conference Address

Bronzeville, Chicago April 1, 2005 - African American heritage tourism professionals from Bronzeville and adjacent south lakefront communities attended the 2005 Governors Conference on Tourism. This year represents the 18th annual celebration of the Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism. This year's conference, held March 29 - 31, 2005 at the Chicago Hilton, was hosted by Governor Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism, and Visit Illinois.

The conference, themed "Setting the Stage," put the spotlight on Illinois's vital tourism industry through an innovative educational program and numerous networking opportunities.

Harold L. Lucas, President/CEO of the Black Metropolis Convention & Tourism Council (BMC&TC), seeing the need to increase African American participation in the Govenor's Conference on Tourism, solicited Patrick Snyder, Director of Visit Illinois for several scholarships. They were graciously awarded to BMC&TC and distributed to deserving heritage tourism development professionals who are currently developing heritage tourism projects in Bronzeville, South Shore and the Pullman/Roseland communities.

Therefore, Harold Lucas, Paula Robinson - Managing Director, Bronzeville Community Development Partnership, BMC&TC board member Peggy Cotton, Cherly Colbert - Tour Manager for BMC&TC,
Pamela Johnson - Proprietor of Bronzeville's 1st Bed & Breakfast, John Blair - President - Bronzeville Chamber of Commerce, Lyn Hughes - Founder - A. Phillip Randolph Museum Gallery and Pat Peters - President of Exchange Place LLP, were among the hundreds of government officials and Illinois professionals from convention and visitor bureaus, destinations, attractions, hotels, retail establishments who gathered at the conference to discuss outlooks for international, national, statewide and local tourism, learn about new marketing tools, and exchange experiences and ideas.

In his State of Tourism address, Jack Lavin, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity gave a special thanks to everyone in attendance from the Illinois tourism industry for their unwavering dedication in realizing Illinois' tremendous tourism potential and for continuing to be creative, innovative, and resourceful in showing people around the country and across the world all that our has to offer as a tourist destination.

Jack Lavin also introduced a new strategic initiative when he stated, "Let me briefly mention the vehicle we are using to reach Illinois' greatest tourism potential. It is called Opportunity Returns. Opportunity Returns is Governor Blagojevich's comprehensive strategy to bring jobs and economic vitality back to the state. It employs a bottom-up approach to economic development, seeking to build on the strengths of individual communities and promote their competitive advantages. It does this by forming innovative partnerships that strive to accomplish local priorities that make a real impact on the lives of Illinoisans."

"The Illinois Governor's Conference is an essential educational forum for tourism professionals in the state," said Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. " The conference provided industry leaders with the opportunity to learn about trends and new practices, as well as to discuss the changing and always important role of tourism in Illinois."

The conference offered educational sessions focused on Internet marketing, managing budgets, diversity, industry trends, research and evaluation, agritourism and other relevant topics. Harold Lucas attended the Illinois Bureau of Tourism Grant panel discussion of the first day of the conference, which provided him with vital information toward preparation of a grant application for the May 1st 2005 Tourism Attraction Grant program to secure matching funds in support of the build out of the BronzevilleOnline.com Visitor Information Center.

This conference provided an outstanding opportunity for me to network and learn about best practices in promoting tourism attractions," said Harold Lucas. " Our Bronzeville delegation of heritage tourism professionals plan to collaboratively utilize the tools we gathered to attract more and more visitors and upscale businesses to Bronzeville, as an emerging market heritage tourism destination"

To provide additional insight on key issues facing the tourism industry in 2005, the conference featured many leading travel industry experts. This year's speakers included newly appointed Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) President Roger J. Dow who spoke about the common interests and concerns for the U.S. travel trade; planning and entertaining entrepreneur Debi Lilly, who regularly works with Oprah Winfrey, addressed the latest trends in special events; and Robert Canton, director of the Hospitality and Leisure Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who presented the latest research findings and provided an outlook on the recent progressions of the travel industry.

