Take advantage of fall promotional opportunities and be up-to-date on these marketing programs and news items from the Connecticut Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Economic and Community Development:
Revolutionary Views Fall Photo Contest – Vote by Oct. 12
Updates on Connecticut Media Coverage
2015 Visitors Guide Advertising Opportunities – Deadline Oct. 22
Travel Channel Opportunities for Hotels
Volunteer Opportunities at Connecticut Welcome Centers
State’s Fall Campaign Features 53 Tourism Partners
Revolutionary Views Fall Photo Contest – Vote by Oct. 12
Thank you for encouraging your visitors to share photos over the last month to the Connecticut Office of Tourism Revolutionary Views fall photo contest. We received more than 300 photos over the submission period.
Now, 16 finalists have been selected for public voting. Featured towns include Oxford, Groton, Windsor, Torrington, New Haven, Simsbury, East Granby, Milford, Norfolk, New London, Hartford, Cheshire, Durham, Sherman and Danbury. The photographers of two top-voted photos will each receive a GoPro camera so they can continue to take awe-inspiring footage of still revolutionary Connecticut.
Connecticut Media Coverage
It’s been a busy fall for Connecticut in the news. Check out some of the latest stories the Connecticut Office of Tourism has been working on!
Mystic, Connecticut’s Sabino steamboat – 7 Fabulous Steamboats Around the United States – CNN Travel
See Connecticut through photographs – Photo Tour: Beautiful Connecticut – USA Today
Essex, Connecticut is a fun hidden gem – Essex, Conn.: ‘Perfect Small American Town’ has it all – The Boston Globe
A walking tour of Connecticut – 10 Car-Free Fall Foliage Trips of the Northeast – Budget Travel
2015 Connecticut Visitors Guide
Don’t miss the opportunity to promote your business at the time that visitors are planning Connecticut trips and outings! The 2015 Connecticut Visitors Guide is the official resource for visitors, with information on attractions, accommodations, outdoor adventures, shopping – and more – throughout Connecticut.
Four out of five travelers use print and online media for travel planning
Visitors increased their length of stay by an average of 1.9 days as a result of seeing an ad for an event or attraction not in their original travel plans
87% said the travel guide influenced their travel plans
Travel guide users spend an average of 45 minutes reading the content within a guide
*Source: Temple University Laboratory for Tourism & eCommerce and Destination Analysts, 2014
Click here for rates and information: http://www.maddenmedia.com/advertising/PDFs/CT/FY15/Pubs/CTOVG15.pdf
Contact Lori Stockman, Madden Media, via email or phone (978) 561-9900 to reserve your space or for questions. Note: deadline for advertising is October 22.
Travel Channel Opportunity for Hotels!
The Travel Channel series “Hotel Impossible” is looking for unique and interesting hotels in the greater Connecticut area that are independently owned and operated to appear on the show!
Each 60-minute episode features one struggling hotel that would like the help of the host, renowned hotel expert, Anthony Melchiorri to improve their overall performance. They are looking for hotels that need to improve specific areas (e.g., décor, marketing, food, maintenance, etc.) but also have the potential to succeed.
Anthony will come to the hotel, meet the staff, management and owner(s) and help get them into shape. Depending on the need, he will improve everything from the service to the décor. They will also makeover a portion of the hotel at no cost to the owner!
Having saved more hotels than most people have stayed in, Anthony is looking for his next project. And having a hotel featured on the show could also be great exposure for the state!
For more information about the show and to see clips, visit: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/hotel-impossible.
If you’re an interested hotel that would like to be considered for the series, please contact Nicole Marien, casting associate producer, within the next several weeks at nmarien@atlasmediacorp.com, or 917-351-8454.
Volunteer Opportunities
To prepare for the winter and spring seasons, the Connecticut Office of Tourism is inviting industry partners to become volunteers, serving as Connecticut Ambassadors at any of five Connecticut Welcome Centers!
As a Connecticut Ambassador volunteering at a Connecticut Welcome Center, you’ll have the opportunity to promote your destination to thousands of incoming visitors looking for things to see and do and places to eat and stay. Meet and greet potential customers and talk with them face-to-face! It’s a great way to get up close to a promising market of potential visitors and customers.
Find out which welcome center is closest to you and sign up today with Rosemary Bove at rosemary.bove@ct.gov. This could be the start of a new volunteer career for you, and a boost to your business!
State’s Fall Campaign Features 53 Tourism Partners
The Connecticut Office of Tourism is delighted to report that 53 tourism partners are featured in the fall marketing campaign in either the TV, print or digital medium!
The fall television and digital creative continues to build on the spring/summer campaign, playfully communicating through unique pairings of identifiable destinations the idea that escaping to Connecticut offers travelers a diverse balance of activities without having to drive too far.
Some fall participants were among the 82 partners featured in the summer campaign, but many are new. All in all, the 2014 campaign has featured 110 partners from across all regions of the state.
We appreciate the participation of all of our partners throughout the state and hope you see an impact from the campaign!
See the list of participants below:
Antiquing in Putnam
Blue-blazed Trails
Boardman House Inn
Captain Daniel Packer Inne
Castle Craig
Chamard Vineyards, Wine Trail
Connecticut Beer Trail
Connecticut Science Center
Cornwall Bridge
Delamar Greenwich Harbor
Firehouse 12, Jazz
Florence Griswold Museum
Gillette Castle
Golden Lamb Buttery
Gouveia Vineyards, Wine Trail
Haley Farm State Park
Homestead Inn, Greenwich
Infinity Hall
Inn at Kent Falls
Jerram Winery
Kent Falls
Lake Waramaug
Lime Rock Park
Louis Lunch
Lyman Orchards
Mark Twain House
Mayflower Grace Inn
Mountain Biking
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic Seaport
National Scenic Byway RT 169
New Britian Museum of American Art
Oyster Club
Pequot Museum
Philip Johnson Glass House
Play! In Connecticut Fall Theatre Festival
Putnam River Trail
Rogers Orchards
Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Wine Trail
Shrine at Foxwoods
Silverman’s Farms, Apple Picking
Stepping Stones Museum for Children
Talcott Mountain
The Adventure Park at Storrs
The Essex Clipper Dinner Train
Thimble Islands
Thorncrest Farm and Dairy, Chocolate Trail
Two Roads Brewery, Beer Trail
Union League Cafe
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Water’s Edge Resort & Spa
White Memorial Conservation Center
Winvian Resort & Spa