Dynamics of tourism changing, expert says

www.heraldnet.com Published: Friday, March 14, 2003 By Bryan Corliss Herald Writer

EVERETT -- Local hospitality businesses should stress training and security to meet the changes in tourism after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an expert on tourism said Thursday.

They also should be more aware of how world events can affect their business, focus on short-term planning and work more closely with other segments of the community, said Peter Tarlow, a sociologist who specializes in tourism and economic development.

"In hard times, win loyalty by going forward, not cutting back," Tarlow told the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau during its quarterly forum. "Those people who cut on service and security, I think, will be out of business."

Tourism in the 21st century is changing, Tarlow said. The fast-growing segments are baby boomer grandparents traveling with their grandchildren, and women traveling alone on business.

Those people have unique needs, he said. Hotels need to come up with security plans to address the concerns of single women. That can mean improved lighting and locks, and providing escorts to help late-arriving women to their rooms.

Baby boomers can be demanding travelers, he added. Hotel staffers need to be trained in how to handle their complaints.

And tourism has changed after Sept. 11, Tarlow said. "Anyone who thinks that terrorism is not about tourism is living in never-never land," he said. "Almost every (airline) is either in bankruptcy or on the verge," and hotel and restaurant business remains down.

World events affect tourism, Tarlow said. If Saddam Hussein blows up Iraq's oil fields, and strikes continue to disrupt petroleum production in Venezuela, and if the U.S. goes to war in North Korea, "you have a very different season."

And what happens to a community if a Fourth of July festival is canceled by a federal security alert? he continued. Tarlow urged tourism planners to be flexible in their thinking and to focus on the coming months, not years.

"A year is too far out," he said.

Tourist groups also should work to ingrain the idea that customer service is important across the community, not just in hotels, Tarlow said. Tourism is a $3 billion industry worldwide, and everyone who might come into contact with a visitor -- from police to convenience store clerks -- must play a role in it.

"You can't live in isolation," he said. "We have to, in the 21st century, start working together."

Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.