Small City Branding Around the World

Can New Asian Cities Avoid The Urban Mistakes of the 20th Century?

In 1980, the dominance of the American and Japanese economies was reflected by the world’s two leading megacities being Tokyo and New York City. But in 2025, the picture will be very different with seven of the world's top ten megacities being located in Asia. These graphs provide a fascinating view of the anticipated growth of the world’s major cities over the next fifteen years.

The planning and growth of Asian cities will have important implications for the rest of the world. Cities cover 2% of the earth's surface, host more than 50% of the world's population, account for 75% of energy consumption and are responsible for up to 80% of carbon-dioxide emissions. An article on the BBC website by Carlo Ratti and Kristian Kloeckl from MIT Senseable City Lab highlights how these cities will have to rely on new technologies and the inventiveness of billions of citizens to innovate in ways that will avoid repeating the urban mistakes of the 20th Century - only on a larger scale.

Know the Scale of Chinese Cities? Think Again!

Just when I think that I'm getting a handle on the scale of development in China and the size of its cities, along comes another article or tv program to amaze me. This time an article by Thomas J Campanella, the author of The Concrete Dragon: China's Urban Revolution and What It Means for the World, carries a dizzying list of superlatives about China’s urbanization and its cities.

China has experienced the greatest peace time migration of people in history from rural areas to cities and this has resulted in 102 cities now having  a population of over one million. Yet, despite this massive growth the country is only 40% urbanized. That’s the level the USA was at in 1885!

• Shanghai has twice the number of skyscrapers as Manhattan
• Half the world’s steel and concrete is being consumed in China
• Nationwide 37 million people are employed in the construction industry
• 1,000 new cars are registered every day in Beijing and Shanghai

The article continues with staggering facts that will amaze you too. Now what was it that I blogged about America’s decaying infrastructure and ghost towns of the 21^st Century a few months ago? 

Is It Time For A Fresh Look at DMO Performance Metrics? : Part 2

This is the second part of this article. The first was posted yesterday.

"And what about our clients, the meeting planners? Because their attendees have discovered the interweb thingy, they’re booking outside the block, convinced that they’re getting a better deal. This results in planners only generating a fraction of the true room pick up in order to avoid penalty charges from hotels. Thus, a true 1,000 room night piece of business is now booked at 600 because a meeting planner doesn’t want to get stuck. And, just how does that impact room night measurements?

Even more troubling is that 70% of DMOs are measured on hotel occupancy. WTF? Are crappy beds, dirty hotels and bed bugs our responsibility? How can DMOs be measured on whether hotels reinvest in their properties to remain competitive and focus on the highest standard of customer service?

Where are the measurements of “intent to visit” or “intent to book?” Isn’t that what DMOs do? Create the intent...and then make it easy to consume?

Room nights will always be an interesting “indicator” of a DMO’s success (and a key marker for sales staff productivity)...but it cannot be the primary organizational measure. Somehow, we must, as an industry, come together to change the measurements that have been foisted upon us and create realistic measures for what our DMOs do for our communities.

I don’t profess to have the answers, but I know that, collectively, this whip smart industry does. So, here’s my suggestion. Let’s find time in conference corridors and over meals to discuss this with each other.”

 Once again, Bill raises some very interesting points which I am sure will be thoroughly debated. It is certainly time to get beyond stale metrics based on hotel bookings or the number of visitors.

Is It Time For A Fresh Look at DMO Performance Metrics? : Part 1

The issue of DMO performance and relevance is much debated worldwide as government officials, tourism industry and DMO executives grapple to define appropriate performance metrics. Last week I received Zeitgeist Consulting’s monthly newsletter in which my friend Bill Geist once again raised some very provocative and highly relevant issues for evaluating the performance of DMOs. Bill gave me permission to reproduce his article here.

“OK...it’s time to get serious about this whole “performance measures” thing for the destination marketing industry. Don’t get me wrong. The work by DMAI on the initial Performance Measures Matrix a few years ago was a giant step forward. And, the new set of measures that should be released next month at DMAI’s annual convention is a cool addition.

But, a recent study by the Destination & Travel Foundation indicates that roughly 80% of the industry measures its success on room night production. Those that have been in my workshops and strategic planning sessions know how I feel about this as a DMO’s primary measure. For the rest of you, let me just say that I have a problem being measured on a metric over which I have no control.

Let’s understand a basic tenet. While DMOs measure “Room Nights Booked,” DMOs rarely “book” anything. Unless the DMO runs a convention facility and/or a hotel, we “facilitate” the booking. We don’t “ink” the deal. We don’t “book.”

