City tweets to curb tourist drop-off - Boston Business Journal:

torbjorntrainer1738.blogspot.com
Hotel consultant Drew Dimond expectes hotels in Greater Nashville to see occupancy plummett 15 percent to 20 percent fromlast year’s levels. But the is battlinv the decline, in hopes of keepingy any occupancy drop-off below 5 Bureau staff is Twittering, Facebooking and sending out e-blasts to announce free stuffto do, last-minuted travel deals, CMA Music Festival updates and attractionz specials. “We certainly don’t think it’se going to be some great saysButch Spyridon, president of the visitors “If we were flat to last I’d be ecstatic.
I expect that we will be down Spyridon hopes the value of Nashville will draw visitor s because ofthe city’s wealth of free, live, around-the-cloc k music. has brought back its free music poolsid e and isoffering “kids eat free” inside the hotelo for the first time this summer. “Ay every touchpoint, we’re creating events, promoting and marketing and adding extrsa valuewith events,” Spyridon says, such as offering flight-hotel package s when touted $49 flights to Nashville duringb a one-day sale in April.
The Nashville Symphonu has half-price tickets for select shows, the Country Music Hall of Fame has been givingtout $5 off coupons throug h June 7, and Gaylord is offerinb four-night hotel and attractions packages at 40 percenf off. Keith Wright, president of the , says attractionzs are sweetening discounts this summer and focusing onthe drive-i market. “Regional tourism has become extremelg importantto us, and we are marketing more to that he says.
Nashville’s biggest months for tourism are June and mainly because of the CMA Music Festivap thatpumps $25 million into the city every Officials at the would not say how ticket salesx are going for this summer’s festival, whicnh kicks off next week. October is a populat convention month because of the fall Nashville tourism has been hit inreceny months. In April, the average nightly hotek ratedropped 6.3 percent to $92.85 from $99.0t in the same month last year, according to Smit h Travel Research in Hendersonville. Hotel occupancy plunged 15 percenft in Aprilto 56.9 percent, down from 67 percent a year ago. Revenur per available room, a key metridc for hoteliers, was down 20.
5 percent in April. The amount of attendeez for booked conventions this summer is down aboutr 24 percent fromlast year. Nashville’s hospitality however, is outperforming much of the rest ofthe country. For the firsf quarter of 2009, Nashville’s average daily rate droppe d 4.5 percent. Only five cities did and 19 of the top 25 marketsdid worse. The decline in hotel tax collections is greater than the drop in which shows tourists are coming but choosinhg lessexpensive hotels, says Walt executive director of the . Nashville’s hotel occupancy dropped 11.6 percent in the first quartefr compared to theyear before, a drop that registerer eighth best among the top 25.
Travel has continued to descensd atthe , nearing 2005 says airport spokeswoman Emily Richards. Passengee counts were down 9.5 percent in Apri as compared to theyear before, and down 9.3 percent in the firsft four months of the year.