Covering the Inbound Tourism Industry Since 1996
Following a query from an Inbound Report reader concerning the potential impact of the vote last week—the BREXIT vote, in which UK residents approved their nation’s withdrawal from the European Union—Jake Steinman, founder and president of the NAJ Group, which publishes the Inbound Report, responded with the following letter, which we share with you.
“I’ve given some more thought to your question about how the Brexit will affect the U.S. tour and travel industry.
“Initially, with the devaluation of the Euro and GBP, it will certainly reduce travel arrivals from the continent to the USA, since roughly 40 percent of inbound tourism is sourced from the EU countries, while, at the same time, spurt interest from U.S. travelers in Europe. Already, tour operators have jumped on this aggressively on Facebook.
“The real issue for selling the U.S. will be the end game, guessing where the exchange rate will finally rest without volatility, which is how the trade survived profoundly shocking disruptions of the Gulf War in the 90’s, 9/11 and the Great Recession. A stable exchange rate will at least allow those with resources to adapt.
(On June 28, five days after the BREXIT vote, the pound had fallen from $1.47 vs. the U.S. dollar to $1.34, a decline of about 10 percent. The euro had dropped from $1.12 to $1.11)
Regarding a silver lining, the only one I see for now is a cautionary tale where other countries such as France and Holland that have leaders already been beating the drum for their own exits, see first-hand the chaos, disruption and recriminations that have resulted in over 3 million people, many of whom voted to ‘Leave,’ sign a petition for a revote. And this from a country that didn’t have to suffer the unraveling of reverting from the Euro back to their original currency.
We’re advising U.S. clients that it is important now to maintain relationships with European operators as never before and offer help once the rates stabilize to create financial incentives to come to the US. MICE business will be the first to feel the impact as incentive travel will remain in Europe but leisure may return once they have confidence that the currency has found a bottom such as it did for Australia which shot up in 2015 by 18% despite the exchange rate’s precipitous decline of 30% during that period. The increase was driven largely by drastically reduced airfares as airlines moved swiftly to fill seats rather than reduce capacity.
At the same time, we all need to target tourism development efforts at emerging markets such as China, India and even markets in Latin America where it is possible to find pockets of growth such as Mexico and Colombia.
Right now, we are conducting a survey of U.S. receptive tour operations and other leaders in the U.S. inbound tourism industry. We’ll be reporting on the results of this survey as soon as we can analyze the results.
Kind Regards,
Jake Steinman
Founder and CEO
NAJ GROUP
Just prior to IPW, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker has announced the appointment of 32 members to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB). First chartered in 2003, TTAB serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. The board members represent a broad spectrum of the travel industry, including hotels and restaurants, financial services, transportation services, as well as a variety of small and large firms from across the country. The newly appointed members of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board are:
—Chair: John Sprouls, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Universal Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Fla. *
—Vice Chair: Margaret McKeough, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Washington, D.C. *
—Vice Chair: Greg Stubblefield, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Holdings, St. Louis, Mo. *
—George Aguel, President and CEO, Visit Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
—Ted Balestreri, President and CEO, Cannery Row Company, Monterey, Calif.
—Helane Becker, Managing Director, Cowen and Company, New York, N.Y. *
—Thella F. Bowens, President and CEO, San Diego International Airport, San Diego, Calif.
—Bruce Charendoff, Chief Public Policy Officer, Sabre, Southlake, Texas
—Henry Cruz, Senior Partner, The CrossBrook Organization, LLC, Alexandria, Va. *
—Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon, Salem, Ore. *
—Brad Dean, CEO, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Myrtle Beach, S.C. *
—Fred Dixon, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, NYC & Company, New York, N.Y. *
—Kurt Ekert, President and CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Minneapolis, Minn.
—Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO, Destination DC, Washington, D.C. *
—Mike Gallagher, Co-founder and Co-chairman, CityPASS, Victor, Idaho *
—Adam Goldstein, Co-founder and CEO, Hipmunk, San Francisco, Calif.
—James Hagen, Secretary, South Dakota Department of Tourism, Pierre, S.D. *
—Nick Hentschel, Vice President, AmericanTours International, Los Angeles, Calif.
