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Visitors touring Baltimore's Inner Harbor this summer will encounter dinosaur footprints, benches with bite marks and pier heads resembling jellyfish.
The $400,000 Waterfront Invasion marketing campaign illustrates the innovative methods Maryland's tourist industry is using to snag value-minded, recession-beleaguered vacationers with summer right around the corner.
More than 27.2 million visitors traveled to Maryland in 2007, spending $13.6 billion on tourism-related expenses such as lodging and entertainment, according to the state Office of Tourism. Expenditures were up 3 percent from 2006. Data from 2008, the first summer of the current recession, aren't available.
Tourism is the eighth-largest employment industry in Maryland, with more than 140,000 workers in the sector. The state tourism office's fiscal 2009 budget is $10.14 million, down from $11.98 million in fiscal '08.
Maryland tourism usually weathers recessions well because the state is an easy drive for many people, said Mary Jo McCulloch, president of the Maryland Tourism Council.
While the state has not seen its usual number of hotel bookings for the summer, McCulloch said state hoteliers are hoping more people will decide to travel at the last minute. Maryland hotel occupancy was down 4 percent for the year as of April from the same time last year, compared with the double digit percentage decreases in other states, according to Smith Travel Research. The state got a significant boost from the inauguration of President Obama in January.
BWI Marshall averaged 337 daily departures in May, a slight dip from 339 in May 2008, according to spokesman Jonathan Dean. Dean said the airport also cut its marketing budget to save money.
"BWI flights will be down slightly, but other states are seeing more cuts," he said, emphasizing that the Baltimore-Washington market is among the largest and wealthiest in the U.S.
Airlines at BWI Marshall are also boosting services, with AirTran Airways adding 60 daily nonstop flights during the summer, Southwest extending nonstop flights to Boston and La Guardia Airport in New York, and Cape Air just opening at BWI Marshall this spring. Jet Blue will also begin flights in September.
AAA Mid-Atlantic, a travel and lodging information service, estimated that about 24 percent of the 609,000 Marylanders traveling during Memorial Day weekend would travel less than 75 miles to their destination. More than 270,000 visitors traveled to Ocean City alone, making it the city's second largest crowd in history, according to Donna Abbott, spokeswoman for the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau and Department of Tourism.
Ocean City, like other state tourism spots, has launched a new campaign to attract visitors. Wielding a $3 million tourism budget — boosted by an increase of 0.5 percentage points in its room tax last year — the city has flooded the television and radio airwaves with the exploits of Rodney the Lifeguard, its new marketing symbol.
"We think we'll do well because of our proximity to major metro areas. People are still going to travel, just not a major distance," Abbott said. "These are memories you just can't re-create later."
Ocean City is also actively promoting free events such as movies on the beach, family beach Olympics and bonfires. Some of the city's biggest attractions outside the beach include the Ocean City Maryland Boardwalk, seasonal shops, golf and fishing.
Combatting safety concerns
Back in Baltimore City, tourism officials prepare visitors for the Waterfront Invasion. The campaign is a partnership between the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Maryland Science Center and the Waterfront Partnership. It capitalizes on the new Chinasaurs and jellyfish exhibits at the science center and aquarium, respectively.
"We can't open a new museum every year, but we can sell the area like a new attraction for the next three months," said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of the visitors association. "Hotels are doing discount programs to go along with it."
Noonan said he hopes the campaign yields last year's visitor numbers, which comprised 11 million overnight vacationers and 5 million day-trippers. He is admittedly less optimistic about the overnight numbers.
Working against the campaign, however, are growing safety concerns around the Inner Harbor, where several people were attacked this month. The city recently restructured its police force to beef up patrols.
"There is an extensive networking of surveillance and traffic cameras that allow more strategic placements of police officers and provide an extra tool to assist with prosecution. And, of course, there are 50 uniformed Downtown Baltimore Guides and 12 Waterfront Partnership Guides on the streets and along the harbor providing extra eyes for the police and a reassuring presence to pedestrians," said a letter from the visitors association, Waterfront Partnership and Downtown Partnership.
Noonan said he wants to sell the city as a culinary and culture destination. More than 70 percent of the city's $11 million tourism budget goes into marketing. The city is also looking forward to the hotels opening around the area, which could bring its room count above 1,000. New shuttle routes could also provide a boost, Noonan said.
Working with a considerably smaller budget, at $1.35 million, the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau is kicking off its Chesapeake Adventures campaign. The fifth in the bureau's season series, the campaign highlights the historical and heritage attractions of the county through an online trivia contest, interactive map and a walking map.
"We're marketing to the hour's drive market," said Connie Del Signore, CEO and president of the bureau, adding the marketing campaign is geared toward New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia and Maryland residents.
The bureau is also working with Baltimore and Washington tourism associations to sell the region to meeting planners, she said.
More than 6 million visitors have toured the area annually in previous years. Anne Arundel's prime attractions include its waterfront, local shopping, historic district and dining.
Wellness, waterfront draws
Garrett County is trying to drive visitors to Deep Creek Lake, Adventures Sports Center International, Wisp Resort and other attractions through its Deep Creek Discounts Program. The program offers promotional deals at 20 businesses, ranging from lodging to sales to services.
"We've had strong bookings thus far. We had a good winter with the ski resort," said Sarah Duck, marketing director for the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.
Meanwhile on the Eastern Shore, Talbot County is urging visitors to use it as a home base for visiting the rest of the state.
"We're well geographically positioned," said Debbie Dodson, spokeswoman for Talbot County. "People want to be on the water." Talbot County sees about 1 million tourists annually, with most coming for the area's wellness activities and waterfront, she said.
"Family fun central" is Prince George's County's theme for tourism, as it reaches out to reunions through sweepstakes and a sunset concert series at National Harbor in Oxon Hill.
"National Harbor has really shifted the balance of power in the Maryland-D.C. area when it comes to tourism," said J. Matthew Neitzey, executive director of Prince George's County Conference and Visitors Bureau. "You get more families traveling around the area in the summer than the convention season. They get to walk around the harbor and shop."
The county can also look forward to more tourists with the Walt Disney resort hotel planned in the next several years.
Top 5 tourism budgets
Baltimore city: $10.99 million
Ocean City: $2.91 million
Frederick County: $1.57 million
Anne Arundel County: $1.35 million
Garrett County: $1.24 million
Source: Maryland Office of Tourism
Staff Writer Kevin Shay contributed to this report.
