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Illinois Travel News:

Illinois Road Show
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Last year, the Blagojevich Administration announced a record number of Illinois tourists in 2006, which made for an exciting and energetic Road Show media tour. IBOT is looking forward to promoting the 2007 numbers during this year's Road Show.

To celebrate the vibrant tourism industry in Illinois, IBOT will hit the road June 9–12 to announce the significant economic and social benefits of Illinois' travel and tourism industry and meet the industry partners throughout the state who make it all possible. Jan Kostner, deputy director of IBOT, will lead the annual four-day series of press conferences and events to share industry news, including the 2007 economic impact numbers and exciting new statewide tourism initiatives.

The event will begin with a press conference in Chicago followed by a statewide tour that includes major Illinois media markets and additional stops in between. In 2006, Illinois hosted 91 million domestic visitors and the economic impact totaled nearly $27 billion, creating 1,800 new jobs. That's great news for Illinois. IBOT is eager to share the 2007 economic impact numbers during Road Show in June to celebrate yet another successful year with the state's creative and energetic tourism industry.

Blue Man Group and Blues Music Make Red Hot News at ITB

International Tourism Bourse (ITB) 2008, which took place in March in Berlin, Germany, served as another benchmark of best practices for the State of Illinois. ITB is the world’s leading travel trade show geared towards destinations, tour operators, booking systems, carriers, hotels and other suppliers who want to enhance the overall travel experience for consumers. Partners included IBOT, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chicago’s Essex Inn and The Field Museum.

As in years past, IBOT partnered with United Airlines for a media breakfast during ITB. More than 65 media representatives attended and 47 one-on-one media interviews were held over the course of three days at the Illinois/United booth. Highlighting the 25th anniversary of the Chicago Blues Festival, Blue Man Group sponsored a special blues music reception that attracted key media and trade representatives.

More than 20 trade appointments complemented the media successes and produced key feedback, indicating that operators are already thinking about Christmas shopping promotions. Value add-ons were also a hit, including Chicago’s Best vouchers, Sears Tower tickets and Field Museum visits.

Although we’re approaching the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Honest Abe is never old news to an audience captivated by our country’s 16th president. The look-alike Lincoln promotion at ITB was a huge success and garnered a cover story in Travel Talk.

Next up, the Travel Industry Association of America’s International Pow Wow will be held this year in Las Vegas May 31–June 4.

Soul of Illinois African-American Travel Guide Arrives in Style

The new Soul of Illinois African-American travel guide made its debut this spring and will keep readers up-to-date on the latest events and activities focused on African-American culture and history in our area.

It pays homage to the state’s rich African-American history and profiles an exciting array of options available in Illinois’ seven regions.

The guide is another component of the Soul of Illinois campaign, which has successfully positioned Illinois as a destination of choice for African-American travelers. It is the latest project, following the development of a travel Web site and the introduction of the hugely successful "My Illinois" campaign, that enlisted the support of celebrity Illinois natives such as Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, R&B legend Chaka Khan and actor Harry Lennix, to promote travel to their beloved home state.

Available just in time for the summer travel and family reunion seasons, the guide offers visitors an endless array of information on activities for every member of the family. The guide goes beyond the traditional travel publication, offering a wealth of information from the particular perspective of the African-American traveler, while also featuring practical general interest travel content as well.

With a captivating design and invaluable travel insights, the Soul of Illinois travel guide navigates visitors effortlessly from the hot happenings in Chicago to the cool canyons of Utica. Available now, the travel guide can be downloaded at www.soulfulillinois.com.

IBOT Prepares to Launch Redesigned Spanish-Language Web Site

IBOT is proud to launch its redesigned Spanish-language Web site, Vive la Emoción! (Illinois. Live the Emotion!) in June 2008. As part of IBOT’s Hispanic marketing campaign, the new site will take visitors from the travel planning stages through the booking phase.

Most recently, a video shoot captured footage of four hosts who will welcome travelers to the new Web site. These live characters will speak, move and interact with the visitors on the site, creating a more engaging experience for Hispanic travelers.

Visitors will be able to see the IBOT characters live beginning in June at www.disfrutaillinois.com.

TravelCom Brings Innovation to the Forefront

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) hosted the TravelCom’08 conference in Chicago, April 8–10, to address the relevant and timely topics of economic issues, evolving technology and innovation in today’s travel industry.

Customer Satisfaction
Michelle Peluso, president and CEO of Travelocity, shared her thoughts on improving customer satisfaction with online travel distributors. She points out that consumer satisfaction with travel is decreasing as more and more consumers are becoming frustrated with poor customer service, airline delays and airport headaches. In order for a travel distributor to rise above the competition, the company must provide an excellent consumer experience. Peluso highlighted three online brands that are "doing it right"—Amazon, Netflix and New Egg. What each of these companies has in common is the platform that allows them to know who is coming to their site and what they like. In turn, these companies are able to give customers what they want. This successful business model works across all industries.

Technology
TravelCom ’08 attracted many major players in technology and travel, including Google, Yahoo, Expedia, Orbitz and Marriott. Among some of the more poignant technology-related educational sessions was a panel that discussed the "Little Known Dangers of Surfing and Searching." Marketers need to be cognizant of what people are saying about their brand; using new social media forums can help them do that.

One of the most popular forums for social media is YouTube—and more companies are using this space as an effective viral marketing tool. A great example of a company putting their brand into this viral space is the Delta Air Lines Safety Video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgpzUo_kbFY.

The video stirs up an effective and fun conversation for viewers by revealing an interesting aspect of their corporate world that has never been seen before. Although meant to be entertaining and comical, videos like this demonstrate how companies are using social media to create brand awareness without using ad dollars or “corporate” promotional materials that oftentimes turn consumers off.

Protecting Your Brand and Customers
Since more than one-third of all Internet sales are travel-related and more than half of all travelers are doing research online, it is imperative that all travel destinations and operators have a Web presence. Beyond that, it is critical to protect your brand and be respectful of competitor brands on the Web.

There are additional user problems when searching for travel online—sponsored links are often competitors or non-affiliated sites, which can confuse the user. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that nearly seven percent of sponsored links on the Web are, in fact, strings of viruses that can harm a user’s computer system.

The best methods of defense are to be proactive, to know what the customer is searching for on the Internet and how they are getting to your site. Additionally, educating yourself on Internet responsibility and understanding the online environment are fundamental to success.
To read more about this year’s TIA TravelCom, visit.