Destination Marketing Podcast Episode 37: Stephanie Jones
Adam Stoker: Today's show is brought to you by a great partner of ours, named Connect Travel. Connect Travel puts on the premiere trade shows and conventions, in the destination marketing industry. Coming up in February is the Marketing Leadership Summit. That's February 19th to the 21st, in Kissimmee, Florida. We're really excited about that event. It has a unique format that we'll talk about a little bit later in the show. Go to ConnectTravel.com if you want more information, we hope to see you there. Stephanie Jones: What happens is, through our tours, we change a lot of those negative perceptions about heritage neighborhoods, or underserved communities, because people now have walked the community, and they interact with the locals. They know, “oh I can come back here on my own and have dinner at this restaurant.” Often times, many people do. Adam Stoker: 00:52 Welcome again, everybody, to another episode of the Destination Marketing podcast. I'm your host, Adam Stoker. As I've mentioned before, I'm President and CEO of Relic. We're an ad agency specifically focused on the tourism industry, we wanted to share a lot of the educational resources that we've encountered, with the destination marketing community. We've learned a lot, and we've had some fun guests on the show, with the sole intention of, let's get some educational resources out there. Most of us share the same issues and challenges, in destination marketing. Today, we have another great guest for you. Kind of a different twist, then some guests that we've had in the past. It's going to be a component of destination marketing that, I think, everybody probably needs to do some examining within their destinations, and make sure that we've got a good resource or product for this. Today's guest is Stephanie Jones, and she is with CHAT South Florida. Stephanie, how are you? Stephanie Jones: I'm wonderful. How are you today? Adam Stoker: Doing great. Thanks for joining us. Stephanie Jones: Thank you for having me. Adam Stoker: Before we dive into you, and what you do, we always ask some background questions, where we get an icebreaker. We'd like to know if you could go anywhere in the world, and I know you're already in a great destination as it is, but if you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Stephanie Jones: You know, there are actually two places that are on my bucket list. One is to do a safari in South Africa. Adam Stoker: Oh! Stephanie Jones: The other is to do a wine and food tour, in Tuscany, Italy. Adam Stoker: A wine and food tour in Tuscany, Italy? You know, those are two very different experiences, that are one your bucket list, there. Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. It all has to do with the culture of those destinations. Those are two things on the top of my bucket list. Adam Stoker: Great. Have you been to Africa, or have you been to Italy? Are those tours you want to do next time you're there? Or, would this be the first time for you? Stephanie Jones: These will be first time experiences. Adam Stoker: Oh, man. Okay, well, you know what? 2020, maybe this is our year, what do you think? Stephanie Jones: Well, you know what? I think it would have to be 2021 because I'll be focused on my MBA for 2020. Adam Stoker: That's right. Stephanie Jones: No traveling this year. Adam Stoker: You told me you just started your MBA. Tell me a little bit about that, what's your goal with that? Stephanie Jones: 03:16 Well, my goal is, with the work that I currently do, and I'll talk more about that, I want to gain a higher level of education that will help me scale the work that I'm doing nationally, and globally. I also want to write a book on cultural tourism and entrepreneurship. I want to become a public speaker, and travel globally, speaking on cultural heritage tourism and entrepreneurship. Adam Stoker: Wow. I like the big aspirations, I think an MBA is the right path to get there. You've got a lot on your roadmap. Stephanie Jones: Yes. Yes, but I'm determined. Adam Stoker: I like it. As a small business owner myself, I've often thought, hey, maybe I should go back and get my MBA? But the time commitment scares me. Stephanie Jones: Yes. Adam Stoker: I admire your willingness to take the time. Stephanie Jones: Well, this has been a dream deferred for me, for about the past 25 years I've wanted to go back. Fortunately, I was able to find a weekend program, where I go on Saturdays for 16-months. Adam Stoker: Okay. Stephanie Jones: Yeah. It works with my schedule. Yes, it's going to be, I'm sure, grueling and demanding, but I'm at that point in my career where it's a necessity for me to go where I want to go. Adam Stoker: What educational institution are you going through? Stephanie Jones: Florida International University. Adam Stoker: Oh, great. Great. Stephanie Jones: Yes. Adam Stoker: Well, congratulations. Stephanie Jones: Thank you so much. Thank you. Adam Stoker: I'm excited for you. Stephanie Jones: I am, too. Thank you. Adam Stoker: Let's go back a little bit to travel, and tell me your favorite place you have ever been to? Stephanie Jones: 04:59 You know, my favorite place that I have been, and I continue to travel to because it feels like home when I go there, is Jamaica. I love Jamaica, I love the people. Whenever I get there, I feel like I'm in my second home. Since I've been traveling there, probably over the past five years, I've met people there, that are now my extended families. Whenever I go to Jamaica, I go visit them, and I stay with them. They take me around the country. Yeah, I love Jamaica. Adam Stoker: I am hearing that culture and people is a big part of your travel decision making. Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. Adam Stoker: That's what we'll be talking about today, so that's great. Stephanie Jones: What is it? I walk the walk, or walk the talk? Adam Stoker: You do both. Stephanie Jones: Yes. Adam Stoker: Well, tell me how you got into tourism? Then, we'll go into the business that you're in and everything. Stephanie Jones: 06:00 Sure. Well, I started working in tourism indirectly, I would say, almost 30 years ago, when I lived in Detroit. I worked as a Marketing and PR Director for an African American history museum in Detroit. I spearheaded the grand opening of the museum. So, I worked in tourism indirectly, from an attraction standpoint. Where you're working to bring audiences, or tourists, into your attraction. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: Directly, I started working in tourism, during my stint here in South Florida. I've been here in South Florida for about eight years now. About five years ago, while I was working as a marketing and business consultant, I was hired by the Greater Miami Convention Visitor Bureau, in their multicultural tourism department, to help them develop a tourism enhancement program, working with smaller businesses throughout Miami, to help them become tourism ready. My company developed a curriculum, and we facilitated a program over a year, working with small businesses from heritage neighborhoods, helping them to enhance their businesses. But, also helping them to understand what the tourism industry was about, and how to position their businesses as destinations. After having the opportunity to work in the different heritage neighborhoods, such as Little Havana, Little Haiti, Historic Overtown, to name a few, and learning the landscape of Miami. I realized that there was a tremendous opportunity, and an untapped niche in cultural heritage tourism here in Miami, which is one of the most diverse and multicultural destinations, probably in the country. After working with the CVB, and then working with the small businesses who had completed the program that I facilitated, now that they knew more about the industry, the question was, how do they actually drive more tourist foot traffic and dollars into their businesses and neighborhoods? I decided to start CHAT, which stands for Cultural Heritage Alliance for Tourism because I wanted to create tangible ways for these smaller community assets to participate and profit in their local tourism ecosystems. I've been doing that for the past three years. Adam Stoker: Wow. What a unique niche that you carved out for yourself, there. Tell me how it's gone since you started CHAT South Florida, and what you've seen along the way? Stephanie Jones: 08:47 Well, you know what? You would be surprised because you would think, “this is Miami, it's full of culture. All types of people are here, from the Haitians who migrated here, to the Cubans who migrated here, from the Bahamians who migrated here. It's a very diverse place to live and work.” For me, it was really interesting that no one had really capitalized on this market. When I started CHAT, because, again, I wanted to create opportunities for these smaller community assets to participate, and to obtain some dollars that come into this market annually, people were very excited about it. They felt, wow, they know that people seek these types of experiences, and there had only been a handful of people that were doing something like cultural tours, in Miami. But they were not offering them consistently. Since I started CHAT, we started in Miami, we have now expanded in Broward County, which is where Ft Lauderdale is based. We're now offering tours in Palm Beach County, which is where West Palm Beach County is located. We are definitely fulfilling that void in the marketplace because research does say that people are seeking local cultural experiences, authentic experiences when they travel. So, CHAT has been able to position itself as the premier tour operator for cultural heritage tours. However, we're not your ordinary tour company, and that's something I like to tell people. A lot of people think we only do tours. Tours are one of the things we do. We're actually a tourism and business development company, alright? As a tourism and business development company, we specialize in, again, creating opportunities for local community assets, to participate in their tourism ecosystem. We also help destination marketing organizations, by creating cultural heritage tour products for them to promote, to position their destination among their competitors. When people travel, yes, we're in sunny Florida, so we know people travel here for the sun, the beach, and the warm weather, and the nightlife. There's so much more that people want to see and do, and because there were not existing cultural