Daily Camera

vs^s v S VaiTs status as summer destination on the rise By Scott N Miller Vail Daily VAIL — Vail may be on brink of becoming as popular in the summer as the winter For just about as long as Vail has existed ifs been a summer weekend getaway for Front Range visitors —if s easy get to cooler than Denver in August and room rates are pretty reasonable compared to winter For just about as long peo ple who market Vail in the sum mer have tried to draw desti nation guests — people in from out of state or from oth er countries Front Range guests are welcome always but the people who fly in gener ally stay longer and spend more Luring those guests has al ways been tricky primarily be cause of money Just a few TV or radio ads in a major media market would quickly drain vir tually any summer marketing budget That s why the Vail Local Marketing District this year has some different plans to at tract those visitors making the best possible use of its money In some cases summer mar keting is using the Internet to reach as many people as possi ble In other cases though there s some serious sideways thinking going on For instance when Iindsey Vonn came back to Vail in early March she hosted a SM Girls Rock session that included one of Brazil s top young ski racers That invitation has turned into a feature story in Brazil s top teen magazine That in turn will turn into at least a few Daddy I want to go to Vail too conversations in upscale Brazilian households Vail Mountain Marketing Di rector Adam Sutner a member of the local marketing district board said the group did some thing a bit similar for the Mexi can market The district pur chased a back page ad in a new food and travel magazine in that country which said essen tially If you love Vail in the winter you ll love it in the sum mer The district then bought an extra 2 000 copies of the maga zine and distributed it to Mexi can guests in Vail this past ski season Vail ought to be a natural summer vacation spot for the Mexico City market Sutner said If s a three and a half hour flight it s a place you know you re welcome and a place you re likely to run into some of your countrymen Sutner said While visitors from Mexico or Brazil are likely to fly into Denver at the moment market ing district chairwoman Beth Slifer said that group is work ing with Eagle County officials to help bring a U S Customs fa cility to the Eagle County Re gional Airport That will create an enor mous ability to attract charter flights from those countries Slifer said While direct summer flights from Chicago or particularly Miami aren t on the schedule this summer Sutner said he ex pects those flights to return in coming years Beyond the drive to draw in ternational visitors in the sum mer the marketing district is also using new ways to tap into the minds of people who might want to fly in from Chicago or New York These days Vail Resorts grabs video footage of virtually everything that goes on in the valley That video is put on the company s website Facebook page and other social media channels of course but the vid eos are also likely to turn up in ads on say The New York Times website And that Sutn er said can be very effective Vail plays better in video Sutner said It really portrays the brand Daily Camera Circulation: 30038 DMA: Denver, CO City: Boulder State: CO Account: 182500 Date: 04/29/2012 Pub Num: COD30SUN Section/Page: B8 Page Count: 1/2 RefNo: abb5a4 © Copyright All Rights Reserved. Unlicensed Reproduction, Sale or Republication Prohibited.

Upload
malen-yantis-public-relations
Category

Documents
view
213
download
0

Embed Size (px):

description

Vail's Status as a Summer Destination on the Rise

Transcript of Daily Camera

vs^s v SVaiTs status as summerdestination on the riseByScott N MillerVail Daily

VAIL — Vail may be onthebrink of becoming as popular inthe summer as the winterFor just about as long as Vail

has existed ifs been a summerweekend getaway for FrontRange visitors —if s easytoget to cooler than Denver inAugust and room rates arepretty reasonable compared towinterFor just about as long peo

ple who market Vail in the summer have tried to draw destination guests — peopleflyingin from out of state or from other countries Front Rangeguests are welcome alwaysbut the people who fly in generally stay longer and spendmore

Luring those guests has always been tricky primarily because of money Just a few TVor radio ads in a major mediamarket would quickly drain virtually any summer marketingbudgetThat s why the Vail Local

Marketing District this yearhas some different plans to attract those visitors making thebest possible use of its moneyIn some cases summer marketing is using the Internet toreach as many people as possible In other cases thoughthere s some serious sidewaysthinking going on

For instance when IindseyVonn came back to Vail in earlyMarch she hosted a SM GirlsRock session that includedone of Brazil s top young skiracers That invitation hasturned into a feature story inBrazil s top teen magazineThat in turn will turn into atleast a few Daddy I want to goto Vail too conversations inupscale Brazilian householdsVail Mountain Marketing Di

rector Adam Sutner a member

of the local marketing districtboard said the group did something a bit similar for the Mexican market The district purchased a back page ad in a newfood and travel magazine inthat country which said essentially If you love Vail in thewinter you ll love it in the summer

The district then bought anextra 2 000 copies of the magazine and distributed it to Mexican guests in Vail this past skiseason

Vail ought to be a naturalsummer vacation spot for theMexico City market Sutnersaid

Ifs a three and a half hourflight it s a place you knowyou re welcome and a placeyou re likely to run into some ofyour countrymen Sutner saidWhile visitors from Mexico

or Brazil are likely to fly intoDenver at the moment marketing district chairwoman BethSlifer said that group is working with Eagle County officialsto help bring a U S Customs facility to the Eagle County Re

gional Airport That will create an enor

mous ability to attract charterflights from those countriesSlifer saidWhile direct summer flights

from Chicago or particularlyMiami aren t on the schedulethis summer Sutner said he expects those flights to return incoming yearsBeyond the drive to draw in

ternational visitors in the summer the marketing district isalso using new ways to tap intothe minds of people who mightwant to fly in from Chicago orNewYorkThese days Vail Resorts

grabs video footage of virtuallyeverything that goes on in thevalley That video is put on thecompany s website Facebookpage and other social mediachannels of course but the videos are also likely to turn up inads on say The New YorkTimes website And that Sutner said can be very effective

Vail plays better in videoSutner said It really portraysthe brand

Daily CameraCirculation: 30038DMA: Denver, CO

City: BoulderState: CO

Account: 182500Date: 04/29/2012Pub Num: COD30SUNSection/Page: B8Page Count: 1 / 2

Dominique Taylor | TheVailYasser Montes left helps his son Yasser Montes Jr 3 righttry on a watch at the Moose s Caboose Jewelry and Trading Coin Vail Village on Aug 5 2011 The family is part of a growingnumber of Mexican tourists vacationing in Vail this summer

Daily CameraCirculation: 30038DMA: Denver, CO

City: BoulderState: CO

Account: 182500Date: 04/29/2012Pub Num: COD30SUNSection/Page: B8Page Count: 2 / 2