The Researcher and the Strategist Podcast - Tourism in the Age of Experience

Episode Title: Tourism in the Age of Experience

Theme: How emotional connection, storytelling, and unique experiences are shaping the next era of travel.

Length: Approximately 30 Minutes

Summary

Carl and Lauren discuss the shift toward experience-driven tourism, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, storytelling, and creating connections in destination marketing. They explore the role of visitor centers, local experts, and unique experiences in fostering a sense of place and enhancing visitor engagement. The conversation also touches on the potential risks of over-commercialization and the need for destination management, concluding with personal travel experiences and the value of focusing on a destination's unique atmosphere and culture.

Transcript:

Carl Ribaudo: Good morning!

Lauren Schlau: Hi. Carl.

Carl Ribaudo: I want to welcome everyone to the researcher and the strategist. Podcast.

Carl Ribaudo: It's our 1st one.

Carl Ribaudo: And this is where we explore the strategies and stories shaping the future of travel and tourism.

Carl Ribaudo: I'm Carl Roboto here today with my associate in the Travel Analytics Group, my PAL, Lawrence Lau.

Carl Ribaudo: And today we're diving into one of the most transformative shifts in the industry. The rise of experience, driven tourism sound interesting. Lauren.

Lauren Schlau: You know, Carl, this is a big trending topic like you said, and things have really shifted in the industry. But everybody uses this term, and not a whole lot of people know what it really means. And I hope we can delve into that today.

Carl Ribaudo: I think we will. You know, today travelers are looking for more than just a checklist of sites. They've done that.

Carl Ribaudo: They've been through it. And they're looking for, you know, emotional connection personal transformation in some cases.

Carl Ribaudo: and stories and narratives that stick with them long after they return home.

Carl Ribaudo: you know. I think those are becoming more and more prevalent today. And how can destinations meet that demand while not at the same time? And this is critical, losing their authenticity

Carl Ribaudo: and not just making it up.

Carl Ribaudo: And I think that that becomes the interesting part of that.

Carl Ribaudo: And so let's you know. Lord, I got an easy question to start with.

Carl Ribaudo: Why are travelers seeking experiences over just traditional sightseeing?

Lauren Schlau: Well again. There's been this shift, and it's not just within travel and tourism. The shift is in people. And I think over the last several years, and especially since Covid, when travel couldn't happen, people recognize that they want to do something more to connect.

Lauren Schlau: And the connection is both inside and outside. So you want to connect. People want to connect more with themselves, and they also want to connect more with their environments. Because if it's memorable and connective, they feel different.

Lauren Schlau: Something happens. It's transformative. And it is something like you said that they have with them the whole lives going from place to place to place is great, hey? I saw this. I saw that you come home, and you tell your friends, and then you're on to the next.

Lauren Schlau: But when they've been transformed. Internally.

Lauren Schlau: it's more than just a checklist, and it is a real transformation, and they bring that with them wherever they go.

Carl Ribaudo: We're looking for more than just the selfie moment.

Lauren Schlau: Well, you know, for some people that may be an experience.

Carl Ribaudo: Right.

Lauren Schlau: But for most people they want more than that.

Carl Ribaudo: Right? Right? You know. What about also? You know it. It's enabled because we have all this social media that's been built over the years

Carl Ribaudo: and and social media is an enabler to this.

Carl Ribaudo: and I think that feeds into it also.

Carl Ribaudo: But there's another part of it that I think people are missing, and that is

Carl Ribaudo: the changing definition of value or the visitor

Carl Ribaudo: that it's now more than just that transaction. And they look at this or a look at that. But you know more and more that as you're suggesting that personal connection, that's part of the new value equation for visitors.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, I agree. Value can be measured in a whole lot of ways as can be experiences.

Lauren Schlau: But value is something that matters. I think just the word value. When you value something. It's something that matters, and that when they take a trip they want a trip that matters and what they do on that trip, and I have seen research. I think you've seen it research where things may be costing more, at least not before these last few days. But things people are willing to trade up in what they're spending to get more back in there from their travel experience.

Lauren Schlau: That is also a value proposition value just doesn't mean inexpensive or quick and easy value is an intrinsic

Lauren Schlau: need and feeling about what you're putting in and what you're getting back out.

Carl Ribaudo: Right now is this in your view

Carl Ribaudo: just a a, a trend? Or is this a real cultural shift we're seeing, and that, you know Dmos and and hotels and attractions really need to pay attention to this over the long run.

