Tourist board chiefs from across the US have come together during Brand USA Travel Week in Frankfurt to highlight cultural and diverse initiatives taking place in their cities.
In a roundtable with TTG, Fred Dixon, president and chief executive of NYC & Company, showcased the city’s new Halal Travel Guide, which collates Halal dining recommendations, Muslim-friendly hotels and must-see attractions including mosques.
He explained: “The content team has done an excellent of job of sourcing narratives and voices from those communities to tell their stories in an authentic way. I think we’re the first destination in North America to do a full Halal travel guide experience.”
He added: “It follows on the heels of three big content hubs we’ve launched – the Black Experience, the Latino Experience and the Asian Experience – which go deep into the community as a way to explore neighbourhoods. It’s about promoting culture and diversity, not only as a reason to travel, but as a way to travel.”
He said the motivations for the guide were two-fold: to make sure the economic impact of tourism was spread as widely as possible, managing the flow of visitors to communities throughout the five boroughs, not just Manhattan; and to help support small businesses in particular, whether they be restaurants, retailers, sightseeing tours or cultural organisations. “We have more than a million Muslims in New York City alone,” he said.
The guide is also intended to make sure that Muslim travellers, no matter where they come from in the world, have the tools and resources they need to explore the city and do it in a way that is friendly to their lifestyle and opens up new experiences for them.
Adam Burke, president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, spoke about the city’s new public art installation, Destination Crenshaw – a 1.3-mile-long open-air museum along Crenshaw Boulevard currently under construction. When it opens next year, it will be the largest public art installation in the country.
He said the project would draw all kinds of visitors to the area. “It’ll not just be used as wonderful public art installation featuring luminaries from the black and African cultural community, but also for job creation, a meeting spot for community and for working with youth in schools. It’s a way of celebrating black heritage in Los Angeles that won’t just be for the black community.”
Burke also talked about the success of Angel City Football Club, a National Women’s Soccer League expansion that began playing this year. “It was started by the actress Natalie Portman to focus on creating pay equity for women, across the board, not just sport," said Burke.
Now games attract in the region of 22,000 fans. “In its first year, it has become the most popular team in the national soccer league," Burke continued. "For lot of young girls… [it gives them] something to look up to... we’re celebrating what’s authentic about our community.”
William C Pate, president and chief executive of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, shared news of Atlanta’s work on a Hispanic Guide to sit alongside its LGBTQ and Black Travel Guides.
He said there was huge diversity in the 1,700 cultural institutions within the Metro area, and that the guides were there to help filter travel experiences so people can plan city stays based on their articular interests. “The great thing about travel it really does combat prejudice,” he added.
Dixon made the point that consumers were looking for more authentic experiences, which was a key driver for sustainable travel. “We’re trying to eke out as much positive impact from tourism and travel as we possibly can," he said.
"This way, we’re making our destinations more resilient and having a greater impact on community and thereby making travel more sustainable overall because it’s being respectful of community, of heritage, and actually contributing to small businesses. It all blends together and it’s why you’re seeing this trend across a lot of destinations, certainly in the US anyway.”
Burke reinforced this point that tourism was an incredible economic engine for communities, explaining that LA had a busy calendar of sporting events, and the tourist board encourages small businesses from underserved communities to be a part of the supply chain for major events.
The trio acknowledged urban destinations have their challenges when it comes to accessibility, but new guides and initiatives were on the table to help travellers with special needs.
For example, Dixon said that New York’s Intrepid Museum had extended its opening hours to offer quieter times for children and travellers with autism and elders with dementia. “We’re seeing that trend more and more, museums offering special programming to make all visitors more comfortable in their spaces," he remarked.
In addition, the chiefs talked about upgrading tourism websites and marketing collateral for visually impaired visitors and also how theatres are offering new technology, such as GalaPro, to enhance the experience for those who are hearing impaired.
“You’ll find so many museums and theatres already have this programming in place. Our job is to help promote and elevate these,” said Burke.
