Covering the Inbound Tourism Industry Since 1996
In one of those “Why-didn’t-we-think-of-this-before” moves, The New York Times is bolstering its tours and activities product by partnering with Urban Adventures with a brand called City Tours, based on its 36 Hours series.
Both partners bring some daunting numbers to the initiative. As of December 2017, the New York Times had a total of 3.5 million paid subscriptions in both print and digital versions, and more than 130 million monthly readers. Its annual travel show, held every January in New York City, is one of the largest of its genre in the world. Last January, attendance included 10,268 travel trade and 22,130 consumer attendees during the three-day event that took place from Jan. 26-28, 2018.
Meanwhile, Urban Adventures—known globally for its day trip products—is part of the Intrepid Group, which includes such brands as Peregrine, Adventure Tours, Peak Destination Management Company and others, which offers more than 2,700 itineraries in 120-plus countries.
The new City Tours will last an average of four hours each. It builds upon the Times launch in in 2013 of Times Journeys, a multi-day tour product. The tours will be co-branded as New York Times and Urban Adventures tours. Urban Adventures will handle all bookings and customer service.
Starting off, there will be nine tours will initially be available in Budapest, Marrakech, New York City, Tokyo, Toronto, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, and Mexico City—all of which have all been featured in 36 Hours.
All tours are hands-on, include interactions with locals, and have a behind-the-scenes element; group size will be limited to 12 people. Some of the features include: going into a family’s home in Marrakech to have lunch; interacting with humanoid robots in Tokyo; and learning how to make a Philly cheesesteak.
Usually, a New York Times journalist in Times Journeys tours, but the compressed schedule of the Urban Adventures tours will make this less likely; however, journalists have already participated, in a sense, by providing the content that serves as the basis for much of the tour itinerary
For example, a Paris tour will cover about 50 percent of places featured in the corresponding 36 Hours column and will blend elements from both the Times’ and Urban Adventures’ tours.
Anyone who books a City Tour gets access to a one-month free trial of the Times with an email and password. Once the trial ends, tour participants get a 50 percent discount off the standard rate.
Tours will be marketed on both the Times Journeys and Urban Adventures’ sites, but if someone clicks on a tour on Times Journeys they’re taken to Urban Adventures to complete the booking. Tours will be offered multiple days a week and multiple times a day, and Hanson anticipates that the majority of bookings will occur within 48 hours of a tour.
The average cost of a tour is around $100 and are available for as little as $75, which the Times feels is a competitive price point.
It has long been known that rest rooms are an important and integral part of group travel. Buses with groups make regular stops at National Park Service visitor centers and highway information or visitor information locations. But so do FIT travelers who are driving an automobile or van.
A now, the understanding of the importance of the toilet, the public bathroom, the restroom, to the tourist has reached the point that there is an annual international awards ceremony for the best in the world: this past summer, the Second Annual International Toilet Tourism Awards were hosted in Sydney, Australia.
In a playfully worded, yet serious take on the subject—well designed and accessible bathrooms are critically important to those with disabilities or mobility issues—Richard Davison, a columnist for the Otago (NZ) Daily Times, laid out the case for, the reasons for, and the popularity of, the destination toilet. Including our edits, it went like this:
—Tourism businesses need people.
—People need toilets.
—Nicer, more aesthetic bathrooms add value to a destination’s brand
—Brand aware travelers remember and return to the destination brands they value.
—Or, in a sentence, build a better bathroom and they will come (and maybe go).
The move toward building better bathrooms seems to have caught on in recent years. Davison tells us of a facility in the nearby town of Roxburgh that cost $583,000 and included a canopy, living wall and original artwork from Bill and Michelle Clarke totaling $113,000. Now five years old, the bathroom reportedly has delivered an additional $1 million per year in tourist revenues.
Two of the 2018 International Toil Tourism Awards’ six winners are in the USA:
Best Location –– Hotel La Jolla (a Curio Collection by Hilton), Shores Drive, La Jolla, California. “Sitting on the 11th floor overlooking La Jolla and the sea, the restroom offers a breathtaking view of the coastal urban village of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.”
Quirkiest Experience – Bowl Plaza, Lucas Kansas. “Bowl Plaza is a public restroom with bling! The restrooms, which took four years to build, are now a major attraction in Lucas, the small town grassroots arts capital of Kansas. The bathroom’s walls are covered inside and out with detailed mosaics created by local residents and artists. The entire building is shaped like a toilet tank. The entrance is designed like a raised toilet lid with benches that represent the curved toilet seat. The sidewalk to the loos flows from a large concrete toilet roll. Bowl Plaza is now very popular with residents and tourists and has its own guest register.”
For more information, visit: https://www.mytravelresearch.com/the-mytravelresearch-com-2018-international-toilet-tourism-award-winners-announced/
INBOUND found 10 simple and free pieces of advice posted on the LinkedIn page of Dan Rogoski, president and partner of Experience the Ride* in New York City for any new attractions planning to open in New York City. Many visitors to the page read and liked what he had to say. We liked the openness and brevity of Rogoski’s insights.
* Experience the Ride operates both THE RIDE and THE DOWNTOWN in Manhattan. INBOUND’s editor has experienced THE RIDE and enjoyed it immensely. Rogoski has considerable experience in the attractions segment of the tour and travel industry He has been a part of management at Experience the Ride for nearly five years. Previously, he held senior sales positions with Merlin Entertainments Group and Liberty Helicopters
Nestled in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, Ithaca is best known for stunning waterfalls and dramatic gorges. Ithaca is a culinary wonderland where fresh, local, and organic are daily specials. Ithaca is the perfect hub to experience all the Finger Lakes Region has to offer.
http://www.touroperatorland.com/index.php/destinations/visit_ithaca
