Situational Analysis – Humboldt County

The following section illustrates SM’s knowledge of opportunities for publicity for Humboldt County.

CORONAVIRUS REPONSE

With the COVID19 outbreak, Humboldt is facing its great tourism challenge since the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. However, properly planned and timed, the strategic response could actually help the county, which has top tier natural assets, relatively few visitors compared to urban parks, and a sparsely populated region, all within driving distance of the Bay Area.

What should a regional destination like Humboldt do? Timing is critical. Aggressive messaging at this time would either be ignored or risk a publicity backlash. As the general public’s uneasiness subsides, initial messaging that implicitly, not explicitly, addresses their CV19 concerns can highlight that Humboldt is the natural solution for travelers.

After the pandemic bell curve flattens and starts to drop, messaging could then start to ramp up. In fact, regional demand could increase. About two-thirds of tourists to Humboldt come from California, the majority of them from the Bay Area. With affluent residents there less likely to take international flights, a car drive a few hours away is an attractive alternative. Proper messaging is critical to ensure that Humboldt stands out.

At this time, SM would suggest the following steps. First, inventory current offerings and consider new ones that would resonate with Bay Area guests, including families. Many of them could be open to travel before summer since most urban California schools have closed. Promoting outdoor youth activities like junior ranger programs and Humboldt EdVentures, for example, could be great draws.

Second,.gas giveaway for multiple-night guests could provide low-cost quality publicity..$50 gift card, for example, would be a general incentive, and highlight to motorists that Humboldt is a one-tank destination.

Third, most importantly, Humboldt’s destination messaging can do double duty to address the current situation and strengthen its general position into the future. On a related note, now is the perfect time to pitch long-lead media, such as blue chip travel magazines, who are planning editorial calendars for editions that should print after the crisis is over.

With major natural attractions such as Redwood National Park, Avenue of the Giants, the Lost Coast and Bigfoot Country, Humboldt has premier assets associated with health and wellbeing. The addition of the Eureka Redwood Skywalk will be another such major draw in its own right.

Finally, the SM team has managed major crisis communications before. Poimiroo led numerous PR responses for travel clients in the state of California. Stenger has done so as well in Humboldt after the 2010 earthquake and the 2017 mudslide that closed Hwy 101. Moreover Stenger served as one of the lead reporters for CNN in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. His beat: Covering the nation’s economic recovery.

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS -- HUMBOLDT COUNTY

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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

In general, some of the issues that Humboldt must manage are macroeconomic. The first is demographics. Major California cities have a growing number of Millennials without the tradition and perhaps the budget to do leisure trips. Moreover, given their reliance on technology, their virtual exploration risks replacing real exploration.

The second is economic. California and Humboldt have enjoyed steady tourism growth for some decades, but the rate has stalled for both over the last several years. While Humboldt should rightly be proud of the successes of its evolving marketing brand and strategies, competitors continue to draw potential guests.

Strategies must take into consideration lodging capacity limits during the high-season. That reality gives greater urgency to media efforts to draw in the off-season, in particular the months with the highest ADR potential. Such efforts would minimize issues tourists have in the high season, such as traffic congestion from San Francisco on Hwy 101. Third, how does Humboldt position itself to various markets: Millennials, Boomers, families, retirees, individual or group female travelers? SM would integrate media strategies to address these questions into programming already in place through the HLA, the Humboldt CVB and other regional partners.

Some suggestions that could be incorporated into shoulder season media strategies include: targeted intergenerational travel, grandparents and grandchildren with flexible schedules; hybrid old/new media targets, that is, digital influencers who also represent traditional media outlets; and midweek marketing and promos, perhaps even in high season.

A full media campaign would of course go beyond these strategies and include levering regional and state partnerships, targeting major media outlets and travel journalists, drawing in more overnight traffic on Highway 101, among other campaigns.