Client Spotlight Series: Visit Jackson, MS
It’s no secret that COVID-19 brought numerous challenges to the travel and tourism industry. With no one traveling and attractions being forced to close, travel destinations were faced with the difficult decision to either pivot their strategy or halt marketing spend all together.
Our client Visit Jackson, MS, shares their plan of action once the pandemic began.
The Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, dba Visit Jackson, is the official destination leadership organization for the City of Jackson. It serves the Jackson community by positively impacting the city’s economy through recruitment and securing meetings and tourism activities. Visit Jackson is a quasi-independent governmental agency created by the Mississippi State Legislature.
Phase 1: Stop, Listen, Proceed with Caution
As soon as it was clear that COVID-19 was going to force a halt to the travel industry, Visit Jackson first paused all traditional advertising messaging. Instead of focusing on bringing visitors to the city, Visit Jackson enhanced COVID-19-related information, content, industry best practices, and resources for its stakeholders.
“We found ourselves in a position serving as a principal leader in the tourism industry throughout the state,” said Kim Lewis, Communications/Destination Development Manager. “We immediately acted on the existing partnership that we have with the City of Jackson, sharing city and statewide updates and regulations, as well as joining forces with the Mayor’s office by participating in the COVID-19 Task Force; provided signage, face masks, and hand sanitizers to our industry partners.”
Visit Jackson has received a strongly positive community response as a result of their shifted efforts. By increasing its outreach to its community members, Visit Jackson has started to become a more depended-upon and respected resource for Jackson’s people and places.
Phase 2: Beginning Again
As restrictions started to ease, the Visit Jackson team knew they couldn’t just start promoting their destination as they usually did – focusing on meetings, sporting events, concerts, etc. They took an innovative approach to appeal to both locals and close driving markets.
“We began to feature our attractions enticing consumer travelers to consider Jackson and its unique I-55/I-20 location,” said Lewis. “Additionally, Staycations marketing opportunities have become more attractive to Central Mississippians who are now ready to ‘get out’.”
Just as Visit Jackson did, during Phase 2 we advise focusing on feeder markets within a few hours of your destination. Keeping imagery and promotions centered on wide-open spaces, outdoor and spacious attractions where people can feel safe and not crowded is key. Experts have predicted that destinations will be most successful in feeder markets that can access the destination safely and quickly.
Since Jackson is a college town, there is some concern on another lockdown, however the Visit Jackson team is working with the Mayor’s Task Force, school administrators, the business community and health professionals to implement practices that will minimize the infection rate and develop messaging to encourage responsibility.
In our latest eBook We Will Travel Again, we discuss how travel marketers can adapt to the current situation in a way that will set them up for success later. To best position our brands for success as the phases of this crisis transition one to the next, we must prepare. This crisis will not last forever, and travelers will hit the road again. In fact, they’re already planning their first great escape. Will you be there?
About Kim Lewis:
Kim Lewis is the Communications & Destination Development Manager at Visit Jackson, representing Mississippi’s capital city for the past seven years. She can be reached at klewis@visitjackson.com. To learn more about meetings in the City With Soul, please visit www.visitjackson.com.
Learn more about how we can help you adapt to the evolving marketing landscape and ramp up your efforts.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
October 29, 2024
Key Takeaways from the 2024 Tennessee Governor’s Conference
We at Advance Travel & Tourism were honored to once again attend and sponsor the Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality & Tourism in Chattanooga. Because TNHTA and Chattanooga Tourism Co. put on such an insightful event, we wanted to share some of our key takeaways from the conference below.
October 24, 2024
Economic Impact & Advocacy Webinar
Econonomic Impact & Advocacy Webinar The impact of marketing isn’t always easy to measure, making destination marketers’ jobs difficult. Join Advance Travel and Tourism as we take a deeper look at how industry leaders are measuring the economic impact of their marketing efforts. This webinar recording looks at the impact of destination marketing while considering how [...]
October 14, 2024
Key Takeaways: Advance Travel’s Midwest Team and Mackinac Island Tourism
In case you missed it, here’s a quick review of 10 takeaways for 2025 travel trends. Advance Travel & Tourism expert, Eric Hultgren, shared informative insights during the webinar on September 10, 2024. With the help of case studies and conversation from our guests, we discovered more about what travelers will be looking for moving into 2025, [...]
WE BRING THE TRAVELER TO YOU.
CONTACT US TODAY TO DISCUSS HOW WE CAN HELP REVAMP YOUR TOURISM MARKETING STRATEGY.
"*" indicates required fields