New travel patterns prompted ‘Pretty. Close.’ campaign

Travel industry research shows that Americans believe it is their right to travel, said Clarence T. Bishop, deputy secretary for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. He was speaking to approximately 100 tourism professionals at the Maryland Tourism Council’s annual crab feast in Annapolis, Aug. 5.

Travelers, however, are changing their travel patterns, he said. Many are choosing destinations closer to home, staying in properties that provide free breakfasts or in-room microwaves and refrigerators in order to save on food expenses. Consumers are also looking for destinations that offer free gas and discounts at local attractions and restaurants, he added.

These indicators were a major consideration when the Tourism Office forged its “Pretty. Close.” spring advertising campaign, placing a concentration of television advertising in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., media markets, Bishop said. A mobile marketing unit that went to fairs and festivals within the Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia region, he said, “generated more than $60,000 in electronic, print and radio mentions.”

Bishop also spoke about his effort to bring the 2012 Olympics to the Washington, D.C., and Maryland area. Though that push was not successful, “I would say that we are bringing Maryland to the Summer Olympics – at last count, seven Marylanders are heading to the games,” he said.