Episode 173: Market Research a Roadmap Through a Pandemic, with Amir Eylon
Release Date: 04/01/2020
Episode 375: Cultivating a Transformative Mindset, with Meredith Calloway
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Meredith Calloway, Chief Visionary Officer and Co-Founder of Gifted Travel Network (GTN). She shares more about the inspiration behind her community of luxury travel advisors and her nuggets of wisdom about how to develop and cultivate a brand message that will help you stand out from the crowd by finding your brilliance. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How Meredith transitioned from working in finance to starting a travel business and founding Gifted Travel Network Why finding one’s “zone of genius” and pursuing a passion is...
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Episode 374: Our Exciting Travel Alliance Partnership Rebrand, with Nicole Mahoney
Destination On The Left
This week, I’m reflecting on our new brand and why we are so excited about the next chapter. I want to share the branding journey with you to highlight the lessons we learned along the way. I hope that our story will inspire you and give an introduction to our new company and the philosophy behind it. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why we decided to merge two brands, and how the Travel Alliance Partnership will be an economic development partner for destinations What the rebranding process involved, including workshops, visual mapping, and merging of brands Why embracing “cathedral...
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Episode 373: Understanding American Traveler Sentiment, with Amir Eylon
Destination On The Left
A thirty-two-year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry, Amir Eylon leads the entire team at Longwoods International, responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization, from program development to customer acquisition and retention. He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving as the destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing international visitation to the US. He led the team responsible for helping to increase Brand USA’s partnership base...
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Episode 372: The Impact of Coopetition in Creating Meaningful Travel Experiences, with Greg Takehara
Destination On The Left
Greg Takehara has been the CEO of Tourism Cares since 2019. He previously served on its Board, acting as its Chairman before becoming CEO. Prior to Tourism Cares, Greg was the President of Trip Mate, Inc., a travel insurance administrator. He began his thirty-five year career in the travel and tourism industry at The Mark Travel Corporation, where he served as General Counsel. Greg serves on the Board of the US Travel Association and has served on the Boards of NTA and the IGLTA Foundation, as well as numerous industry committees. He is from Chicago and has an undergraduate degree from the...
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Episode 371: Leaning into the Uniqueness of a Destination, with JoAnna Haugen
Destination On The Left
JoAnna Haugen is an award-winning writer, consultant, speaker, and solutions advocate who has worked in communications-related positions in the travel and tourism industry her entire career. She is also the Founder of Rooted, a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact, and storytelling. Through Rooted, JoAnna helps tourism professionals decolonize travel experiences and support sustainability using strategic storytelling. In 2021, Newsweek named JoAnna a winner in the storytelling category of its Future of Tourism awards. She has also been nominated for...
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Episode 370: Transforming Marketing with AI, with Paul Roetzer
Destination On The Left
Paul Roetzer is the Founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute; co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business; host of The Marketing AI Show podcast; and creator of the Marketing AI Conference (MAICON). As a speaker, Roetzer is focused on making AI approachable and actionable for marketers and business leaders. A graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Roetzer has consulted for hundreds of organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Previously, he was Founder and CEO of PR 20/20, a digital marketing agency that he...
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Episode 369: The Power of Owned Media, with Adam Stoker
Destination On The Left
Adam Stoker is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Relic, a full-service destination marketing agency. For over 15 years, Adam has excelled in the leisure travel, stakeholder engagement, and destination branding spheres. Immersed in the world of tourism, Adam has spent time as a member of the Utah Tourism Industry Association Board. He is a frequent speaker and collaborator at industry events nationwide, speaking at the Utah Tourism Conference, Texas Travel Summit, several Destinations International events, and more. A passionate thought leader in the world of owned media, Adam speaks on the...
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Episode 368: Uniting Communities through Memorable New York City Tours and Events, with Rowena Sahulee
Destination On The Left
Rowena Sahulee is a marketing executive with over 20 years in the dual realms of tourism and economic development. She has worked in marketing functions at organizations such as Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry and Harbor Cruises, the first concessionaire to the Statue of Liberty. The Greater Houston Partnership, the main business organization in the Houston, Texas, 10-country region. Choose NJ, the economic development marketing organization for the State of New Jersey. After Choosing NJ, she started with Empire State Development in the Division of Tourism, I LOVE NY, as the Director of...