—Taylor Hoang, Owner, Pho Cyclo, Seattle, Wash.
—Adam Medros, Senior Vice President for Global Product, TripAdvisor, Needham, Mass.
—Steve Morrissey, Vice President, Regulatory and Policy, United Airlines, Chicago, Ill.
—Mary Motsenbocker, President, International Tourism Marketing, Inc., Englewood, Colo.
—Susan Presby, Owner/Director of Sales, Mt. Washington Cog Railway, Bretton Woods, N.H.
—Tricia Primrose, Global Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Marriott International, Bethesda, Md.
—Olga Ramudo, President and CEO, Express Travel, Miami, Fla. *
—Sherry Rupert, President, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, Albuquerque, N.M. *
—Adam Sacks, President, Tourism Economics, Philadelphia, Pa.
—Gary Schluter, General Manager, Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours, LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.
—Marty St. George, Executive Vice President Commercial and Planning, JetBlue Airways Corporation, New York, N.Y.
—William Talbert, President and CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Miami, Fla. *
—Denise Thevenot, Executive Director, Louisiana Tax Free Shopping, New Orleans, La.
—Ernest Wooden Jr., President and CEO, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, Los Angeles, Calif.
*Denotes reappointed Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member
(Note: You’ll find wall-to-wall coverage of IPW in the next issue of the Inbound Report, which will appear in two weeks. Watch for it.)
According to different sources, Disney security officials have told FBI investigators they believe that Omar Mateen, the mass murderer responsible for the deaths of 49 people at Pulse, a gay bar in Orlando, visited Disney World on April 26. Mateen’s wife, Noor Salman, was with him on the Disney World visit. Authorities are investigating whether she knew about her husband’s intent.
This is one of the developments in the aftermath of the mass killing that took place early Sunday morning, June 12th. Mateen, a U.S.-born citizen who was said to have visited the bar on a regular basis, gunned down 49 people and wounded more than 50 others before he was killed by police.
In the aftermath of the killings—it is the worst mass murder in U.S. history—a conflicting profile of the 29-year-old killer has emerged. He has been described as a friendly regular at Pulse, while other accounts have described him as a homophobic bigot.
In addition to the trip to Disney World, Mateen also made a visit earlier this month to the Pulse Nightclub and Disney Springs—an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake—apparently to conduct surveillance. He went alone on this trip.
Constance Elise “Connie” Campbell, who spent most of her professional career with the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, passed away May 19th following a lengthy illness. The passing of Campbell, who served the bureau for 25 years, lastly as senior sales manager, caused a surge in traffic on the social media, with scores of friends and colleagues writing of her warmly and with feeling as they described a professional who indefatigably promoted New Orleans internationally and was an instantly recognizable figure at trade shows and sales missions abroad. Here is a sampler of what some had to say about her:
“May you rest in peace, dear Connie Campbell. You are the personalization, the definition of a real Southern Belle.”
“Connie always had a big smile and a glow.”
“She was a wonderful mentor and friend.”
“How many of us owe our position in the industry to your mentoring, to your steadiness, to your willingness to share your knowledge and expertise with us? How many of us found our ability to project calm and professionalism by watching you?”
“One of the sweetest human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know and fortunate to be friends with.”
A native of New Orleans, she did such a good job at promoting her city with receptive tour operators, for instance, that she was presented a Chairman’s Award by the Receptive Services Association of America (RSAA) at the organization’s 2012 Stanley Awards, held in New Orleans on February 8, 2012. The award acknowledged Campbell “for exceptional service when working with U.S. receptive tour operators, who are responsible for contracting with overseas tour wholesalers to provide customized travel packages for international visitors.”
Campbell is survived by: her father, Charles Joseph Campbell; her brother, John Mandich Campbell, Sr.; John’s wife, Sheri; and their three children—Anna Sable Campbell, John Mandich “Jack” Campbell II and Grant Joseph Campbell. She is also survived by three half-sisters: Judy Campbell; Heather Keilich (Richard); Ginger Campbell Betz; and brother-in-law and friend, Clyde Betz. As well, she is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and godson, Connor Landrieu.
