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P1's Travel Media Breakfast Briefing: June 2024
This June, we organised a media breakfast briefing at The Groucho Club, a private members club in central London, and invited 30 top travel journalists. The purpose was to find out what they were writing about and interested in. We were representing several clients so we shared their latest news, initiatives and press trip opportunities and pitched story ideas.
The media who attended included a range of national media, online, luxury lifestyle, consumer magazine and freelance journalists.
The team hosted a series of individual meetings as journalists mingled and enjoyed some delicious breakfast. We built relationships with new media and strengthened current relationships with familiar travel editors and writers. The event had a great turnout with approximately 30 journalists attending.
Each journalist was given a goodie bag on leaving, with branded client merchandise which received some great responses. Overall, the event was a huge success, and we received great feedback from the journalists who attended. We are looking forward to our next hosted media event which will take place early 2025!
Opinion Piece: Tourism Tax - A Force for Good?
I must admit I was left slightly stunned when checking out of our Santa Monica Hotel when an additional $315 was added to our bill for a 7 night stay! We were told it was a new Tourism Tax, that every guest had to pay. It made me question whether this was reasonable, why hadn’t we been told about it in advance and what happens to this money?
As tourists we are guests in a neighbourhood using the facilities, creating wear and tear on the infrastructure, clogging up the roads, so I think it’s good to contribute. However, I do feel that tourism authorities have more of a responsibility to show where this money is spent and how it benefits the local community.
Does it for example fund infrastructure, public services, and promotional efforts that benefit both tourists and local residents? Or does it help preserve natural and cultural heritage sites, ensuring sustainability and reducing environmental impact?
Wales is the latest destination to moot the introduction of a tourism tax. If the bill is passed it could mean that £1.25 per night is added to the hotel bill but will generate £33 million annually across the country. The sums are large and would make quite a significant difference if the money is reinvested to benefit locals and visitors.
In the past destinations have been worried that the introduction of a tourism tax would potentially deter budget-conscious tourists and lead tourists to choose destinations with lower or no tourism taxes. However, such concerns have not come to fruition.
A tax could be used strategically to manage overtourism, by charging higher rates during peak seasons. This might help situations, like we saw this summer of tourists being heckled by locals, if locals felt they were benefiting from the visitors’ presence.
Tourism taxes can be a powerful tool when used wisely but must be implemented thoughtfully to avoid negative consequences for the local economy and tourism industry.
I think tourism authorities are missing a trick in communicating both to locals and visitors on how tourism taxes are being used as a force for good.
So visitors like me are happy to pay that extra levy as they are checking out, and locals feel they are also benefitting. It should be a win/win situation.
If managed correctly, tourism taxes can help ensure that the benefits of travel are shared fairly, while preserving the beauty and vibrancy of the destinations people come to enjoy.