Lauren Schlau: I think it's definitely a trend to stay. And it may. Fact, Carl, I think you're a great question, because what you think about the shift to more automated, say processes, whether it's AI or automatic check-ins where a lot of people aren't interfacing with human beings as part of a travel and tourism trip.

Lauren Schlau: So the value becomes more, even more critical that we have interactive relationships or experiences with other people, interactions with other people.

Carl Ribaudo: You know. One thing I've experienced over the years, you know, Lauren, you know I ride done a lot of motorcycle touring over the years, and one of the things that struck me on it's happened to me on many of my solo trips all over the West is the real need for some connection.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, not just a connection to a you know the physical attributes of a place, but a connection to people, you know, and and the neat thing about on a motorcycle is everybody wants to know where you come from. So you gotta you gotta conversation starter. But also more about how I have learned to connect, or I've experienced connection.

Carl Ribaudo: whether it's looking at an amazing vista or putting my feet in the river, or what have you? It's it's definitely more than just miles covered.

Lauren Schlau: Well, Carl, those are interesting examples of how you connect and how you make it memorable and make the trip something worthwhile for you.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, what are some of the other ways that you think are great to connect? And how can Dmos and others who are in the industry and want to promote their businesses.

Lauren Schlau: give give the sense of connection, and that those are worthwhile experiences to have when they're traveling.

Carl Ribaudo: I I think that's a great question. You know. How do Dmos.

Carl Ribaudo: you know? Look at this, I think Dmo, sometimes have a tendency to manufacture things.

Carl Ribaudo: and I think the real opportunity is just connecting

Carl Ribaudo: visitors with the real authentic experiences that places have.

Carl Ribaudo: And I think it's just introducing and stepping back.

Carl Ribaudo: It's not trying to manufacture. It's not trying to.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, Per, you know, you know. Pretend it's just, hey?

Carl Ribaudo: This is what we have. Whether

Carl Ribaudo: you know what whatever your culture is, whatever the local culture of your community is.

Carl Ribaudo: is connect is is just enabling that connection to happen. And I think, let it go from there, you know, and let people, you know, feel and experience, and and you know whether you're on the coast or whether you're in the desert or the mountains, or you're in an urban environment. It's it's the Dmo as the enabler and linking people to the experiences that communities and and individuals have have created on their own.

Lauren Schlau: You know, it's interesting what they say about authenticity, and that's you know, that word is a little bit fraught

Lauren Schlau: in that. Some of the research I've read says, if you're authentic you don't need to say it.

Lauren Schlau: People will realize that. And I think there's a degree of truth to that and the difference is

Lauren Schlau: kind of what you're talking about. That unique culture. That's something you can't make up right or manufacture. You can promote it.

Lauren Schlau: So each destination really has to do their own self, searching inwardly.

Lauren Schlau: and really understand what is their destination. DNA. What really is, not just the reason people come, but the things that they feel from an inside perspective are important for other people to want to see and learn about themselves. We have an example in the central coast, somebody we've talked to a lot, and they kind of shifted over there and really recognize that they're part of the heartland of California. Now, we don't often promote

Lauren Schlau: agriculture and see using that as a tourism draw.

Lauren Schlau: They've created festivals around that. And it's all real things. The festival is real. Their trees actually bloom, and they're beautiful in the spring. Well, instead of letting the trees bloom and not have nobody see them, they're promoting it, and then they're packaging it. And then they've got other experiences that go along with it.

Lauren Schlau: So they've taken something that just naturally occurs, and recognizing that's part of their DNA and makes them unique and bringing that up to expanding that to a total visitor experience. That's very satisfying, very informative, new, unique to that place, and probably unique to most people's tourism experiences. And I have to really say they've done a really great job with that.

Carl Ribaudo: You know, from the strategy side. I've always advised destinations. If you're authentic, you don't need to differentiate yourself. You just need to be.

Carl Ribaudo: Just tell people who you are and and and the market will find you.

Carl Ribaudo: It's that over manufacturing that I think gets destinations looking like one another, you know, and and and creates this this duplication.

Carl Ribaudo: And I think you know destinations got to be careful about that. Just you know what step out of the way. Let the culture, and let the community and and just be a enabler of that, and I think people will will find your market, and I think as opposed to trying to manufacture a position or that sort of thing. I I think there's truth to you really leaning into what's authentic.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, you know, I think. And I think it's an it can be an issue. Sometimes you can go on websites and say, Well, I just read that it looks just like this one.

