Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1511108
39 B M & T ••• November/December 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com As the travel and meetings market responds to world events and an ever-evolving economy, we feel it pru- dent to pause from time to time to assess what impact all these occurrences are having on our industry. As we do each year, we put several questions to some of the top CVB heads in the industry in the last quarter of 2023 in an effort to share their knowledge with those seeking solutions to the daunting chal- lenges faced by many destination reps and planners. Below are the five questions, followed by their answers in their own words. • Has your destination returned to pre-pandemic visitor numbers? • What are some of things you've done to attract visitors to your destination? • Are there any new infrastructure developments in your city that meeting planners and travel agents should know about? • What steps are you taking to ensure the safety of visitors to your destination? • With so many options from which travelers can choose, why should a planner or travel agent select your destination to book their meeting, incentive or leisure travel business? AL HUTCHINSON. PRESIDENT/CEO OF VISIT BALTIMORE A lot has changed in our tourism industry over the past few years - With the full return of events and in-person meetings, our tourism industry continues to move our economy forward by bring- ing in dollars to hotels, restaurants and local businesses. Data from Longwoods International suggests that Baltimore's travel industry is coming back: In 2022, 26.7 million people visited Baltimore for overnight and day trips spending a total of $3.7 billion to Baltimore's economy. Domestic travel to Baltimore increased by 9.9 percent while total spending increased by 39 percent. Day travelers account for 56% of the trips to Baltimore. (15 million) Overnight travelers account for 44% of the trips to Baltimore. (11.7 million) On the meetings and conventions side, we have been working to bring authentic experiences you can only find in Baltimore to meeting planners in other markets to further promote the attractions, makers, restaurants, and local businesses that are shaping Baltimore's story. Visit Baltimore team received Best in Show at the ASAE Annual Meeting in Atlanta, where we showed thousands of meeting planners and industry part- ners how seafood is really done by serv- ing up Maryland Blue Crabs, Oysters and Sagamore Rye Orange Crushes in the booth. Nearly 500 people attended the Visit Baltimore booth over the two- day convention and participated in a crab picking and oyster shucking demonstration led by Chyno the Bluebeard Foodie and Nick Shauman with the Local Oyster. We recently created a Baltimore 8-bit style video game to reach the attendees of the first-ever Baltimore VidCON, which convenes content creators, digital marketers, and social media fans for a weekend of panels, meet and greets, cre- ative activations and fun. The goal of the game was to provide an activity for attendees to do while they waited in line for events, while also pointing them to the Visit Baltimore trade show booth in the exhibit hall where they received snack prizes made by local Baltimore vendors and learned more about what to do while they were in town. Earlier this year, we had an activa- tion in New York where we brought 7 Baltimore-based, Black chefs to cook a meal in the new James Beard Foundation Platform space to promote Baltimore's culinary scene to major media outlets in hopes of inspiring their readers to visit Baltimore. Dinner guests, including reporters for food and travel publications like AFAR, EBONY, Thrillist, Forbes, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Serious Eats, left full and inspired to explore and write about Charm City's culinary scene. BALTIMORE PENINSULA This 25-year project will include up to 18 million square feet of new mixed-use development, 2.5 miles of restored waterfront and 40 acres of parks and green space. New businesses are contin- ually being added to the area, with cur- rent residents including The Foundery Makerspace, Rye Street Tavern, South Point and Sagamore Spirit. Port Covington is also set to become a cyber- security hub; industry players DataTribe, Evergreen Advisers and AllegisCyber all moved to the area in 2021. WARNER STREET DISTRICT The Warner Street District master plan will transform a previously under- utilized industrial zone into an energetic and walkable corridor bridging MGM's Horseshoe Casino and M&T Bank Stadium. The 250,000 square foot district includes a new Paramount music venue, Topgolf facility, Yards Social Bar and over 34,000 square feet of retail space. Harbor Point Situated between Harbor East and Fell's Point on a former industrial site, Harbor Point is Baltimore's newest waterfront neighborhood. This flourish- ing mixed-use community is anchored by Exelon's $270-million Baltimore headquarters. The 20-story LEED Gold building houses 1,500 of this Fortune