tourism in the new urban economy
TRANSCRIPT
Tourism in the New
Urban Economy March 25, 2014
UP6550
Justin Lyons
Agenda
Introduction
Tourism: who and what is at stake?
NYC
Pure Michigan
Impact
Traditional Role of City Gov.?
Provide public services for
Safety
Health
Civic Education
NOW
A Place To Play
Why Tourism?
Post-Fordist Economy
Urban settings are much less
dependent/cannot rely on traditional
manufacturing to drive local economies
Need for tax revenue and increase jobs for
unskilled workers
Culture of the City
Urban culture itself has become a commodity
and cities have a competitive advantage over
suburbs - Fainstein
Manufacturing of Tourism
DTW Airport
Metro Car/Taxi
Downtown Hotels
Bars/restaurants
Riverwalk
Jazz Fest Workers
New York City
50 million visitors in 2011
35.2 million in 2002
$47 billion in spending
Fifth largest industry
Ahead of media and
fashion
7.36% of NYC economy
320,000 jobs
NYC & Company
Bloomberg Administration merged departments to
create a full service marketing, PR and ad agency
$103 million budget over 5 years
Created an “upscale image” of NYC
Cohesive brand message across all gov. agencies,
taxis, etc.
State Of Michigan
$17.7 billion in tourist
spending in 2011
$995 million in state
taxes
200,000 jobs
Travel MI Plan
Travel MI (MEDC) created strategic plans with visions,
goals, objectives
Collaboration, Funding, Product Development, Marketing,
Public Policy, Research, Resources, Service Excellence
Collaboration across multiple state agencies
Pushes funding for Pure Michigan campaign
Pure Michigan
$13 million budget in 2013
$4.3 million in Great Lakes
region
$8.7 million rest of nation
4 million trips to MI by out of
state visitors
$1.2 billion economic impact
Pure Michigan Ad Spend
Domestic vs. Global
East Coast travelers
Average stay: 2.7 nights
Spend/trip: $432
International travelers
Average stay: 7.3 nights
Spend/trip: $1,700
Global Tourism
Most important travelers to local economy
World economy decentralized, which makes business
travel more necessary
People are more educated
Travel is easier than ever
People seek places that are different than home
Resort Cities
Created expressly for
consumption by visitors
Not always stable
Ex: Cancun, Las Vegas
Converted Cities
Infrastructure built for tourism
Tourist areas insulated from
“urban milieu” = uneven
development
Ex: Atlanta, Dallas, Times
Square
Tourist-Historic Cities
Manipulated to improve on
actual offerings
Shift from authentic self to keep
up with imitation
Ex: Barcelona, Venice, Paris
Socio-cultural/Economic/Spatial
IMPACT ON CITIES:
Regulations of Tourism
Protect the Tourist
Surveillance cameras, special police, transportation
Protect the City
Higher tax on hotel rooms, immigration laws
Labor regulation (immigration, safety, marketing)
Cluster related tourism businesses
Exploit relationships as part of urban fabric
Attract and retain talent
Effects of Tourism
Can cities provide a shared and distinct experience?
McDonaldization vs. unique
Avoiding unpleasantness in “leisure”
Welcome travelers vs. unrealistic facade
Social justice of tourism
Absorbing unskilled workers vs. low pay
Is there an economic bubble ahead for tourism?
Sources
Text
Tourism and the Commodification of Urban Culture, Susan S. Fainstein. The Urban Reinventors, Issue 2. November 2007.
The 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan, Dr. Sarah Nicholls. Travel Michigan, MEDC, December 2012.
2012 Michigan Tourism Advertising Evaluation and Image Study, Longwoods International. Michigan Buisiness, March 2014.
And Another Fifty Million People Just Got Off of the Plane, Michael Idov. New York Magazine, November 27, 2011.
The Politics of Bread and Circuses: Building the City for the Visitor Class, Peter Eisinger. Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 35, No. 3,
January 2000.
Photos
2013 Lollapalooza Day One, Keri Wiginton, Chicago Tribune, August 2, 2013.
Highline Park Photos, The Highline, Iwan Baan, 2009.
Photo Gallery, Detroit Eastern Market Corporation, 2009
Getty Images, 2014