316: Is This The End of Traveling with Credit Card Rewards?

In this episode, Adam Stoker joins Joe Trahan, a Virginia Beach real estate agent who has successfully integrated community-focused destination marketing into his business. Joe discusses his strategy of merging sales and marketing to engage with the audience by producing valuable content, building trust, and creating a sense of community. He shares his experiences with the "Discover Virginia Beach" Facebook group and podcast, which have helped him generate organic leads and establish a reputable online presence. He and Adam also explore why organizations need to become media companies, the power of trust and likability, and the challenges of collaborating with local entities. "Why is it that when we start to hear from our marketing department that we need support, or our content needs improvement, we try to just get it done as quickly as possible? How do I expect to compete as a business -- as a destination, by posting generic, sub-par, cheap, and watered-down content?" -Joe Trahan Discover Virginia Beach If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Richard Hunt, Executive Director of the Electronic Payments Coalition, joins Adam to discuss the potential effects of the Durbin bill on credit card rewards and the tourism industry. Richard highlights his background in politics and banking and the mission of his coalition to maintain a secure and efficient payment system in The United States. He raises concerns about the bill's impact on credit access, rewards, fraud rates, and the lack of evidence for consumer savings. They explore the bill's implications for destination marketing funding and small businesses, urging listeners to take action against it. “I was with Elliot [Summey], who’s head of the Charleston airport, and he said most people flying into Charleston stay three nights, and some hundred and fifty thousand people fly into Charleston each year using reward points. Those would go away. A hundred and fifty thousand people may not travel to Charleston, you know the domino effect, but certainly, if reward points were cut, you’re going to see spending go down.” -Richard Hunt Hands Off My Rewards If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam and Mike Kaput, chief content officer at Marketing AI Institute, discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the destination marketing industry. They delve into the latest AI-powered tools that have emerged and share valuable insights into how these tools can be effectively utilized to enhance destination marketing strategies. “Leading up to ChatGP has been because machines can help make themselves smarter, but now when we have humans using smarter machines to make both the human and the machine smarter, suddenly we’re off to the races. The people that learn right now how to leverage these tools effectively in their own domain of expertise are going to feel like they’re superhuman.” -Mike Kaput Marketing AI Institute If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International, joins Adam on today’s episode to discuss the travel-related impact of April’s solar eclipse. Amir shares some interesting statistics he collected from American travelers about their travel plans to see the solar eclipse. The conversation then shifts to other insights that Amir is seeing throughout the industry, such as the impact of inflation and changes in traveler mindsets. “But I think the biggest learning from this one, which you saw some of it in 2017, but you saw a lot of it this year, is that the community took an event that literally lasts a little over an hour and made it either a full day or a multi-day event and festival...” - Amir Eylon

Powered by Visit Myrtle Beach, “Traveling the Spectrum” is a docuseries following families with members on the autism spectrum as they take a vacation of a lifetime. On today’s episode, Stuart Butler and Adam invite you to support this docuseries and help it find a platform. They also touch on the importance of a DMO-produced series and how owned media content has a bright future in destination marketing. You’ll also be able to listen to the trailer in the episode and watch the trailer at https://travelingthespectrumshow.com/. "We’re changing a lot of lives, for sure, but we’re also, in my opinion, we’re pushing this travel and this destination marketing industry forward at the same time. It’s the work I’m most proud of out of everything I’ve done in my 20 plus year career, it’s phenomenal, and it’s changed me, I’m a different person having watched these six episodes and you will be too.” - Stuart Butler If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Adam continues his time at Destinations International’s Marketing and Communications Summit, where he sits down with Angeline Chew, executive director at Discover Surrey. Angeline shares why ensuring an optimal visitor experience is critical. She also dives into how DMOs can collaborate with stakeholders to curate these experiences for the traveler. “My other thing with destination development is you have to really work within the structure and the capabilities of your partner. You may want them to do something but if they’re not ready, you have to work at their pace. You can lead them and you can work with them and you can partner with them but the thing is, they also have to have the capacity to move things forward.” -Angeline Chew Discover Surrey If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Adam takes the show to the Destinations International Marketing and Communications Summit, where he sits down with Brandon Pendergast, sales and marketing manager at Visit Helena. Brandon talks about Visit Helena’s rebrand process and how they involved key stakeholders and community members to ensure its success. “We communicated to our local stakeholders and invested the time to teach all of our organizations how this brand is not only a tangible document but a tangible vision for growth.” -Brandon Pendergast Visit Helena If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Adam invites travel expert, author and podcast host Sarah Dandashy to share her insights on the hospitality industry. Sarah talks about her experiences working in travel and tourism and explains why having great people is crucial for providing excellent hospitality to visitors. Adam and Sarah also discuss her role in West Hollywood's podcast and why creating meaningful content is critical for destinations. Ask A Concierge The Creators Podcast If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Adam talks with Tom Farrell, Founder and CEO of The Workshop, an Emmy-nominated team that focuses on producing unscripted television content. They talk about some of the projects that Tom has worked on, including an upcoming project for Visit Myrtle Beach: Traveling the Spectrum. Listen to learn why Tom is so passionate about telling stories and how your destination can do something similar. "I always use that question why not right now? Why not do it right now? You can talk about it and kick it down the road for years. What you have to do is roll up your sleeves, decide that you’re going to plow forward, commit to it, and stay with that commitment." -Tom Farrell The Workshop If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].

On this episode, Adam is joined by President and CEO of Visit Laguna Beach Rachel O’Neill Cusey to discuss their new campaign, “From Radical Origins.” Designed to tell the stories that have shaped Laguna Beach, this brand-new campaign defies conventional advertising norms, offering a fresh approach to portraying a destination's narrative. “If I learned anything, it was from the people that told their stories. They all made a change by doing something radical and doing something that was outside of the box. That’s what we have to do to make things happen.” -Rachel O’Neill Cusey If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email [email protected].