There is a massive seachange afoot, and for months now, we have been advising our clients to pivot. Rosy predictions, narrow-sighted plans and wishful thinking is driving much of the media coverage and planning around seminal, once-in-a-lifetime events that are due to play out on the world stage, here in America this summer. Not to be alarmist, but the realities and actualities of all this coveted tourism footfall and consumer spending may very well not materialize. But there are bigger forces at play, and stifled international tourism, amplified by weak domestic consumer sentiment and even-tighter purse strings amount to some serious considerations for your organization. We’re not just talking about FIFA or America 250 celebrations. As the geopolitical landscape radially upends static norms — your organization will have to fight to stay afloat.
The warning signs are all present, and our aim in publishing this report is to arm you with facts, explain the meaning of the turmoil, and translate news accounts, articles and prognostications into actionable, tangible strategic pivots you need to make — like yesterday! We invite you to read on to understand the playing field, the pressure and how to translate these forces into upsides for your org, your ratepayers, members and stakeholders, and the communities you endeavor to support. If you need help along the way, please give us a shout. We’re here to help!
At the end of the day, the reality is the U.S. is not going to come out a winner in the international tourism game for years to come, if ever. The mind numbingly rapid recalibration of global geopolitics will continue to impact our American towns, cities and regions for years yet. The brand damage is done. The road ahead is long. And no amount of pleading that your place is safe will overcome the alarming disrespect and denigration of our former allies, the tangible threat of personal social media audits to enter our country, nor prohibitive pricing that will preclude the majority of internationals boycotting U.S. destination travel in the coming years.
Any efforts to rightsize those audiences with Americans eager to travel, explore and experience will benefit you and your ratepayers tenfold over the coming years. But you must act quickly to identify your local cultural assets, pivot your content strategies and storytell TF outta your destination with a series of strategic and collaborative efforts with other place-based entities and organizations. At the end of the day, it is our country’s ability to cooperate, lean into our diversity and band together in the face of adversarial threats that brings out the best in Americans.