Carl Ribaudo: Yeah.

Lauren Schlau: I think it comes from a sense of competition, and there's maybe a fear and anxiety that we're not going to stand out enough. So we have to make ourselves stand out more rather than what you're saying, pulling back and really doing the inside job of of examining who we are, and then promoting that

Lauren Schlau: in a really authentic way.

Carl Ribaudo: You know I did.

Lauren Schlau: Word, but that's the word authentic way in a real way that connects with people.

Carl Ribaudo: I I did a little experiment not too long ago. I looked at 10 different Dmo websites

Carl Ribaudo: and you know what they are pretty darn similar. You know

Carl Ribaudo: the format. The messaging was very, very similar, and I think that that you know in that effort to compete and stand out, everybody becomes similar.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, and I think there's a you know, there's a contrarian view

Carl Ribaudo: to say you know what. Let everybody do, that

Carl Ribaudo: the the smart thing to do is step back, take a look at who we are, and our identity and our culture, and and understand that.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, and and and not over manufacture it, I think, you know, lends itself to this, this experience way.

Carl Ribaudo: that that, I think really makes a place unique and creates connection.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, you gotta sorry.

Carl Ribaudo: No, that's fine.

Lauren Schlau: Hey? I just wonder how many of those Dmos are using the same people to develop their websites. But that's a whole nother subject.

Carl Ribaudo: That's a whole nother topic. And I've actually written a paper on that. Maybe we can get into it down the road. But.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah.

Carl Ribaudo: But let let you know what you know. Let's talk a little bit about storytelling

Carl Ribaudo: and and its importance, and and there is a shift more and more away from advertising sort of classic advertising into storytelling. And and that has got to play a role in shaping visitor connection and experiences. Wouldn't you think.

Lauren Schlau: Definitely, people are really relating to real stories that happen to that happen in real people in real time and real places, definitely.

Carl Ribaudo: You know, I once did an experiment. I was working for a Dmo.

Carl Ribaudo: And I said, Let's get into storytelling.

Carl Ribaudo: But I found a woman who was a real writer, who wrote fiction, who was a storyteller.

Carl Ribaudo: and I got her to engage in the project.

Carl Ribaudo: and it was very different than you might expect somebody who has a traditional public relations, background or journalism background. And it was really an intriguing experiment. I think there's some opportunity there, though, for those that that want to really lean, you know, deeper into the whole storytelling dynamic.

Carl Ribaudo: And and again, you know, you go on vacation. I go on vacation. People go on vacation, and it's all about the stories.

Carl Ribaudo: It's oh, we were there, and we did this, and you know whatever. And don't miss that place at the corner, and and and those stories become the the communication of the experience which creates the interest from people saying, Where was that place?

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Carl Ribaudo: What was that? What you know? What was that restaurant? I'm standing on the corner. Where was it, you know, and and I think more and more stories are becoming.

Carl Ribaudo: You know the currency, if you will, of of experiences and the better people get at telling stories.

Carl Ribaudo: I think the more and more that you know it plays into this whole experience. Dynamic.

Lauren Schlau: Well, I think that's true, and I think part of the reason is it comes from the source. So if you go to a certain place, and somebody is telling the story. It's coming from them and their experience. It's not filtered through any lens of an ad agency or pr agent some professional agency that's removed from the situation. It comes from that person themselves.

Lauren Schlau: I'll give you an example for me.

Lauren Schlau: Laguna Beach. I was down at the art show last year, and there was a There's a art artist down there that gives demonstrations on blowing glass

Lauren Schlau: beautiful, and I must have stood there for 20 min at least, maybe 30, watching this thing take shape from rolling and

Lauren Schlau: melting and coming back and being blown and coming back. And it was quite an amazing process, and their little booth was right around the corner from this setup that they had with the ovens and everything.

Lauren Schlau: So after the 30 min I walked over there and started looking at their art.

Lauren Schlau: Really nice stuff, and the gal comes over. She's married to this guy, and we got in this whole conversation about glass growing and his family, his experience how they got into it, how they got into.

Lauren Schlau: and of course, what do you think I did.

Lauren Schlau: I bought a piece of this glass? Of course I did, and it's sitting in my room, and it's got an authentication piece of paper with it, and every time I look at it I think about it. And people come over and I show it to them. Yeah, you know that connection. And now I'm telling you about it now. I'm telling the world about it.

Carl Ribaudo: Yes, that kind of connection and experience is priceless.