If the hotels don’t offer up a competitive room block and we lose the event, is that a DMO’s fault? If their pricing is too aggressive and the business goes elsewhere, is that the DMO’s fault? If the economy tanks and 20% of all meetings are flat out cancelled, are we to be chastised for missing our Room Night Goal?

Part Two will be posted tomorrow.

New Zealand 100% Pure Slogan: 100% Correct

OK. I’m an Aussie and we are rarely able to praise or agree with New Zealanders, but kudos where it’s due. Over the past decade or so, New Zealand’s tourism branding efforts have been about the best out there. This was not always the case. I recall when I was engaged in the marketing of Australia in The Americas and Europe, Australia had a well-developed sense of identity but New Zealand consistently struggled to articulate a coherent brand identity.  I have to admit that on occasions these days I feel that the tables have turned.

Since its launch in 1999, New Zealand’s brand strategy, based on its pristine environment and sense of adventure and summarized as 100% Pure New Zealand, has enjoyed amazing success. Yet, it’s hard to believe that it was greeted with skepticism when it was first announced. Even harder to believe is that there is still criticism of the brand within New Zealand.  This further reinforces the point that I frequently make to communities - they will never get 100% agreement from stakeholders for their brand positioning, logo or slogan, so don’t wait for it.

Recently, there has been some criticism from within New Zealand of the country’s ability to deliver on its promise 100% of the time. As the editorial in the New Zealand Herald advocates, “effective marketing slogans, as this one is, can seldom be taken literally. They need to convey an essential truth, not a precise one. New Zealand, in the eye of anyone who has seen the world, is notably clean, green, fresh and wholesome.”

I couldn’t agree more. Additionally, great strategies and creativity often have to be supported by great leadership. Of course filming the Hobbit Movie there will no doubt provide even more impetus and reinforce the essence of this great brand.

Tourists Wanted Worldwide: Apply Now

Natural disasters along with political and economic calamity around the world are causing many countries, states and cities to look toward tourism for economic relief. Will this be a short flirtation or will it be a serious effort to treat tourism as a legitimate and essential component of local economies and one that requires long term planning, funding and commitment? Yep, it really is a bit like a marriage, but too often leaders look for a divorce the first time they have financial problems. But right now, the counselors seem to be at work.

Inbound tourism to Japan dropped 50% in May and the Japanese Government and the tourism industry are collaborating to boost inbound numbers. The tragic aftermath of the tsunami and Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown has highlighted the valuable role that tourism plays in communities across Japan and even as far away as Okinawa, which lost visitors despite being nowhere near the disasters. As could be expected the Japanese people are moving quickly to clean up many of the areas most critically damaged as can be seen in these photos.

eTurbo News reports that despite its economic woes, tourism is the bright spot for Greece which is projected to do better in 2011 than in 2010. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that despite their economic woes, Greece, Spain and Portugal are seeing a jump in tourism arrivals because visitors are bypassing Egypt and Tunisia because they are perceived to be unsafe at this time. This is causing the governments of Egypt and Tunisia to redouble their tourism marketing efforts.

Ravaged by an earthquake in February, Christchurch, New Zealand is in desperate need of tourists to return, but are reluctant to recommence marketing because they fear that they may not be ready at this time. A tough, but wise decision.

While our focus is on the tourism downturn in Christchurch, Tokyo, Cairo, and Tunis, we should remember that it has also effected hundreds of small cities and thousands and thousands of small businesses that are hidden inside the statistics. Never has tourism been so important. Let’s hope that for those renewing their “marriage vows” between government and the tourism sector there will be a long-term commitment and not a rush for divorce next time the government needs to balance its budget. This IS economic development!!

Austrian Village Made in China – Just Add Water

Travel News reports that a replica of an idyllic Austrian alpine village will be built in a rundown industrial estate in Guandong Province. They are not reproducing just any Austrian town. They are setting out to replicate Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site, complete with an artificial lake

I guess this explains the huge surge in camera-toting Chinese visitors to Hallstatt (the real one) in recent years.

Apparently there is already a replica of the High Street of Dorchester, England in Chengdu British Town housing development. So much for authenticity and a genuine sense of place.

I agree that many of today’s real estate developments look like so many others, but there is a narrow line between gaining inspiration from other places and becoming "Disneyfied". I wonder if this will be a gated community? If not, residents will very quickly get tired of tourists photographing their homes. But then again, they might be developers planning to replicate the replica in India or Brazil. On the other hand, is this their revenge for the poorly designed Chinatowns that can be found in most major cities around the world?

