Destination Management and Marketing
Harvey Paul Davidson has several years of successful experience working as the tourism program manager for the Canadian Consulate General in New York in promoting Canada as a tourism destination. His responsibilities for increasing tourism to Canada included developing and promoting sales and marketing programs for several market segments including: meetings, conventions, incentive travel, and trade shows; tour operators and wholesalers; retail travel trade; and media public relations.
Developing and promoting programs typically has two challenges that have to work with one another to be successful. One aspect is the sales and marketing activities necessary to drive tourism and the other is preparing venues to be tourism ready, which is easier said than done. Suppliers such as hotels, attractions, transportation and restaurants, as well as other vendors of services, have to understand the needs of tourists to be able to serve them properly. Often, these requirements vary with tourists from different incoming destinations, as opposed to local demand. Providers of services have to be able to meet these needs if they want to draw tourists to achieve business success.
Mr. Davidson has a Master’s degree in Tourism and is active in many tourism and travel industry organizations. He has contacts with meeting and event planners, tour operators, travel agents and journalists and uses this network to introduce new and existing destinations. Also, he has a successful return on investment record with fam trips and site inspections and his published article on this subject is considered required reading by many C&VBs and national tourism authorities for their respective staffs and member organizations.
If you represent a destination, venue or service within a destination that wants to increase tourism, you should contact us today to find out what we can do for you.