A PODCAST FOR TOURISM

AND TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS

Hosted by our Tourism & Destination Marketing General Manager, Bob Gilbert, Tourism Heads & Their Tales invites travel and tourism leaders and influencers to share their take on key industry issues. Throughout the series, we will bring you into the conversation with top professionals who are shaping the industry. We’ll speak to research gurus, destination marketing professionals, airline leaders, policy makers, hoteliers, and travel agents… all with unique tales and perspectives that they’re ready to share.

Tim Flors

Today’s Tourism Heads & Their Tales podcast focuses on the world of meeting planners, hotels, CVBs and booking technology. We sit down with hospitality veteran Tim Flors, SVP and Chief Customer Officer with Groups360.

Tim explains how his company is changing the very nature of group transactions. We learn about the philosophy behind Groups360, its rapid expansion, and its partnering with major global hotel chains. We hear how the company introduced instant bookings for meetings and dive into the tech that supports room blocks, attrition, BEOs, and the art of qualified leads. Plus the impact Groups360 is having on the meetings industry beyond hotels, DMO’s and meeting planners. This is a “must listen” episode.

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Scott Balyo

Today, Tourism Heads & Their Tales welcomes Scott Balyo. Scott is the Executive Director of Capital Region USA (CRUSA), which is the official destination marketing partner of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, working together to promote the region to overseas leisure travelers.

In this episode we discuss the history of Capital Region USA, its programs and initiatives, we talk about the relationship with DC, Maryland and Virginia and how that partner model operates, we find out how DMO’s and CVB’s can enter international markets, we learn what CRUSA did during the pandemic and what trends they are seeing with the post pandemic recovery, we hear about international feeder markets and trade shows that generate the most business and what Scott’s outlook is for the future.

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Douglas Quinby

Today’s Tourism Heads & Their Tales episode focuses on the best part of travel: the “things to see and do” that trigger a leisure trip. The desired experience.

Join us as we sit down with Douglas Quinby CEO and co-founder of Arival, as we gain valuable insights in to travel’s third largest and most essential sector: Tours, Activities & Attractions. Learn about the changing needs of customers post Covid, hear about how fragmented the sector is and how distribution is also changing the landscape, and learn more about emerging experiences and even a discussion about ChatGPT. Turn on and tune in today!

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Tom Garzilli

Brand USA is our nation’s DMO, tasked with showcasing the USA as a premier travel destination. In this episode we welcome Tom Garzilli, Chief Marketing Officer for Brand USA. During today’s episode Tom will dive into Brand USA’s mission to create and build incremental inbound visitation from around the world to impact the diverse experiences our country has. We’ll also discuss which international markets are recovering post pandemic, understand how creative storytelling continues to inspire mature and emerging markets, and discover new trends and how to leverage opportunities with the numerous programs and tools within Brand USA. No better way to kick off a new year of Tourism Heads & The Tales.

* Note: Tom Garzilli recently announced that he’ll be pursuing other ventures away from Brand USA at the end of the month and we wish him the best.

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Kellen Kruse

The Short Term Rental market has exploded over the years and today is a key segment in lodging options. Today we’re joined by Kellen Kruse, Head of Tourism Solutions & Partnerships for AirDNA, the leading authority in Short Term Rental data.

On today’s episode, Kellen will share the history of AirDNA and where it’s headed, and unpack how they are able to provide meaningful data and trends to destinations and how DMOs can leverage this data. We’ll discuss the difference between Smith Travel Research and AirDNA data, hear about Short Term Rental TOT (transient occupancy tax), and gain actionable insight on these potential revenue impacts. You’ll learn about hot travel trends and get an inside look in to the future of this dynamic market segment. Another unmissable episode!

Caroline Beteta

Tourism Heads and Their Tales welcomes Caroline Beteta, universally acknowledged as one of the most influential global leaders in travel and tourism.

Caroline serves as president & CEO of Visit California. In addition to navigating California tourism, she currently serves as a member of the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises the Secretary of Commerce on issues that affect the U.S. tourism industry, and is on the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Previously, she served as Chair of the Board as well as Acting CEO for Brand USA, where she provided strategic direction for the $200 million global program, interfacing with national congressional leaders and the administration.

Listen as we discuss her background and address current issues including crisis management, overcoming recovery obstacles, funding, international marketing, data aggregation, trends, and Caroline’s thoughts on the future of tourism and more.

This is an unmissable episode.

Bob Gilbert

MEET YOUR HOST:

Bob Gilbert

Over his 30+ year career, Bob has had the privilege to have worked with iconic global brands including Disney, Choice Hotels, Yosemite and Shenandoah National Parks, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, and Best Western International, and served on the boards of the U.S. Travel Association, National Tour Association, and as an elected commissioner for Visit California.

We’d Love to Stay in Touch!

    Case Studies

    Virginia Tech – New Brand Positioning Advertising Campaign
    3M – Go To Market Strategy & New Product Launch

     

    Virginia’s New River Valley – Economic Development, Market Research, Branding, and Target Market Advertising and Sponsorship Campaign
    Virginia’s Crossroads – Regional Tourism Rebrand

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