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May
29,
2008
Dodson was Chamber of Commerce vice president, at that time, responsible for managing county tourism. She applied for the leadership position at the newly formed tourism office and with “a desk, fax and myself,” she says, opened the office. The Talbot County office had an initial budget of $70,000. “Partnering with the (Maryland) Office of Tourism was great,” Dodson says, “in helping us to get rolling.” Continued... Today, the Talbot County Office of Tourism has a staff of four, including Dodson, and a budget of approximately $500,000. “We’re strong in culinary tourism, as well as arts and cultural tourism,” says Dodson, noting that visitors often drive to Talbot County for dinner— the boon in Talbot’s destination restaurants started about six years ago, she adds. “It’s about the quality of life here, and demographics.” St. Michaels, Tilghman Island and Oxford – where people come to be by the water – have seasonal appeal, she says, while Easton is a year-round destination. Dodson says signage put up by the State Highway Administration and the Office of Tourism have prompted travelers – even those who have been going to the coastal beaches for years – to veer off Route 50 on their way and discover Talbot’s treasures. Despite the weak economic climate and soaring gas prices, Dodson is “very optimistic” about Talbot’s tourism industry. “I think we’re well-positioned,” she says, citing Talbot’s proximity to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and other regional points of origin. Visitors from Washington, D.C., “think of us as the Hamptons,” she says. “And people from Philadelphia really like our small-town atmosphere; they can park their car and walk around.” Revenue from the 4 percent accommodations tax, “the bed tax,” is a true indicator of how the hospitality industry is faring in her county, Dodson says. “2007 was 8.9 percent higher than 2006, and 2006 was 11.6 percent higher than 2005,” she says. Shorter trips In addition to Talbot’s advertising program, “we work closely with the media,” Dodson says. “We have a lot of faith in public relations.” She recalls, for instance, a bed and breakfast in St. Michaels attributing 10 percent of its room sales to an article in The New York Times. “When people read something in the paper, they act immediately,” she says. Dodson conducted an informal survey at the annual St. Michaels Food & Wine Festival, held a month ago at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The festival drew between 2,000 and 2,500 people. After interviewing 400 couples or traveling parties, she found that about 40 percent of the visitors – many of them first-time festival patrons – were Maryland residents. That’s consistent, she says, with statewide data showing 30 percent of Maryland visitors come from within the state, as recently reported by the Maryland Office of Tourism. Signature
events There’s also a crab cook-off at the end of July, and in mid-November, The Waterfowl Festival - A Wildlife Art & Sportsman’s Expo! The festival, held in Easton, is the premier event of its kind in the nation, Dodson says. A new event, the Chesapeake Film Festival, makes its debut in September. “We’ll show 15 films during the weekend” she says, “mostly in Easton with some events in Oxford and St. Michaels.” Dodson has been working with the Maryland Film Office to coordinate the event. Jed Dietz, director of the Maryland Film Festival, is also a consultant for the event. Dodson sees potential growth in Talbot’s tourism industry from two sources – vacation rentals and weekday conference bookings. She says vacation rentals encourage visitors to come with their families. In her effort to promote conference activity, Dodson will join representatives of the state tourism office at the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) summer trade show. “We buy booth space at the show, set it up and staff it with our DMO (Destination Marketing Office) partners,” says Rich Gilbert, senior manager for sales and marketing at the state tourism office. “Then we split the cost, which allows our partners to participate.” Gilbert says Dodson has also taken part in other marketing outreach initiatives, such as the Maryland on the Road missions. Major
partner “She’s been very helpful when we present Eastern Shore itineraries to the international market,” Chambliss says. St. Michaels is a hit in the United Kingdom, he says, and the Eastern Shore has resonated well with the overall European market. Dodson’s has a sales and marketing background. She entered tourism through positions at the Eastern Shore’s Tidewater Inn, first as operations manager, then in a sales role. From there, she joined the staff at Talbot’s Chamber of Commerce as its first and only vice president. Along
with numerous industry affiliations and awards, Dodson is a member
of the Maryland Tourism Development Board. She’s a native
and resident of the Eastern Shore who “spent a lot of time
in New Jersey growing up” and has also lived in Delaware. “I’m
a true mid-Atlantic kid,” she says.
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Nearly
nine years ago, the Talbot County Office of Tourism opened for
business. The area’s hospitality industry wanted the county
to create its own tourism department, instead of managing tourism
matters through the local Chamber of Commerce, says Deborah L.
Dodson, director of the Talbot County Office of Tourism.
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