Great Architecture and Music Struggle to Define Modern Rotterdam

It was not so long ago that I only thought of Rotterdam as a huge port (actually the second largest in the world behind Shanghai) and a place decimated by German bombers in 1940. I find after speaking with friends in Europe recently that despite efforts to reposition itself, having world-class architecture and hosting some great music events, Rotterdam’s identity as a port city still dominates.

Rotterdam is sometimes referred to as an open-air exhibition featuring some of the world’s best architects. A walk around the city reveals amazing architecture such as Ben van Berkel’s iconic Erasmus Bridge, Renzo Piano’s KPN Telecom headquarters, the New Orleans building by Alvaro Siza (the highest residential tower in The Netherlands), and the World Port Centre by Sir Norman Foster. The city’s cultural landscape is just as impressive with innovative new clubs, cafes and galleries popping up all over the city.

The city has also established an impressive reputation for world class jazz with the North Sea Jazz Festival attracting about 70,000 enthusiasts every year. To be held July 8-10, 2011 the festival will feature all forms of jazz ranging from swing, bop, Latin, and a fusion of funk, hip-hop and lots more.

The experiences of Rotterdam highlight the point that the identities of some places may have evolved over hundreds of years and expecting to change them in a few short years is probably unrealistic. Critical to any brand strategy involving a long established city is to manage the expectations of stakeholders and to recognize that it is a long-term project that might take generations to fulfill. The challenge for Rotterdam is to continue to cultivate its emerging identity for architecture and music in harmony with its traditional identity as a world port.

Northwest Cities Plan to Reconnect With Their Waterfronts

Access to water is a major motivator for people to visit and stay longer in places. In recent years, we have visited and worked in dozens of cities that have “turned their backs” on their riverfronts and provide very limited access to these great assets. Mark Hinshaw in Crosscut reports that a number of cities in the Pacific Northwest are developing plans to reconnect with their waterfronts. Many of these are in Washington State including, Bellingham, Bremerton, Kirkland, and Port Angeles.

Hinshaw advocates that “the first lesson in re-making urban waterfronts is consistent, persistent, leadership which sometimes in the face of quibbling and fussing by naysayers, can make a huge difference. While debate about public policy should be robust, there is a time when a city needs to declare an end to discussion and just take action.”

His second piece of advice is that waterfronts thrive when they welcome a wide diversity of activities, uses, people, and organizations to help shape and activate them. We should not be afraid of trying out things and failing.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s often tempting to take the easy and non-controversial path of no action at all. I’m, so glad that officials in Portland OR (where I live) took the bold steps to develop the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. It’s hard to imagine the city having such a vibrant calendar of events without it.

Photo: Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland OR

Athens Architectural Legacy Post Olympics Fails to Gain Traction

The Olympic Games are often cited as being a great catalyst for cities to refocus their identity as future oriented and vibrant cities. Athens hosted the 2004 Games and appears to have fallen short in capitalizing on its Olympics investments and the focus of the world spotlight.

Andreas Angelidakis is an architect who describes himself as operating at the intersection of systems: Art and Architecture, Virtual and Real, Building and Nature, Ruin and Construction. He recently accompanied Maria Christina Didero from Domus on a tour of Athens to view the state of the government’s major architectural investments in residential areas and Olympic-related sites.

Angelidakis describes Athens as a split city, divided between a glorious past made of severe proportion and strict rules and a present peppered with architecture that is wild, added-in, incomplete, interrupted and non-designed, as is so obviously visible in its crowded streets.

It amazes me how nations and pursue the honor of  hosting the Olympics Games with such vigor, yet in many cases are unable to develop a long-term vision to capitalize on its opportunities and architectural investments. 

Will Social Media Place Greenland on the Map?

Flying over Greenland at the weekend on my way back from Europe, I was struck by the isolation, ruggedness and beauty of the place. Despite the large real estate that it occupies on a map of the world, I realized that I know very little about the place.

I read in eTourism News that Greenland Tourism, Destination Arctic Circle and Air Greenland are offering Greenland’s first-ever adventure travel campaign through social media to increase awareness of this little known country. The small size of their budget and its isolation from key markets presents some marketing challenges.

The campaign includes a series of videos featuring adventure travel opportunities. They will be available through Facebook and Twitter and will specifically target adventure travel enthusiasts.

One of the great advantages of internet and social media marketing is that they help create a more level playing ground for destinations, irrespective of their location and size. It brings to mind the classic New Yorker cartoon where two dogs are sitting in front of a computer monitor and one dog says to the other, “on the internet no-one knows I’m a dog”. OK, I’m not suggesting that Greenland is a dog, but you know what I mean.