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Episode 367: Uniting for Success in the Travel Industry, with Nicole Mahoney
Destination On The Left
This week we’re coming to you directly from the ABA Marketplace in Nashville, where I’m talking to eight amazing travel industry experts about why there’s a sense of energy and forward focus in 2024. They share more about the experiences visitors to their destinations are requesting and dig into the importance of authenticity and making genuine connections between visitors and locals. In this episode, you’ll hear from these travel and tourism industry leaders: Lorey Hall: Kris Hoff: Adam Jacobson: Sonya Nash: Jill Shorkey: Marlene Smith: Greg...
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Episode 366: Nurturing Relationships in the Tourism and Travel Sector with Nicole Mahoney
Destination On The Left
This week, the podcast is coming to you from the ABA Marketplace in Nashville, where nearly 3,000 tour and travel professionals convened to learn and network with their peers. From indigenous experiences in Alberta to the revitalization of destinations like Philadelphia and Branson, this episode is packed with valuable perspectives on collaboration, envisioning the future of travel, and the power of personal connections in the tourism industry. In this episode, you’ll hear from these extraordinary leaders: Vince Accardi: Richard Arnold: Marcy Barnes: Aaron Brown: ...
info_outlineA thirty-plus year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry, Amir leads the entire Longwoods international team responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization from program development to customer acquisition and retention.
He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving as the destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing international visitation to the US. He led the team responsible for helping to increase Brand USA’s partnership base and ensuring that participants received excellent service throughout Brand USA’s deployment of joint marketing programs. During his tenure, Brand USA grew its base to 475 partners, comprised of destination marketing organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, travel brands, airlines, and tour operators.
Prior to joining Brand USA, Amir served as Director of the Ohio Office of Tourism. Under his leadership, the state’s marketing programs realized a tremendous return on investment and contributed to the growth of the state’s $40 billion tourism economy. The programs he developed leveraged industry and nontraditional partnerships that generated $14 in new state and local taxes for every $1 invested and included active participation by thousands of Ohio’s tourism-related businesses. He has also served as Executive Vice President of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, Assistant Director of the Ohio Tourism Division, and Sales & Marketing Manager with the Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
He has been recognized with a number of Industry honors including Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing award (2014) by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI); The Ohio Tourism Industry’s Highest Honor, The Paul Sherlock Award; and The State of Ohio Distinguished Service Medal.
Amir holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Dayton.
In this episode of Destination on the Left, Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International, joins us to share his story and talk about market research in travel and tourism. Amir discusses some of the trends he has seen as DMOs rush to respond to the COVID-crisis, and he talks about the changes in traveler sentiment as the pandemic continues to unfold.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Amir’s journey into destination marketing and the travel and tourism industry
- How Longwoods Intl. is tracking traveler sentiment
- How Amir is seeing destinations respond to the global pandemic
- How Longwoods Intl. is adapting their business model to meet the needs of the COVID-crisis
- How destinations are using creativity to respond to the pandemic
- How traveler sentiment has changed since the pandemic was declared a national emergency
- Why crises produce some of the travel and tourism industry’s best work
- The short term and long term responses we are seeing in DMOs across the country
Traveler Sentiment Amidst the COVID-Crisis
Amir Eylon is the President and CEO at Longwoods International, a respected leader in market research that helps drive destinations toward their goals. Amir and his team have been tracking traveler sentiment for years, but in the midst of this global pandemic, Longwoods International has started tracking traveler sentiment every week. Their objective is to inform and serve the travel and tourism industry as we collaborate to determine the best response to the COVID-crisis.
Researching Traveler Sentiment
Amir is a marketer who happens to run a market research company, so he speaks our language. He understands how to use research to produce robust marketing strategies and he has been in the travel and tourism industry for almost thirty-two years. In destination marketing, research not only provides us with a roadmap of where to go, it provides us with information about whether our strategy is working. It enables us to accomplish more with our ideas and resources which is especially important when the going gets rough.
A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Some of our industry’s best work has come out of crises. And be it 9/11, the great recession, or the COVID-crisis, the great minds of travel and tourism have continued to shine by taking creativity, collaboration, and partnerships to a new level. Traveler sentiment has changed drastically since the pandemic was declared a national emergency. The numbers are not necessarily surprising, but it’s not all bad news either. The silver lining in all of this is that Americans are still looking to travel in the next six months. Many trips have been postponed or canceled, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and a beacon of hope that we will all make it through.