Dayton CVB focused on introducing locals to area businesses during COVID-19

The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau is best known for helping bring in conventions and assisting out-of-towners in finding the Miami Valley’s restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, travel and tourism ground to a virtual halt, leading the bureau to switch temporarily to focusing on encouraging locals and day-trippers to discover—or rediscover—what their hometown has to offer.

“We were trying to capture visitors who were in a 200- to 250-mile radius,” Jacquelyn Powell, president/CEO of the bureau, says. “Industry experts were telling us that it was the sweet spot for travel to return—leisure travel, in particular.”

She says the Smith Travel Accommodations Report shows that Montgomery County hotel occupancy and rates have been rising this year, so “things are heading in the right direction, and we hope that that continues. We’re still waiting for the return of business travel.”

With the number of U.S. air travelers falling more than 95% for much of April 2020, according to the Transportation Security Administration data, the travel, leisure and hospitality industry faced an economic collapse. Tourism supports an estimated 7.1% of Montgomery County’s jobs, industry tracker Tourism Economics says.

“We were able to do a good job working remotely,” Powell says, adding that employees also took turns working in the office. “We basically flexed as almost every business and organization was doing while keeping the safety of our employees in mind.”

While the bureau also works to promote the Dayton area to nearby travelers, its primary focus is groups—conventions and others coming in together for a weekend event or other travel. Some markets are coming back stronger than others, with youth and amateur sports, religious groups and hobby organizations leading the way. Those that haven’t come back in person have been booking for next year and beyond, Powell says.

Group government business is beginning to come back, but nongroup corporate transient business, as it’s called, is still lagging because training and face-to-face meetings have been on hold with many workers working remotely.

The bureau in August 2020 launched an app, Visit Dayton, that keeps visitors up to date on what’s open and COVID-19 protocols in place. It is encouraging local residents and close-by travelers to download the app, which includes a “Plan Your Daycation” section with itineraries for indoor and outdoor activities.

Bev Rose, director of marketing and strategic partnerships, says industry research was showing that “the recovery was going to start with the leisure visitor within that 200- to 250-mile radius, that it was going to be more of the millennials—a younger age set who are less risk-averse—and also locals who were tired of being cooped up in their homes. The patio was not a vacation.”

Rose says they pivoted their operations to devote more resources to the locals and nearby driving travelers, providing information as hospitality businesses and area attractions reopened. For instance, they promoted restaurants who were offering takeout and curbside services early in the reopening.

Communities also were great about allowing restaurants to open outdoor spaces, Powell adds.

Going forward, Powell, who has been at the bureau for 29 years (27 as president), says she and her staff are encouraging residents who belong to associations that could bring conventions to Dayton to contact the bureau about opportunities. She says the bureau will work to plan and coordinate all events.

“Many times, folks who live in our community may not know who we are or what we do because our promotion, up until last year during COVID, primarily was done outside the area,” she says. “We think every person who lives in this community can be a champion for our community.”