Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/244474
•pg_13-27__BMT_pg3-58 1/8/14 6:37 PM Page 22 BY Two IA OR GL thousand and thirteen has been an eventful year to say the least, with Washington partisan politics playing havoc on the national economy. The travel/meetings industry was in no way immune from the fallout caused by the government shutdown, but in varying degrees, destinations across the nation held up well through the crisis. As we do each year, we put several questions to some of the top CVB heads in the industry in an effort to share their knowledge with those seeking solutions to the daunting challenges faced by many destination reps and planners. Below are the three questions, followed by their answers in their own words. Black Meetings & Tourism is celebrating their 20th Anniversary throughout 2014. We have seen many changes take place in our industry during the last 20 years. Looking back, from your perspective, what are the most significant changes in the travel/tourism/meetings industry that you have witnessed during this period? Looking forward, in your estimation how will the travel/tourism/meetings industry change and what will it look like in three or five years down the road? 22 M. Did the government shutdown impact visitation to your city, and what steps have you taken in response to T ER maintain the health and vibrancy of RB HE your visitor industry? ELLIOTT FERGUSON, PRESIDENT & CEO, DESTINATION DC By far it's been the dawning of the internet era. The internet has allowed visitors to research a destination, read reviews, see photos and really customize what kind of experience they would like to have. On our official website, Washington.org, we highlight a wide variety of interests and attractions so that the visitor doing research can put together a perfect itinerary and get a taste for everything DC has to offer. The world continues to become more and more connected. In three to five years hopefully we will be welcoming more visitors, both from around the U.S. and the world. Visitors are wanting to get more engaged and to dive a bit deeper into what a destination offers. The need and desire to meet face-to-face will never go away but the meetings industry will likely continue to take advantage of technological advances to streamline the experience of the attendee. The government shutdown definitely impacted visitation to Washington, DC. Unfortunately, many visitors felt that because the federal government was shut down, that meant everything in DC was closed, when in fact, there were still over 55 museums and attractions, 2000 restaurants, multiple shopping districts and bus, bike and walking tours still open and welcoming visitors. We had to battle false perceptions but we did so by putting together a playful video featuring many of our still-open attractions and pro- B M & T ••• November/December 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com