News

At the beginning of the summer, Dolly Parton officially opened Big Bear Mountain—Dollywood’s biggest-ever single attraction investment. The Vekoma coaster features three launches and a top speed of 48 miles per hour. But with no inversions and a height requirement of only 39 inches, Big Bear Mountain is designed to be an adventure for the…

Technology and trends are constantly changing, creating a lot of noise for marketers, and distracting them from the challenge at hand—creating a plan that reaches fast-moving consumers whose needs are constantly changing. Marketers are facing a variety of problems today, two big ones being connectivity and ad tolerance. The pandemic, inflation, and economic stress have…

Marketing is a great way to get new clients. Read below for some of the most effective strategies. Referrals. Finding ways to motivate a previous client to spread the word about you is one of the most effective ways to bring new business. Offering discounts or other incentive programs for referrals is a good place…

PGAV Destinations’ publication, Satisfaction, is the third installment of their annual report Voice of the Visitor, conducted in partnership with H2R Market Research. Overall satisfaction scores in 2022 slipped relative to historical averages, down 0.06 points. Decreases were most prevalent for staff friendliness, feeling welcome and value for money. The quality of the food experience…

With travel booming this year, travelers naturally have a few concerns this summer. According to a recent study by InteleTravel, there are two concerns that travelers are the most worried about: higher travel prices (54%) and delayed or cancelled flights (48%). Air travel is at an all-time high, giving most travelers “sticker shock.” And while…

Americans are busy traveling this year. Research from the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) reveals that 47% of survey respondents ranked a vacation as their biggest spending this year. Home improvement (23%) and a new computer (10%) followed in second and third, respectively. Six in ten respondents have travel plans before the end of…

Developers have recently announced plans for the Oasis at Lakeport in Osage Beach, a new family resort and year-round entertainment district. Included in the $300 million plans are a 400-room, full-service Marriott hotel with dining establishments and premium retail, an indoor water park and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel. This project follows a…

Immersive experiences are gaining popularity in the attractions industry, as visitors want to play an active role when visiting attractions. Many attractions are enhancing their experiential technologies, allowing the audience to be completely involved. One way this is happening is through “gamification.” Gamification is widely used in theme parks. Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios…

Spring break travel has increased each year since the pandemic, but this year is the first to surpass pre-pandemic levels. And based on current bookings, summer travel is expected to reach record levels as well. (9&10 NEWS, 03.27.23) Here are some trends that emerged from spring break travel this year that we can expect to…

All sectors have faced employment issues since early 2020, but roughly 39% of total jobs lost in the pandemic were in the leisure and hospitality industry. Many are worried about hours, pay, and healthy environments that are straying them away from tourism. Dolly Parton has found a solution to attracting workers back to the tourism…