Carl Ribaudo: you know. You can't buy that with ad dollars.

Carl Ribaudo: you know. And and I think that

Carl Ribaudo: you know that brings up, you know. How do, Dmos?

Carl Ribaudo: You know? How do they transition? I think in the old days the old days listen to us the old days, you know.

Carl Ribaudo: You know, we used to go. We used to promote things.

Carl Ribaudo: and I think what we're seeing now isn't the opportunity to really curate feelings.

Carl Ribaudo: What is a place make you feel? There's a concept called sense of place, which I use all the time from the strategy side.

Carl Ribaudo: and that is, what does a place make you feel like?

Carl Ribaudo: Because that leads to connection. And I think more and more Dmos are gonna have to, or either are, or gonna have

Lauren Schlau: But part 2 is when we have that connection, like, I just told you my little story because I connected with them. I tell other people, and then other people want to go, and that's good for the destination, both from both ends, from the visitor who was actually there, to the ones who are potential visitors when they're thinking about all the places they could go. And they remember this story about the glass blower, and they want to go see it.

Lauren Schlau: It creates that new market for this place, and if they go and they're satisfied, and so it goes, and it multiplies itself. So it's good for a destination to be able to create ways or promote ways where people can have those connections. And we've talked about that a lot, even in the Visitor Center experience. If you want to shift into that for a minute, because that's a way to promote the destination with authentic experiences as well. Don't you think.

Carl Ribaudo: I think that's 1 of the big findings we've had in, you know, analyzing and studying and strategizing with visitor centers that the visitor center needs to be looked at as an experience in and of itself.

Lauren Schlau: Right.

Carl Ribaudo: Not just pick up a brochure or ask somebody where to have lunch, but promoting that welcome center or visitor center as an experience.

Carl Ribaudo: I think that's a great opportunity for people to, you know. Create more connection, hey? It's not just about a brochure. Come in here. We've got exhibits. We've got information we've got.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, oral storytellers, or or people to tell you where to go. It's an experience in and of itself it's not just this sort of sterile transaction visitor Center pick up a brochure kind of place. I think that's a great example. At the Dmo level of, or the Welcome center level, the Visitor Center level of creating an experience where maybe people didn't see it that way from the get go.

Lauren Schlau: Well, and adding to that is the heat. Again, let's go back to the original premise of this, the human interaction. Where they have a local expert there who really understands the need. And people are looking for those local experiences that are unique to that area. That person has that information. There among other things, and makes a connection, and somebody can, will walk out of the door saying, You know, I didn't know that about this place. But let's go

Lauren Schlau: to the place they just told us about, because it sounds like it would really be wonderful experience for us to do that. So there's the experience of the visitor center itself.

Lauren Schlau: enlarging what it does. It's reach getting more of the local businesses and craftspeople and artisans involved in it, as well as

Lauren Schlau: giving the information out that creates a desire by that visitor who just stopped there to pick up a map, to now experience the destination more fully and with more understanding and context. Again, to make that longer lasting connection.

Carl Ribaudo: Yeah, you know.

Carl Ribaudo: you just mentioned Laguna Beach as a destination where you've had that experience. I was thinking of a project I was doing a while ago, and I was thinking of Sedona

Carl Ribaudo: Arizona where Sedona has come. I have a friend of mine who started a tiny house vacation rental project down there and kind of dug into it with him. And one of the things that you know, I observed was Sedona has, you know, sort of transitioned from this place of scenic beauty to spiritual transformation.

Carl Ribaudo: and many people find their way down to Sedona, or exactly that, more than just looking at beautiful scenery. But the purpose is, you know, spiritual transformation. And I think that's an example of this experience

Carl Ribaudo: tourism that we're we're talking about.

Lauren Schlau: Yeah, I agree, there are certain places that are like that. And I think some Don is a great example of that. And there's other places of different kinds of

Lauren Schlau: rest and relaxation, or recharging on batteries, or getting away from it all. If you live in an urban area like I do in Los Angeles. There's a great desire many days that I have of just pulling away

Lauren Schlau: and going someplace where I can reconnect with myself.

Lauren Schlau: which is sort of a transformation. Whenever I'm gone and away from my usual environment, it makes me think about things differently. Look at things differently, connect with people in a different way than I would have here at home. So all those things count. It just depends on what you're looking for, and, Carl, to go back to one of your famous examples. It could even be for romance.

Carl Ribaudo: Yes, definitely. There are places that are enablers of romance.