heritage tour products, in markets like Ft Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, these destinations have been missing out on an audience of travelers that are seeking these types of experiences, and who will stay longer, and spend more money in a destination, to have these types of cultural heritage experiences. Over the past three years, besides creating the tours, and creating this mechanism for small businesses in underserved communities, or the heritage communities, to actively participate and make money in the industry, we've also been working to educate the travel and the tourism professionals, the DMOs, about cultural heritage tourism. Although cultural heritage tourism is widely known, and implemented globally, within the US, we are lagging way behind in leveraging cultural heritage tourism as an economic driver for fueling local businesses and communities. Adam Stoker: 12:49 Yeah. I actually want to stop you there, because I want to ask you a question about that. If I'm a destination and I think, oh man, we've got a lot of cool cultural activities, how do I go from saying we've got an interesting possible product, to now, I can offer cultural heritage tours? Basically, what you've done, as a private business, is you've been able to help build out the infrastructure to create a product, right? Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. Adam Stoker: How can a destination do that? Stephanie Jones: Well, a destination, because again, most DMOs, their primary role is to market the destination, but it's important for them to partner with local businesses, such as CHAT, or other tour operators, who already have a footprint within these local communities, and who have relationships with these local community assets, that provide these local, authentic experiences. Okay? Destination marketing organizations, as I've been doing this work, they have not really done an effective job of targeting or really assessing, what cultural heritage assets exist within their destination. That's the primary place they need to start, to assess what are the cultural heritage tourism assets, and what does that look like? For some, it may be what ethnic restaurants, whether it's a soul food restaurant, whether it's a Caribbean restaurant, whether it's a Cuban restaurant, any authentic restaurant that offers some time of cultural cuisine. Just assessing, what are those assets that exist? Besides the large attractions, like the large museums, what other small museums that really showcase the history and cultures of different types of people exist within that destination? Whether it's the Jewish museum, the local Jewish museum, or the local Italian museum. Adam Stoker: Okay. Stephanie Jones: 15:07 Starting there, to really assess what are the local cultural assets within a destination. Then, identifying strategic partners that, I would say, have a footprint within the local community, that can then help curate these experiences if they do not exist. That's what we specialize in because we work within these local communities, we make the relationships with the local restaurants and the local artists. What we also do, is we train local residents from heritage neighborhoods to work as tour guides. Okay? Adam Stoker: Okay. Stephanie Jones: We're really creating this, as you mentioned, this framework for curating these products, by tapping into and leveraging existing cultural assets, and existing local businesses, who may not have been actively engaged in their local tourism ecosystem. Now, what that does, it creates a tremendous opportunity for those local businesses, and local residents within these heritage neighborhoods, or underserved communities, to now actively participate and make money in the industry. From a DMO standpoint, what that does is it's creating new tourism products, for them to promote and market, to the cultural traveler that's making a determination where they're going to visit, based on the number of cultural heritage experiences that are available to them. Adam Stoker: Right, right. Stephanie Jones: What we're really working to do is to marry the two, okay? Adam Stoker: Okay. Stephanie Jones: 16:45 That's what our motto has been, for the last three years. Our goal is to continue to expand this model throughout the state of Florida, then ultimately across the country, and the Caribbean. Adam Stoker: I've got it. I think the idea of cultural heritage tourism might be a new concept, for some of our listeners, who may be just haven't even broached the idea of cultural heritage tourism. Do me a favor, and walk me through, let's say, you're in Miami. I'm going to book a tour with CHAT South Florida. What are the stops along the way, and the value for the visitor? Stephanie Jones: Okay. Adam Stoker: Does that make sense? Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. Stephanie Jones: 17:27 Again, we know that when people are visiting a destination, even if it's down in Florida, there's only so much time they can spend out on the beach. People want to know, “where can I go, where do the locals live? Where can I go, and become immersed in the culture of that destination?” That's exactly what we provide to people who take our tours. We provide them a cultural immersion experience, so they have an opportunity to actually meet local people, to learn their stories, to learn about the culture, and to actually interact and experience the culture firsthand. Adam Stoker: You're taking people into the neighborhood, you're saying? Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. Adam Stoker: Into a residential neighborhood? Stephanie Jones: Yes, we do. Adam Stoker: Okay. Stephanie Jones: Let me give you an example. Adam Stoker: Perfect. Stephanie Jones: We all know about the Big Bus. It's a global company, and they do the hop-on, hop-off buses. Okay? Adam Stoker: Yeah. Stephanie Jones: The Big Bus down here in Miami does the same thing. What they do is, they have different stops that they allow people to get off and get on the bus. Now, what we do, our tours are walking tours. We allow people the opportunity to, I'm trying to make the distinction between what the Big Bus does, and what we do. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: 18:49 A lot of the history of destinations is found in these off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, that often times either visitors are not aware of, or they may not want to venture into certain areas by themselves, we know that. So, what the Big Bus does, Historic Overtown, which is a black community, which is basically right next door to downtown Miami, it has a lot of rich history there, a lot of famous people once stayed there, partied there. Like Duke Ellington, Cap Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, all of these black people, celebrities from the Harlem Renaissance. When they would come to Miami Beach to perform, they could not stay on Miami Beach, they had to come and stay in Overtown. Historic Overtown has all of this wonderful history, okay? When the Big Bus comes through, they drive through. Often times, when they're driving through, we have a group of people who are actually walking the ground, in Overtown. As a result of them walking in Overtown, they're getting to meet local people, who greet them and welcome them to Overtown. They're getting to go inside of local businesses, to meet the business owners, who share their stories and experiences about Overtown. Not only do we talk about the historical value of destinations, but we also talk about what's going on now in these destinations. Because if you were to come down to Miami, Adam, you're going to see so many cranes, because many of these heritage neighborhoods are being gentrified. Gentrification is a whole other topic. What that means is, developers have come into certain neighborhoods, and they've purchased a lot of the land and property, and now they're building high rises. You have celebrity chefs that are now coming in and opening up restaurants. Stephanie Jones: What we do through our tours, is we're preserving the history of these destinations. When these high rises come, and when different people who are not from those neighborhoods start to come in, to visit, and to live, and shop, which is great, we want them to know that there is still historical value in these neighborhoods. Again, going back to my point, the type of experience that people receive is really a cultural immersion experience, because they have the opportunity to mix and mingle with the locals. Not only the business owners, but we also partner with the local restaurants, so when we're done with the walking tour, we take them into some historic homes that have been converted into museums, where they get to meet some local artists who have murals on some buildings. They learn about the inspiration. Then, we take them to one of the local restaurants, where they have an authentic Soul Food dinner, and they get to meet the owner. It's really creating this opportunity for our tour guests to learn about the neighborhood, where it was, where it is today, and where it's going. But also, what's exciting to me, Adam, what happens is, through our tours, we change a lot of those negative perceptions about heritage neighborhoods, or underserved communities. People now have walked the community, and they've interacted with the locals, they know, oh, I can come back here on my own, and have dinner at this restaurant. Often times, many people do. Adam Stoker: Oh, that's great. Stephanie Jones: It is great. Again, that's why I'm trying to make the distinction from, we're not your ordinary tour operator. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: 22:37 I think our whole purpose is, how do we, not only bring people here, for the entertainment, or the educational value, but for the sustainability of these neighborhoods, and these businesses? Adam Stoker: That's what I wanted to ask you about, I want to dive into that a little bit. Since you started these tours, you have to have seen a lift, a financial lift, in some of these businesses that may have been struggling, in these culturally underserved neighborhoods. Excuse me, culturally rich neighborhoods. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: But, underserved financially neighborhoods. Tell me a little bit about what you've seen with some of these businesses, now that you're bringing a consistent flow of tourists into those neighborhoods, that weren't getting them before? Stephanie Jones: Absolutely. Well, again, my background is marketing, I've been a marketer for over 20 years. Before I dived into this tourism industry, I had worked as a marketing and business strategist for 20 years. I've been able to leverage a lot of my marketing expertise. A lot of what we do for our partners, our tour partners, is we promote them, through our social media. One, we help the local businesses gain more exposure. People who did not know about them, now they know about these local businesses, whether through our tours, or whether just going on our websites, or whether on our social media. That's one thing we have increased exposure of a lot of our partners. Not only the partners but these neighborhoods themselves, the destinations. Secondly, as a result of us driving more traffic into the restaurants that we partner with, we do know that the restaurants have received repeat business. Especially because 50% of the people who take our tours are locals. Okay? Meaning these are people who live in the Miami, South Florida area, who are not even aware of the history right in their own backyards. We often have local people taking our tours, again, who have never ventured into certain neighborhoods or certain businesses. As a result of taking the tour, they go back to the restaurants, they patronize the businesses. We definitely know that we are driving economic value into the businesses, as well as visibility to the communities, through our tours. Adam Stoker: That's great. I mentioned earlier that today's show was brought to you by Connect Travel. Their Marketing Leadership Summit is coming up in February. I had the opportunity to go last year, and it was such an interesting format. It's actually a format that allows you, as a destination, to sit down with suppliers for a few minutes, a short period of time, to see if you want to continue the conversation. It allowed me to really meet with several people, and get to know their needs quickly, and build a quick relationship so we could see if we wanted to continue the conversation. If you're looking for new technologies, new products, new partners, it's a great way to have a quick introduction without taking too much of your time. I hope to see you there, February 19th through the 21st, in Kissimmee, Florida. President Obama will be speaking this year, so we're excited about that event. We'll see you there. Adam Stoker: Another question I have is, okay, let's go back, as a destination marketing organization, right? Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: If I'm a DMO, how do I evaluate the demand for a cultural heritage product? We've got destination marketers from all over the world that listen to this show. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: I'm sure that some of them are probably listening and going, well, that's great in a culturally diverse market, like Miami, or Ft Lauderdale. How do I know if I have A, a product that would speak to the cultural heritage tourist? And B, how do I know if I have tourists that are coming to my destination, that would like more of this type of an experience? Stephanie Jones: 26:51 Well, that's a great question. There are different ways to gain data, to help make that determination. I'll go back to the first thing I stated, is one, most DMOs, have research departments. They have the capacity to assess their current communities, to determine what types of local community assets are available, to provide these local, authentic, cultural experiences. That's one thing, assessing your local landscape, to determine the community's cultural assets. Secondly, again, most DMOs, do annual marketing reports, where they report the number of tourists, and visitors, and dollars that were spent in their destinations. They are also able to determine what type of activities people participated in, whether it's shopping, whether it's the beach, whether it's taking tours. They have that data, that they can use. They can also look at the data nationally, that's provided through the US Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office, that talks about inbound travelers, and how they're spending their dollars when they come to the States, and they're visiting different destinations. There are different research reports, but I'm certain they have their own research that they can tap into, to determine one, what type of cultural heritage assets exist, but also how tourists are spending their time and dollars. Also, I believe there is a tremendous opportunity because I really don't believe that many DMOs across the country, from my experience here in Florida, is cultural heritage tourism has not been on their radar. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: 28:49 It really has not. I believe it's a tremendous missed opportunity for destinations, it truly is. The research is there, it's out there on a national level. If you take a look at the research. There's a researcher, I'm about to give a shout out to Mandala Research, they do an annual research report, on African American Travel Leisure market, okay? Which has been a growing market, I think it's a $64 billion market. That market right there, the data that they provide, I think is very key and essential for any DMO. I believe that, for many years, the industry has really slept on the African American travel leisure market, they really have. They're missing opportunities because again, research says that this market, they determine which destination that they're going to visit, based on a number of cultural heritage experiences that are there, in that destination. