One of the best parts of being in the Tourism industry for many years is the people I meet. Our industry has an endless list of talented, hardworking, fun-loving and creative professionals. I decided to interview my friends and give you a peek into their lives and careers. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section, and I will follow-up with the guest interviewed.
This week we hear from my friend Sandy from Bellingham Washington. Sandy and I served on the U.S Travel’s Council of Attractions when we were both working at major attractions.
Tell us a bit about how you got started in the tourism industry.
In the early 70’s while going to college, I was tired of being a waitress and applied at a local travel agency in Utah because I thought, “Gosh, I’d love to see the world and what better way?” I was hired immediately because of my vast experience – I had been to Hawaii once and I spoke some German. During my career, I have worked many sides of the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry – the export side – sending people away as a travel agent and airline employee, and the import side – bringing people to a destination as a DMO.
What is your current job and what are your primary responsibilities?
I am the President & CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, which is the official DMO for the City of Bellingham, Washington and the surrounding communities in the northwest corner of Washington State, which is very close to the Canadian border. We have a population of about 225,000 countywide. My job is to oversee budgets, strategic planning, marketing efforts, and six visitor information centers. My real job is to make friends and find money.
What are some of the changes you have seen since you began your career?
Dial telephones and typewriters to mobile phones and online booking engines
OAGs (Official Airline Guides) and handwritten, paper airline tickets to QR codes and ‘print your own’ tickets and baggage tags
Personal letters and flyers to reach customers to email and social media.
What tourism trends are you seeing that will impact your job and how you work in the next 2 years?
Competition for tourism funding – both state and local; destination brand management and strategic planning; artificial intelligence like voice assistants are making us think harder; traditional media buys vs. social media platforms; creating authentic experiences for visitors.
It’s vacation time – where do you go?
Besides Mt. Baker, which is in my backyard – I love Maui and, it’s a toss-up between anywhere in Ireland and Berlin. My most memorable experience was Fairbanks, AK (actually Chena Hot Springs) in winter to see the northern lights, which appeared every night!
What is your favorite app and tell us a bit about it.
My favorite app is Calm. It is a meditation, relaxation and sleep app and I have two favorite features – sleep stories (there are tons and my most favorite is the Velveteen Rabbit by Emma Whispers Red), and white noise (my favorite is distant thunder and rain).
What is your favorite tradeshow and why?
I love IPW because the appointments are longer than some shows and the operators come to you. I also like the RTO Summit because it is a no-nonsense way to meet with receptive operators all in one day.
What advice do you have for someone just getting started in the tourism industry?
It’s OK to start at the bottom and work your way up. Travel, tourism, and hospitality workers make more money than their counterparts in manufacturing and have more of a career path. You can start as a housekeeper and end up as a hotel GM.
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