Bergen Region is Capturing Carbon As Well As Tourists

Today I am speaking at an urban design and economic development conference for Nordhordland, 30 minutes north of Bergen, Norway. The Bergen region’s biggest industrial cluster is in oil, gas and renewable energy. Carbon capture at Mongstad (where the conference is being held), the operation of platforms in the North Sea and refineries are central to the region’s areas of expertise and advantage. It’s also generating great wealth for the country.

 I was fascinated to hear that one of the pillars of the regional brand is an economic development cluster centered on carbon capture, transport and storage. The government’s vision is for Norway to be a world leader in carbon technology because of its importance to global climate efforts. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has called this project ‘Norway’s moon landing’.  It is anticipated that it will account for one-fifth of global carbon reduction.

The overriding goal is to build a full-scale treatment plant that can capture, transport and store C0².  This is a prototype that in future can be installed in polluting coal-fired power plants worldwide.

I can’t help but feel that while some politicians and media pundits in the USA argue about whether climate change is real or not, other countries are getting the jump on transformational technologies that will define the coming century. Irrespective of climate change, I think that getting that junk out of the air is a good move on so many levels. And for Norway, it’s bang on target with their clean, green and innovative national identity.

Bergen is Sending Visitors in Circles

Some cities representing large geographical areas comprising diverse attractions and activities surrounding them often fail to join the dots for visitors in ways that enable them to understand the place or optimize their time and travel budget.

Bergen, Norway has done an excellent job of packaging many of the highlights of Norway in easy to understand and easy to book round trips. This enables visitors to experience remote areas, covering great distances including the fjords using many modes of transport, yet return to Bergen for the city’s cultural encounters or to prepare for their next round trip. While just about every destination in the world offers day trips, those from Bergen stand out for the incredible diversity and the range of transport used within each trip. They represent some of the most innovative packaging that I have seen in a while.

One of the most popular round trips is Norway in a Nutshell® which can be completed in one day or more. It includes some of the most outstanding aspects of Fjord Norway including sections on the Bergen Railway, the impressive Flam Railway, a fjord cruise and bus through idyllic rural countryside in the one trip. Nutshell tours operated by FJORDTOURS are also available on five other itineraries.

Bergen Tourist Board publishes a brochure, Round Trips of Fjords, and includes thirteen round trip options for visitors that include sightseeing, rafting, fishing and cycling excursions according to the level of activity and adventure they are seeking.

I particularly like the packaging of norwayactive’s Round Trips for Active People. And no, I didn’t sample it firsthand! One offer is a day trip that takes visitors via bus over one of Europe’s steepest roads with 13 hairpin bends for spectacular views of the Naeroyfjord, then passengers hop aboard a jetboat for an exciting ride through the fjord, then in the village of Flam transfer to sea-kayaks, before riding mountain bikes for the downhill run past waterfalls and hanging glaciers to Myrdal where they board a train for the one hour trip to Norway’s Adventure Capital in Voss. Here they gear up for a wet and wild white-water rafting trip before boarding the train back to Bergen. Phew! All in one day!

These packages simplify planning for visitors and help Bergen fulfill its reputation as the Gateway to the Fjords.

Bergen, Norway Deserves Two World Heritage Listings

I am in Bergen, Norway to speak at a conference later this week. This has given me the opportunity to take a close look at what makes this delightful place one the most popular small city destinations in Europe. Bergen bills itself as “The Gateway to the Fjords”. The city most certainly earned this credential. Normally I would advise any city wanting to brand itself as a gateway to anything to forget about it. However, in this case the city is surrounded by fjords and there are no other places that offer the lodging, tours and ambience of Bergen.

It is no accident that Bergen and the surrounding region are included twice on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The city is situated between Norway's longest (and second largest in the world) fjord, the Songnefjord, and the Hardangerfjord, making it the best starting point for exploring these majestic waterways with their richly contrasting scenery. Waterfalls cascade down mountainsides, small villages with green pastures line the fjords, while perpetual snow glistens on the summits of the tallest peaks. Any wonder that National Geographic ranked the Norwegian fjords as one of the top destinations in the world.

The very first buildings in Bergen were situation at Bryggen (the wharf) and were established in the 12^th century from where this seaport dominated trade for 400 years.  Bryggen has remained basically unchanged over the centuries despite the odd fire or two. Like the fjords, it has also been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and the city of Bergen is a designated World Heritage City. The world heritage site consists of the old Hanseatic wharf and buildings, and one of the best townscapes dating from Middle Ages. Today, you can stroll through the narrow alleyways and overhanging buildings that make this a living part of the city’s cultural heritage.

This is a tough job, but I will have to go out today to uncover more about this fascinating city.