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: I think that's a tremendous opportunity, for destinations who are not targeting the African American travel leisure market. Adam Stoker: I think you're right. Stephanie Jones: Yeah. Even the cultural traveler market, which is $194 billion market, and they will stay longer and spend more money in a destination, to have cultural heritage experiences. The data is there, I think it's just a matter of priorities for DMOs. Adam Stoker: Yeah. Stephanie Jones: 30:41 And their willingness to think outside the box, to say, how can we differentiate our destination, by making certain that we offer experiences that are going to help us attract cultural travelers, African American travelers, to our destination? Because, believe me, the travelers are making these decisions, based on these types of cultural experiences that exist in the destinations. I think by really tapping into taking a look at the existing and current data that exists because it's already there, and really taking a look at, and I'll use Miami as an example, because we're probably the most, well, we are the most multicultural destination in Florida. Every year, I review the marketing plans for the three DMOs, from Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and Palm Beach. I'm always looking for cultural tourism, cultural heritage tourism. It's not a metric that they're even following. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: Or, tracking. Which, to me, is disappointing, but it's such a missed opportunity. Adam Stoker: That's where I want to focus, because I think, for the most part, as destination marketers, we have so many different people or organizations that want a piece of the overall pie, right? We're trying to make sure that we take care of our major attractions and the most popular components of our destination. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: But, this cultural heritage tourism is an example of an opportunity to maybe go to the second level of what people are expecting. It's like, okay, we want to get them to the destination, right? Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: We'll use our major attractions for that. But, once they get here, how are we informing them of the availability of things like cultural heritage tourism? Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: Like you said, I can go to the beach for a few hours, or for a day, or whatever. Very few travelers spend all day, for a week, at the beach. Stephanie Jones: Right. Adam Stoker: It's like, what are they doing in that off time? How do we market our secondary attractions, that would provide an excellent customer experience and a very memorable component of the trip? Stephanie Jones: Yes. Adam Stoker: How do we get that message across? That's what I think destinations need to solve. One of the things I wanted to ask you is from a support standpoint, what are you seeing from the DMOs that you interface with? Stephanie Jones: When you say support, how are they supporting what I do? Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: Or, cultural heritage tourism? Adam Stoker: Cultural heritage tourism, in general. Stephanie Jones: 33:34 Okay. I would have to say, Miami has been the most forward-thinking, when it comes to cultural tourism, cultural heritage tourism. I think they do a really great job of showcasing their heritage neighborhoods, as well as the local community assets, the local businesses in these heritage neighborhoods. They do extensive work because they have a specific multicultural tourism department. That's key, right there. Again, I'm also on the council for one of Visit Florida's councils. When I go to these annual meetings, If you didn't know, I'm black, African American. That makes a difference, that's why I say that I'm getting ready to make a point. Adam Stoker: Yeah. Stephanie Jones: When I go to the annual meetings, oftentimes, if there's a room full of 100, or 150 people, oftentimes, I may be one of two, or one of three people of color in the room. I went to our leadership summit that they had last year or the year before last. There were about 150 tourism leaders in the room, and I think 60% were DMOs. They talked a lot about diversity. I was happy to see, even from Visit Florida in their new marketing, they showed more diversity. That was great to see people of color represented. Even in the sessions, the meetings we had, we talked about diversity. But I was disappointed because, as I looked around the room, I had to stand up and ask the question. “As an industry, when we're talking about diversity, are we only talking about diversity as it relates to the people that we want to come to our destination? Or, are we talking about diversifying the industry, so that the leadership of tourism is more reflective of diverse people that we want to come to the destination?” Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: I didn't really get any feedback. But I put that out there because I want to challenge people to think about cultural heritage tourism, and the role that diversity and inclusion within the industry, how that impacts. I believe how we leverage cultural heritage tourism, and how we leverage engaging our local community assets to make our tourism ecosystem stronger overall. Adam Stoker: Right, you sparked an important question, or thought in the minds of everybody there, which I think is great. I want to, from a time standpoint, we probably need to start wrapping it up, here. I want to ask you one more question, but before I do, I wanted to talk about the takeaways for destination marketers that are listening today. Stephanie Jones: Okay. Adam Stoker: 36:51 I think priority one, for destination marketers that are listening is, we need to evaluate each of our individual destinations and say, what infrastructure do we currently have? Like you said, whether that's the ethnic restaurants that are there, or whether its specific neighborhoods that might be interesting for someone to come see, as it pertains to cultural heritage tourism. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: Is there a product, there? A, if there's not a product, what can I do to create one? B, we need to look at demand. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: As we evaluate our, I talk a lot about the different touchpoints that an organization has with the outside world. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: One of those touchpoints is the customer experience. I think these cultural heritage tourism experiences could really enhance the customer experience. If you have a gap in your customer experience at your destination, or somewhere where you feel like you fall short, or you need something to differentiate yourself, maybe cultural heritage tourism is a great place to look, and see if you can create a product around that to differentiate yourself. Stephanie Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Adam Stoker: I think all of those things could be really beneficial for the destinations that are listening here, today. Stephanie Jones: Right, I agree. Adam Stoker: I want to ask you, real quick, what do you see as the future of cultural heritage tourism? Stephanie Jones: 38:17 Well, I believe, and research says, cultural heritage tourism, is one of the largest, and fastest-growing segments of the tourism market. I definitely see it continuing to grow. The reason why is, one, I think the major target markets that really indulge in cultural heritage tourism are Baby Boomers, but also Millennials are now becoming a growing target market because when they travel, they are seeking those local, authentic experiences. Adam Stoker: Right. Stephanie Jones: They want to go to those off-the-beaten-path areas within a destination. It is going to continue to grow because travelers are seeking these authentic, local experiences. When you think about Airbnb, I think they are a forward-thinking company because they understand that when people travel, one, they've already provided the opportunity for them to live locally, but now they get to experience the local culture, but being able to take these locally curated experiences. It will continue to be a missed opportunity for DMOs who don't, at least, do some serious assessing of their destinations, and really diving into the research that exists, and doing their own research, to see, to make sure that they're not missing out on travelers who would love to come to their destination if they knew that there were certain cultural heritage experiences available to them, within those destinations. Adam Stoker: Yeah, I think that's a great point. Well, Stephanie, it's been fun to have you today. Stephanie Jones: Thank you. Adam Stoker: 40:29 You touched on the Mandala Research, and I was wondering, We have a LinkedIn group that a lot of our listeners belong to, and we post educational resources and information there. I'm wondering if you would be willing to post the link to this Mandala Research in the Destination Marketers LinkedIn group so that everybody listening can have access to it. Would you be willing to do that? Stephanie Jones: Sure. You point me in the right direction, and I'll be happy to share. Adam Stoker: After the show, we'll make sure you know exactly how to get there, and we'll help you post that. Thank you so much for coming on with us today, and really sharing a different angle on tourism that, I think, a lot of destinations haven’t really focused on, to this point. Stephanie Jones: Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate being able to share on this platform. Adam Stoker: Great. Well, everyone, this has been another episode of the Destination Marketing podcast. We want to invite everyone to join the Destination Marketers LinkedIn group, so that you can get access to a lot of these resources, like the one that Stephanie is going to post here, today. Then, if you have any requested show topics, or if you'd like to be a guest on the show, please email us at DestinationMarketingPodcast@RelicAgency.com, we'd love to hear from you, get your feedback, and continue to improve the show. Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week.
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