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February 8, 2012

By Will Broaddus Staff Writer The Salem News Wed Feb 08, 2012, 04:34 AM EST

Even a region as beautiful and interesting as the North Shore can't sell itself.

That's why it was good for local businesses to learn, at last Friday's tourism summit at the Peabody Marriott, that the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau has recovered from recent economic challenges and found new ways to promote Essex County as a tourist destination.

Travel and tourism supports nearly 122,000 jobs in Essex County at lodgings, attractions, nonprofits and restaurants, said Sue Ann Pearson, executive director of the North of Boston CVB, in her address.

These businesses generated $384 million in tax revenue and $3.5 billion in payroll income in 2010, according to figures from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

The CVB's recovery has allowed it to resume advertising and other initiatives on behalf of this membership, including reopening the Maria Miles Visitor Center on Interstate 95 South in Salisbury, Pearson said.

CVB offerings included sessions at the summit to help members recognize and capitalize on new trends in tourism.

Speakers at a presentation on "What's Hot and What's Not" discussed strategies for attracting travelers.

These included David Zimmerman, publisher of Boston Spirit Magazine, which has a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender readership.

"There are effective ways you can reach out to the LGBT market for not a ton of effort, for very little budget," Zimmerman said.

The effort is worth making, he said, because recent surveys show that the No. 1 planned purchase on the shopping lists of LGBT consumers is a major vacation.

In addition, while on vacation, "Spending statistics are off the charts" for this community, Zimmerman said.

With several local theaters offering discount "out" nights for LGBT customers, and with plans for its first North Shore Pride Parade this June, Salem is a vibrant destination with a lot to offer LGBT customers, he said.

Small businesses can raise their profile with this group by donating gift baskets or auction items to nonprofit fundraisers devoted to LGBT issues, Zimmerman said.

Designing a static website page promoting things for LGBT visitors to do and see in a region is a good idea for hotels, he said.

Zimmerman advised anyone choosing to promote their product or service to the LGBT community to prepare and sensitize their staff.

"If you have a concierge, have a sheet that has bars and restaurants with LGBT offerings," Zimmerman said.

Another speaker, Gregg Bolduc, credited a federal Travel Promotion Act from 2009 with helping to draw more visitors from abroad.

In spite of what he described as "a few border-crossing issues," Canadians constitute 70 percent of all inbound travel to the United States, driven largely by favorable exchange rates, said Bolduc, who is director of sales and marketing for Midtown Hotel.

Europeans are second most likely to vacation here and, in spite of their economic challenges, the euro remains strong relative to the dollar, according to Bolduc, who forecast increases in travel from almost every nationality.

Germans should be particularly welcome at rental car agencies, he said.

"Germans really like to drive; they're very adventurous and favor long-haul destinations," Bolduc said.

Looking to the east, a new, nonstop flight between Tokyo and Boston, which will be offered starting in April by Japan Air Lines, is expected to boost travel from that country by 14 percent, he said.

Fred Hunter, regional sales director for Group Tour Media, said he was warned in the mid-'90s that the baby boom generation would change the way group tours were delivered, but no one was sure what those changes would be.

It turns out that where, previously, seniors in tour groups expected to do everything as a group and wanted to be catered to and taken care of, today's seniors want their independence.

"They want to make choices by themselves, and they want to learn from every experience," Hunter said.

In addition to declaring their independence as individuals, senior tour groups have broken into niches representing interests like sports, or shared experiences such as military service. Another result of the new mind-set is that tour numbers at some attractions seem lower because customers disperse among several attractions after reaching a destination, Hunter said.

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