These Cities' Tourism Officials Say They Need Suburbanites To Come Back
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Victor He on Unsplash Unsplash / Victor He
Skift Take
Cities can't fully maintain the businesses that underly their tourism appeal without the foot traffic and support of their suburban residents.
The tourism officials of large U.S. cities are wrestling with the loss of a key visitor group: suburban residents.
There are two key obstacles that executives from destination marketing organizations tell Skift they are trying to overcome:
One, these suburbanites are seeing a flurry of headlines about crime in their nearby cities. It's a tough perception to change.
Two, many are working from home in the suburbs. With fewer trips into downtown offices, there are fewer opportunities to push additional activities.
“When I talk to my fellow DMOs, whether it be Fred [Dixon] in New York or Adam [Burke] in LA, we are all dealing with that suburbanite who has a narrative of the city that’s not accurate,” said Choose Chicago President and CEO Lynn Osmond.
Before the pandemic, suburban residents commuted to the city f