Lauren Schlau: Forget that part.

Carl Ribaudo: No, not at all, not at all. And there is, you know, there's a there. There is a flip side to this. There is a risk to it where it gets over commercialized.

Carl Ribaudo: and and that can happen as well. And I think you know you have to be cognizant of

Carl Ribaudo: over commercialization of an experience.

Carl Ribaudo: And and and I think we have a tendency. Once we find success in something, you know, we blow it up.

Carl Ribaudo: and that may be something that you want to resist, to just let it find its own organic growth.

Lauren Schlau: That's a good question about destination management shifting away from the marketing of it's more into the management of it.

Lauren Schlau: And we talked a little bit about. Who is coming? When are they coming? What are they going to do when they're here? How do they make the least negative impact on the destination, but still experience it so that it's a

Lauren Schlau: a positive experience when they're done or been there. And and they're done, and to not yeah. Word of mouth can spread quickly, especially on social media, and it can turn a place that hasn't seen a lot of feet walking on its paths into a stampede, and it is a definite balancing act, and I don't know if you want to talk more about that. But you raise an excellent point. Success breeds success, and pretty soon we

Lauren Schlau: destroyed the goose that laid the golden egg, as they say.

Carl Ribaudo: Well, I think it goes back to what you said about management. It's it's it's you have to also tell the story of taking care of a place.

Carl Ribaudo: You know I know many destinations and locations have done some, you know, destination management plans, and so on, and so forth. And I think many of the Dmos out there have gotten into, you know, educating people about taking care of places, but I think there's a fine line between promotion and and you know, and transaction, and and are, you know, creating feeling and connection.

Carl Ribaudo: And I think you have to be careful where you are on that continuum. If you look at it on a continuum, I think there's a tendency, you know, hey? You know, let's promote, promote promote. But I think there's you know the flip side of that is, you know what? Maybe let's lean a little back out of that

Carl Ribaudo: and talk about, you know, just articulating and storytelling and and

Carl Ribaudo: and and also telling fewer stories, but better stories.

Carl Ribaudo: you know. Sometimes we think more is more.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, when it comes to, you know branding and marketing, and all that more is more, but a lot of times less is more.

Carl Ribaudo: And I think there's a fine balance. There's an artistry to this that I think comes into play that you know we can't, you know, can't, can't miss.

Lauren Schlau: Well, I think that may go into the back into tourism management, Carl, where

Lauren Schlau: we don't be careful not to build a a destination based on volume. I think you're you're correct. It's quality versus quantity. And it doesn't mean exclusionary. It just means it's not built on volume. It's not measuring just how many people came, and how many room nights they sold, or whatever the metrics may be, it has to do with

Lauren Schlau: learning how to assess the quality of the experience that people have. How are we going to go back and measure those experiences and those connections that were being made? That's where I think good research comes into play now, in this new environment of experiential travel, don't you.

Carl Ribaudo: That's something you and I have talked about, and we've got plans for to do some extensive, you know, research around the topic. And and that will be interesting

Carl Ribaudo: to see what what happens. But let me ask you, what's 1 of your favorite travel? Experiences of all time.

Lauren Schlau: Well, I have an answer for that. I thought you caught me a little off guard, but I think I can come up with an answer, and I'll tell you exactly what it was, and it relates exactly to this conversation, Carl.

Lauren Schlau: I took a trip to Spain and Italy about a year and a half ago.

Lauren Schlau: and when I landed in Barcelona.

Lauren Schlau: you know, they say, go out and walk around. We got there, you know, like late afternoon. So it was right before dinner, so I thought, well, I walk around and see what it was all about, and heard about the Goudies and all this. So they. I went up to this street, and the street was lined with trees, and the city is a busy city. It's Barcelona.

Lauren Schlau: But the traffic was quiet. It wasn't like New York, where there was honking horns, and the trees are beautiful, and the buildings are just aesthetically gorgeous. Built from around the turn of the 19th to 20th century, and the way they've situated, and the different uses within the buildings.

Lauren Schlau: And I just got, and the the lighting. I noticed the lighting fixtures and how the streets are arranged. I've done some work with urban planners, as you can tell, to create senses of place in a community, and I started noticing all these things, and I was taking pictures of them. And I'm mentioning this to the this person that I knew that I was with.

Lauren Schlau: I said, you see that. Do you see that? Can you feel how this all these things are creating this feeling of this place being such a wonderful.

