PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s appeal in the fall and winter, combined with the ample availability of hotel rooms, is an untapped resource, the state’s chief marketing officer says.
Luring more visitors to the Ocean State during the cooler months, often referred to as the “shoulder season,” is an important step toward promoting Rhode Island as a year-round tourism destination, according to Heather Evans of R.I. Commerce Corp.
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Evans, who began her role as chief marketing officer in late May, said she dislikes the term shoulder season, with its implication of an inevitable annual tourism slowdown for an industry that has traditionally done most of its business from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Instead, Evans is planning on focusing on what the state has to offer during September and October and mid-January through March, when it’s too cold for the beach but hotel rooms are readily available.
“We are fully booked in the summer, or we are certainly at capacity, so the opportunity for economic growth is to find specifically when are rooms available and how can we help fill them,” Evans said. “Overnight guests spend much more than day visitors.”
Although Providence is already successfully marketing itself as a year-round draw, along with business-oriented Lincoln and Smithfield, coastal areas in particular could benefit by playing up the benefits of a mini beach getaway in the early fall, Evans added.
Block Island Unplugged, a new advertising theme meant to attract midweek guests in September and October, is aimed at couples and singles without young children in the Greater New York City area.
“It’s really attracting people who want something different from the Hamptons, who like the idea of being in Block Island when they can hike and bike and go birding and kayaking and just enjoy nature and the laid back charm of Block Island,” Evans said.
Boos and Brews, another campaign set to roll out soon, pairs a haunted theme with the state’s breweries to market the appeal of cities such as Newport and Providence around Halloween.
Within driving range, Commerce plans to advertise in New York City, Hartford, Conn., and Boston, and in flying markets such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Charlotte, N.C., Chicago and Baltimore.
The agency bases its marketing efforts largely on data gathered from tracking visitors online, Evans said.
Commerce announced this week that it is renewing its contract with NJF/MMGY Global, which handles market research, social media and tourism-related press relations.
The New-York based public relations firm will spend another two years with Commerce on an $800,000 contract with an extra $400,000 budgeted in for social media advertising.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. She can be reached at Graham@PBN.com.