The Good Tourism News for Kenya Could Expand

Kenya is anticipating a record 15% growth in visitation this year according `to sources at the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism. In addition to the strong recovery shown by key source markets Mombasa and Malindi have attracted more European beach vacationers this year because of the perceived problems in Tunisia and Egypt. Importantly,  Kenya’s strong performance is attracting the interest of international hotel chains in developing new properties in Nairobi.

The city is reported to be attracting the attention of Sheraton, Marriott, Kempinski, and others. Additionally, the proposed introduction of a second runway and expansion to the international airport in Nairobi will add to Kenya’s overall attractiveness for investors.

On the coast, there are plans to construct a state-of-the-art convention center in Mombasa which is also spurring interest in developing nearby hotels by independent developers, however international developers seem to be limiting their focus to Nairobi rather than the coastal resort market.

The real long-term challenge for Kenya is to disperse visitors to more cities throughout the country, encouraging them to stay longer in those areas and capture more value for the local communities. Enhancing the awareness, appeal and performance of these cities will in time make them attractive propositions for investors and the development of new tourism products and experiences.

Montreal Targets $25 Million to Niche Markets

Tourisme Montreal has announced that it will invest over $25 million during 2011 in sales, promotion and advertising campaigns targeting business and leisure markets. This marks their largest ever promotional campaign.

While festivals and events will be the main focus of the campaign, it will also draw on its niche strategy to customize the brand according to the travel interests of target customers. Over 24 niches, from gourmet dining to cultural, religious and sports tourism, family getaways, cruises, gay and ecotourism have been identified.

Tourisme Montréal predicts that the number of overnight  tourists for 2011 should reach 7.5 million, an increase of 1.5% compared with 2010. Tourist spending should total $2.22 billion, for growth of 3.5% over 2010. 

So Now It’s Television Tourism

I thought that television tourism was when you have the ultimate staycation and stay at home for a week in front of the box, but apparently not. It seems that like movie tourism and music tourism, there is a phenomenon called television tourism.

eTurbo News reports that in the UK the number of "TV tourists", who visit places associated with television shows, is on the rise. In Manhattan, you only have to stand outside of Tom's Restaurant (Monks café in Seinfeld), 66 Perry Street (Carrie’s home in Sex in the City) or the Ed Sullivan Theater to see the filming of the Late Show with Dave Letterman to recognize the influence that popular television shows can have on the way visitors prioritize and spend their time. Not to mention hundreds of places featured in television shows in Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and dozens of small towns.

I guess the important message is to not lose sight of the fact that people may travel and spend their time as a result of myriad motivations, all at play during the same trip where they may also play golf, attend opera, walk in a park, eat at a famous restaurant or just lay on a beach. As our daily lives and interests become more complex, so do the ways in which we relax and spend our vacation time.

Music Tourism Remains Largely Unrecognized but Has Huge Potential

Summer heralds the start of music festivals of all genres across the country to lure visitors and locals alike. I recently saw first-hand the tourism benefits that successful music festivals can bring to host communities.

Last week, I was in Gulf Shores AL and they had just successfully staged their second Hangout Festival which attracted 35,000 and provided a great economic boost. On CNN, Mayor Robert Craft said, “We created a Fourth of July weekend in May and have 100% occupancy instead of 30%. We are pumping life into our businesses that struggled so greatly last year (following the Gulf Oil Spill)”.

The week before, I was in Southern Oregon and had the opportunity to see the amazing program for the Britt Festival in Jacksonville. Now in its 49th year, the Britt presents dozens of summer concerts over four months. The headliners include world-class artists in classical music, jazz, blues, folk, bluegrass, world, pop and country music.

Meanwhile, UK Music, the body which represents the music industry in the U.K. has just released a report into “music tourism” which revealed that 7.7 million people who could be termed “music tourists” spent £1.4 billion in Britain last year. Feargal Sharkey, the former lead singer of the Undertones and now chief executive of UK Music, said the report, Destination Music should be an eye-opener for the government. "We are talking about £1.4bn that had never been measured and no one knew was there – the scale of it is colossal," he said.

The report found that although foreigners made up just 5% of music tourists in the UK, they were responsible for 18% of the spending. It recommends that more should be done to attract more foreign music tourists to the UK. "If music isn't put at the heart of this then everybody is really missing a trick," said Sharkey. "Because this extraordinary little thing called music, which we are so good at, is bringing people to this country."

While festivals may gain recognition for their tourism impacts, many other facets of the music experience do not get full credit for their drawing power. Music not only represents contemporary culture, but also history and nostalgia – a very potent mix.