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The Future of Sustainable Tourism in Rhode Island
Thursday, January 28, 2010
10. Strengthen the profitability and professionalism of the industry.
• The more Rhode Island and its tourism industry can develop a desire among visitors
to visit the state and develop a receptivity that results in assessments of “indispensable
and magnificent” then profitability is a given. Visitors who believe that a destination is
“magnificent”, and that the places to stay and vast arrays of things to see and do represent
indispensable value, become loyal Rhode Island ambassadors. The difference in their “visitor
lifetime value” (if they came back 20 times), compared to a single trip, could be $20,000
versus $500 - after all, visitors who return tend to stay longer and spend more.
• Tourism marketing requires a huge investment of dollars, simply to encourage visitors to
come to Rhode Island. The key task, however, is getting them to come back, time and time
again. Getting Rhode Island’s tourism industry to the stage when advertising is simply a
nudge or a reminder is possible when the professionalism in regard to services provision
and hospitality is strengthened. In today’s highly competitive system, especially when
operating standards are constantly improving, investment in people by improving their
service and managerial skills is more essential than ever.
• Sustainability initiatives, therefore, have to incorporate the needs of people who actually
deliver services and extend the level of required hospitality. More attention needs to be paid
to engaging and involving employees. They are on the frontlines; they need to be given the
knowledge and the responsibility to ensure that visitors’ experiences are extraordinary.
Summit Report
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