According to the latest industry statistics released by D.K. Shifflet & Associates, Illinois welcomed a record-setting 84.9 million domestic visitors and nearly one million overseas visitors in 2003. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, travelers to Illinois spent nearly $23 billion on transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, recreation and incidentals in 2003.

***

ARE YOU GETTING YOUR FAIR SHARE OF
THE HERITAGE TOURISM BUSINESS?

By: Sonya Stinson

A tour of Washington, D.C.’s U Street/Shaw district — a historically Black neighborhood that predates Harlem as a national cultural center — stops at a monument to African-Americans in the Civil War, a 1920’s movie palace and a cultural center housed in a former YMCA building that was designed by the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington.

Visitors to Tulsa can see the Creek Council Oak Tree, under which the city’s Native American founders, who arrived in the area in 1836 at the end of the “Trail of Tears” from their Alabama home, would gather to light ceremonial coal fires.

From individual natural landmarks and buildings with historical significance to entire neighborhoods where local culture thrives, a growing number of travelers in America are including heritage tourism sites like these on their itineraries. And the desire of these visitors to soak up some history and culture during their trips translates into prime opportunities for local tourism industries.

There are variations on the name and definition of this travel market trend. Some view the term “heritage tourism” as interchangeable with “cultural tourism.” Others see them as separate entities, while still others prefer to combine the two as “cultural heritage tourism.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which uses both “heritage tourism” and “cultural heritage tourism” to label the phenomenon, defines it as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present,” and the organization includes cultural, historic and natural resources under that broad umbrella.

Research from the Travel Industry Association indicates a strong market for this kind of travel, with visiting historic sites and museums ranking as Americans’ third favorite vacation activity behind shopping and outdoor activities. In 2002, 81 percent of U.S adults travelers — about 118 million people — included at least one historical or cultural activity on their trip, according to the TIA/Smithsonian Magazine report, The Historic/Cultural Traveler, 2003 Edition. Thirty percent of historic/cultural travelers said that a particular historical or cultural event or activity influenced their destination choice, and 40 percent extended their trips specifically for that reason.

Historic/cultural travelers spend an average of $623 per person, excluding the cost of transportation, compared to $457 for the average U.S. trip. And historic/cultural trips are more likely than other types to last at least seven nights and include air travel, a rental car and a hotel stay.

The Heritage Tourism Program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation identifies several trends that are influencing the growth of heritage tourism. For instance, Americans are working longer hours and taking shorter vacations closer to home, and in visiting heritage sites, they are showing a growing interest in the everyday life stories of the past, not just the lives of famous historic figures.

Kathryn Smith, executive director of a nonprofit coalition called Cultural Tourism DC, explains the connection between cultural heritage tourism and sightseeing of historic monuments and buildings like the ones the nation’s capital is known for.

“I think it’s all of a piece,” Smith says. “What we’re trying to do is expand the visitor experience to include not only the monuments and the National Mall but also the city of Washington, which is culturally rich . . . I like to say that you don’t just go the Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, or to London to see Big Ben — you want to see the whole city.”

Visitors looking for a fuller experience of their destinations have a wide range of attractions to choose from, with themes reflecting various periods of U.S. history and the stories of the people living in those times.

(Article continues here)

~Article courtesy of Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine

Beaman Inc. wins advertising and PR account for Illinois Tourism

(April 1, 2005) Chicago-based Beaman Inc. has been selected by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism to handle African-American advertising and public relations. The agency is a subcontracting under JWT Advertising.

Beaman Inc., headed by Robin Beamon (left), is one of three firms creating campaigns to reach out to tourists in niche markets. Other agencies will target Hispanics and the gay market.

Under the theme, "The Soul of Illinois," Beaman will develop print and radio advertising to be placed in black-targeted media in collar states including Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. The PR effort will target 15 states with the potential to reach likely black tourists.

The agency will also develop a Web site to highlight state-wide attractions and events of interest to African-Americans.

Beaman is celebrating its ninth anniversary this year. Its current roster includes the Illinois Department of Health and the national Association of Black Accountants.

~ Courtesy of http://www.tia.org/