Lauren Schlau: I can see now why everybody wants to come to Barcelona, and why it's over touristed, and then

Lauren Schlau: they didn't quite get it. But they're at least listened to me, but I was right on it. I just got smacked with it right in the face, and I was like in my element of being a tourist who felt this sense of place. So we went to a little sidewalk cafe, and you know they line up all those streets in Europe. I really wish we had more of those here.

Lauren Schlau: and as we sat down, so you're looking at everybody else sitting there. But when I sat down or we sat down. I sat there and I said, You know what I feel like. I belong here.

Lauren Schlau: That's my experience.

Carl Ribaudo: Yeah, that's a great.

Lauren Schlau: I said it out loud. I said it to my friend, and I said, You know I think we I, and we belong here. We're part of this scene. Look at now. People are walking by looking at us. We're part of the scene. We're part of the scene.

Carl Ribaudo: Incredible moment. I've got one that will stand in my head forever.

Lauren Schlau: Okay.

Carl Ribaudo: I was on a solo motorcycle trip to Montana.

Carl Ribaudo: And I was on my way to Billings. But on the way to Billings I went through Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Lauren Schlau: Yes.

Carl Ribaudo: And it was near the end of the day, and I really needed to get myself over to Billings.

Carl Ribaudo: But I'm riding through the Lamar Valley by myself.

Carl Ribaudo: and it's just this majestic setting, if you can imagine it. The Rockies are there, and it's just

Carl Ribaudo: just amazing. And I'm on a little 2 Lane road. Just me nobody there, Lauren, and to the California.

Carl Ribaudo: To the right of me a couple 100 yards is a herd of buffalo.

Carl Ribaudo: and I've been mesmerized by buffalo all day long, because I've been seeing them, you know, throughout, you know.

Carl Ribaudo: apart.

Carl Ribaudo: And as I start accelerating this herd of buffalo starts running with me

Carl Ribaudo: starts jogging with me. I slow down on my motorcycle. They slow down, speed up, they speed up.

Carl Ribaudo: and finally I get to the end of the road, and they stop, and I was just like, Oh, my God! What did I just experience? It was just this moment in the Lamar Valley all by myself, with a herd of buffalo that I've never felt anywhere else. And so it just tracks. I just belong there at that moment.

Carl Ribaudo: you know, and and I think that's the level of that's the Aha moment that people, I think.

Carl Ribaudo: you know. Maybe they don't look for it, but when they get it, it catches them, and they're like.

Lauren Schlau: You know what I mean?

Carl Ribaudo: Right where I need to be, and and and and it, and it's perfect. So I think that's

Carl Ribaudo: that's that connection that I think you know, it's hard to program. You can't manufacture it. But the story, just the story you're telling me. I get it and the connection that's there. And I think that's that's the essence of the experience, economy and experience tourism, you know. And you know, I wanna, I want to remind some of these smaller tourism destinations

Carl Ribaudo: a lot of times. They want to emulate bigger tourism destinations.

Carl Ribaudo: And maybe that's not always the right thing to do, you know, to look at. You know, tourism from a smaller platform and perspective, and really focus on the experiences that a small place has to offer and not worry so much about emulating a bigger destination down the road, or, you know, across the way, and and really

Carl Ribaudo: not lose sight of that. You know it. It is really about the experience, and I think we both agree that experience is is here to stay.

Carl Ribaudo: You know.

Lauren Schlau: Right, you know. I think if we have some takeaways from this, it's be yourself, be be who you are, promote, who you are, learn who in your community has the stories to tell. Don't over promote really just more. Be there and let people come. And these experiences, wherever they have them. They're not something that you can manufacture as a destination.

Lauren Schlau: They're unexpected, but they're part of where you are and who you are. And those are things to to glorify or revel in.

Carl Ribaudo: You know, Lauren, this has been a great conversation, and I love this storytelling that we've got.

Carl Ribaudo: Yeah, here we are.

Carl Ribaudo: We've got years and years of experience, and we're now starting to tell stories about it in a way that I hope people find interesting and helpful to what they're doing.

Carl Ribaudo: You know, if people want to find out more about us, they can find us on the travel analytics group online, we've got a website. We're gonna have more future episodes, and we look forward to sharing more thoughts and insights and want to thank everybody for coming. So thank you all.

Lauren Schlau: Thanks everybody. I hope it was beneficial and experiential. Hope. You had a great experience. Thanks.

Carl Ribaudo: Thanks, Lauren.

Lauren Schlau: Thanks. Carl.