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Florida county launches pilot project to win back black tourists

By Dana Sanchez
HeraldToday.com

(October 21, 2005) Florida is losing market share when it comes to black tourism and Manatee County has been chosen as a pioneer to try and woo the tourists back.

The county will receive $100,000 from Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing agency, in a pilot program designed to attract black tourists to Florida. The council voted Monday to match Visit Florida's offer with an additional $50,000 from Manatee County bed tax revenue. The county commission still must approve the action.

"We tried to find the best match where there had been limited funding in the past so we can treat it as an experiment," said Dr. Dale Brill, Visit Florida's chief marketing officer. He spoke via conference call during Monday's Tourist Development Council meeting.

Blacks who visit the state are more likely to stay in hotels, rent cars and visit friends and relatives than the U.S. population in general, according to Visit Florida's statistics.

And while shopping is overwhelmingly the No. 1 activity for vacationers, black tourists do more of it.

The county will have autonomy in choosing the content and placement of ads, said Susan Estler, public relations manager for the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. A combination of advertising, direct marketing, e-commerce, public relations and promotions will be used.

The state lost 4 percent of the black market share to the Carolinas, Texas and California, Visit Florida learned in a survey completed in February. Why this happened will be the subject of a new round of research within the next few months, Brill said.

Blacks represent $4.8 billion in buying power for U.S. travel, lodging and transportation, according to the agency.

Visit Florida spends $72 million a year to promote the state and $1 million of that is targeted to multicultural marketing. Manatee County will receive 10 percent of the latter.

Brill described Manatee as fertile ground for gains in market share. "Whenever you can see an opportunity to move the needle, these are the kinds of programs that attract me," Brill said. "A new market that hasn't been explored yet combined with integrated marketing approaches - that's a formula for success."

For the program to be successful, local black-owned businesses should be used as a resource, said Terry "T-Bone" Rhodes, director of operations for Sarasota-based Second Thought Productions, a multimedia film, music and video company.

Rhodes hopes to see black-owned businesses benefit from the infusion of funds aimed at attracting black tourists to the area.

One of the dangers in targeting ads to minorities is promising something that does not exist, he said.

"Don't hire an outside agency to paint a picture of an area," Rhodes said. "It needs someone who has a sensitivity to the area."

The area is attractive to black tourists partly for its low crime rate and proximity to Tampa, Orlando and Naples, Rhodes said. Bradenton is known specifically for a variety of ethnically targeted clothing and dining options.

"Shopping is very important," he added.

If Manatee County's marketing efforts work, Visit Florida hopes to share the model with other markets interested in promoting black tourism.

"We're hoping to prove that you don't have to spend millions to improve market share," Brill said.

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Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $679 Billion (2004) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 110.2 bil. - Food 53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks 28.7 bil. - Clothing 22.0 bil. - Health Care 17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2005 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	THE LATEST NEWS Florida county launches pilot project to win back black tourists By Dana Sanchez HeraldToday.com (October 21, 2005) Florida is losing market share when it comes to black tourism and Manatee County has been chosen as a pioneer to try and woo the tourists back. The county will receive $100,000 from Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing agency, in a pilot program designed to attract black tourists to Florida. The council voted Monday to match Visit Florida's offer with an additional $50,000 from Manatee County bed tax revenue. The county commission still must approve the action. "We tried to find the best match where there had been limited funding in the past so we can treat it as an experiment," said Dr. Dale Brill, Visit Florida's chief marketing officer. He spoke via conference call during Monday's Tourist Development Council meeting. Blacks who visit the state are more likely to stay in hotels, rent cars and visit friends and relatives than the U.S. population in general, according to Visit Florida's statistics. And while shopping is overwhelmingly the No. 1 activity for vacationers, black tourists do more of it. The county will have autonomy in choosing the content and placement of ads, said Susan Estler, public relations manager for the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. A combination of advertising, direct marketing, e-commerce, public relations and promotions will be used. The state lost 4 percent of the black market share to the Carolinas, Texas and California, Visit Florida learned in a survey completed in February. Why this happened will be the subject of a new round of research within the next few months, Brill said. Blacks represent $4.8 billion in buying power for U.S. travel, lodging and transportation, according to the agency. Visit Florida spends $72 million a year to promote the state and $1 million of that is targeted to multicultural marketing. Manatee County will receive 10 percent of the latter. Brill described Manatee as fertile ground for gains in market share. "Whenever you can see an opportunity to move the needle, these are the kinds of programs that attract me," Brill said. "A new market that hasn't been explored yet combined with integrated marketing approaches - that's a formula for success." For the program to be successful, local black-owned businesses should be used as a resource, said Terry "T-Bone" Rhodes, director of operations for Sarasota-based Second Thought Productions, a multimedia film, music and video company. Rhodes hopes to see black-owned businesses benefit from the infusion of funds aimed at attracting black tourists to the area. One of the dangers in targeting ads to minorities is promising something that does not exist, he said. "Don't hire an outside agency to paint a picture of an area," Rhodes said. "It needs someone who has a sensitivity to the area." The area is attractive to black tourists partly for its low crime rate and proximity to Tampa, Orlando and Naples, Rhodes said. Bradenton is known specifically for a variety of ethnically targeted clothing and dining options. "Shopping is very important," he added. If Manatee County's marketing efforts work, Visit Florida hopes to share the model with other markets interested in promoting black tourism. "We're hoping to prove that you don't have to spend millions to improve market share," Brill said. Go to Target Market News homepage	Target Market News Presents The 2005 African- American Magazine Summit ONE DAY ONLY! November 15th, 2005 Time Warner Inc. 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