National marketing vision

Crisis management The water is not yet
pumped out. However, the marketing for a New Orleans of the future
It has taken exactly 17 days for the new building to be completed.
Tourism Bureau of New Orleans after the devastating effects of the
Hurricane Katrina to an optimistic outlook on the situation
returned. "We can hardly wait to see our city again.
and open them in a way that is unique to New Orleans.
welcome back", has been available since the middle of last week on
the website of the Conventions and Visitors Bureau of the flooded
City to read. "It will be better than ever before."  

Reconstruction as the primary goal
Laurence Geller, President of the investor group Strategic
Hotel Capital, there is only one motto after the "disaster":
Reconstruction. And that doesn't just apply to one of his projects, the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, from which the pictures of the
shattered building went around the world. "There will be a boom
in New Orleans. This will be the first modern city of the 21st century.
century," he said at a conference organized by the
tourism association HSMAI in New York. In his opinion, the
next spring, not only will the business conventions sector return, which is an important part of the
visitor industry in New Orleans. All the big
Brand companies will set up shop here, provided a mistake is avoided.
This is not the time for quick ad hoc fixes,
but for a comprehensive, national vision."
Richard Copland, former President of the ASTA Travel Agents Association,
even sees the current destruction as a potential
Tourist attraction. "The French Quarter is dry, and already too
At Christmas, the industry can advertise with affordable travel packages. For
adventurous visitors can even take tours to the outskirts of the city.
to see what's left." He refers to the 11.
September and that tourists still travel to New York today to visit Ground
Zero to see. "People came to show their support.
demonstrate."

Difficult to make contact
While the tourism industry is already waving the white flag for future
visitors, numerous other companies still endeavored to keep up with
of damage limitation. While conventional
communication channels such as post, telephone and, in the absence of electricity, the
Internet failed, companies such as Shell, Visa, Cox
Communications and local banks and insurance companies with their
employees and customers scattered throughout the country.

The best means of communication here were advertisements on the websites of those evacuated from the city.
Times-Picayune regional newspaper. Cable customers were, for example
informed that they will not pay any fees for the month of September
must. Employees were encouraged to report to their employer how the
wage payments should be processed. Many companies pressed
their support and willingness to help in a time of crisis.
time of national trauma.

Return visitors
Florida also saw a series of devastating hurricanes last year, which caused major damage to the
tourism industry. Here the federal state jumped
Florida with grants totaling 450000 dollars, which were specifically
The marketing of the municipalities concerned can be used to attract visitors.
bring back. The Santa Rosa County agency alone, for example, ID
Group, sent out over 20000 postcards to former visitors, in which
she promoted the existing attractions and referred to the
website www.beaches-rivers.com, where current information about
reconstruction and hotel capacities were available. The print advertising
was reduced by half compared to the previous year. "We want to
We don't want to attract people first and then have to tell them that we
don't have enough accommodation," says Tina Lombardo, who works at ID
Group is responsible for the advertising campaign. Many of the affected
regions have also posted current photos or photos on their websites.
webcams to give visitors a live picture of how the beaches are performing.
and hotels.
All those affected by disaster zones should take the situation seriously, says Laurence Geller.
"Think of everything that can go wrong, multiply it by
tenfold, then you have the situation halfway under control." Is the
storm then passes, the crucial thing is to act quickly. "Immediately
After a hotel or an amusement park has been renovated, you have to
message to the people," says Todd May from the agency
Identity Travel in Miami. "If there's no other way, call every
individual customers and give them an update."  

Gerti Schön