|
Living on The Secret Coast is no ordinary life.
Enter your favorite Coastal Mississippi scenes for a chance to win!
|
|
Valued Partner,
Our hard-working team, Board of Commissioners, and partner agencies have been implementing strategies with a focus on recovery, all while navigating natural disasters and an unprecedented pandemic. While our latest communications have outlined how we plan to recover following Hurricane Zeta, our team would also like to share information about the many projects and tactics that are coming to life to aid in recovery for our industry.
|
|
Although our area was tested by the recent storm and our paid media was paused temporarily, we resumed normal marketing activities last week. Currently, we are leveraging our newly-created gaming assets as part of our COVID recovery strategy, knowing these experiences are available for our visitors to safely enjoy. We continue to assess and monitor our outdoor offerings and will incorporate into our overall plan as soon as they can be enjoyed safely. As always, we are continuously sharing updates about our myriad of destination experiences, from culinary to cultural.
Technology
- We have partnered with Xplorit Technologies to develop a visually dynamic, experiential 360-degree virtual platform that engages, entertains, and educates prospective meeting and event planners and visitors.
- Bandwango is a travel technology platform allowing us to offer dynamically curated, digitally-delivered access to places and experiences in our region. Digital experience passports combine tickets, special offers, and purchases into a fully-branded experience delivered instantly to the visitor’s phone.
Brand Partnership
- To increase visitation, enhance the reputation of the destination and overall brand message, we have partnered with another brand that has similar ideals as ours. We have partnered with Guy Harvey to reach a national audience of fishing and conservation enthusiasts to promote Coastal Mississippi.
- A very exciting component of this partnership is that he will be painting a Coastal Mississippi Redfish on Facebook Live November 14 at 10 a.m. This painting will be then printed on his line of shirts that will be available in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.
Meetings and Events
Local Brand Awareness Campaign
- This campaign, the My Secret Coast Contest, is currently running locally on TV, radio and print through December 15 with the purpose of instilling community pride and brand awareness.
- This contest encourages residents to share what they love about the region with a chance to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes. Enter at coastalmississippi.com/mysecretcoast.
Research
- To continue guiding our efforts, ongoing monitoring of consumer sentiment, data, and insights is imperative. We are in the process of three research projects:
- Local study to determine public understanding of tourism and the effects it has on the economy.
- Advertising Awareness, Perception and Visitation Impact Study.
- Meeting Professionals Image and Awareness Study to comprehensively examine the attitudes, opinions and perceptions of our region as a meetings destination amongst meeting planners.
|
|
|
Communications and Engagement
|
|
Coast Champions Hospitality Industry Training Program
Coastal Mississippi’s Coast Champions free, online hospitality training program will educate and engage current hospitality industry employees about the destination’s many offerings for visitors. Additionally, this program takes on a newfound importance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where employees can learn more about how to provide a safe and healthy environment for guests. Coastal Mississippi invites anyone involved in the hospitality industry in Coastal Mississippi, both directly and indirectly, to train to become a Coast Champion. Learn more here.
|
|
Public Relations Recovery Efforts
Coastal Mississippi is implementing various tactics to aid in recovery for the destination, including virtual experiences and safe, in-person media opportunities. With an increase in national and regional public relations activities, The Secret Coast will stay top of mind for target media, leading to increased awareness and visitation for the destination.
Aggressive Social Media Campaigns
To complement our efforts in marketing, communications and leisure sales, an aggressive social media campaign is ongoing, showcasing the breadth of safe experiences in the destination and encouraging visitors to take time to unwind along The Secret Coast. We continue to manage expectations on our communication channels regarding damage from Hurricane Zeta and COVID-19 restrictions.
|
|
Run with Des Linden and Grayson Murphy at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon
We are excited to welcome runners to The Secret Coast in just a few weeks for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon! This year, running champions Des Linden and Grayson Murphy will be traveling to the region to participate in the 2020 Mississippi Gulf Coast Half Marathon on Sunday, December 13, 2020.
In 2018, Des Linden was the first American female to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years and then participated in the Margaritaville 5K, part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon weekend. Grayson Murphy is the 2019 World Mountain Running Champion as well as the XTERRA Trail Run World Champion.
With health and safety as top priority, and in accordance with the Coastal Mississippi Promise of health and safety, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon team continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation and guidance from the CDC and other leading health authorities. FRESHJUNKIE Racing is committed to open communication with participants, volunteers, partners, and the racing community, and will continue to update the status of the event with any new information. More information and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon COVID Plan can be found here.
|
|
Expedia
We have a successful history with sales from our partner Expedia Group. Three weeks ago, we launched a campaign to help ignite bookings now. In addition to advertising, we created a top 10 list of things to do that encourages visitors to explore the entire region and inspire them to book longer. This campaign will be running until December 31. As soon as this campaign finishes in January, we will be featured within Visit Mississippi’s Expedia campaign, which runs through March. Coastal Mississippi will be highlighted as a top destination in the state to visit.
Meet Coastal Mississippi
We know travel professionals are at home right now, so we wanted to maximize this time by educating them on the splendors of The Secret Coast. We have created a Travel Trade Twitter account, @MeetCoastalMS, where all of our industry partners around the country can learn more about us and engage with us about safety protocols, deals and incentives. If you have a special deal, please let us know so that we can amplify to travel agents and tour operators.
Motorcoach Industry Update
The motorcoach industry is still determining how it will bounce back. Our team is engaging with this market and industry leaders so we are part of the conversation as recovery efforts happen. In the meantime, we will be partnering with Student Youth and Travel Association (SYTA) to engage with students, teachers and student travel planners about all the amazing educational opportunities in Coastal Mississippi!
|
|
As you can see, our team is working tirelessly to execute our recovery plan. We are excited to see how this multifaceted strategy benefits the destination for years to come. Of course, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our residents and visitors. As always, we encourage you to follow the appropriate COVID-19 safety guidelines as we continue to welcome visitors to The Secret Coast.
Finally, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team should you have any questions. We thank you for your continued support and partnership.
Respectfully,
|
|
|
Milton Segarra, CDME
Coastal Mississippi CEO
|
|
Our Coastal Mississippi Promise of health and safety draws from recommendations developed by leading agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), and the industry guidelines developed by the U.S. Travel Association.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, we have supplied these best practices and standards to our industry partners, emphasizing the importance of employee and visitor safety. Please encourage your staff and guests to adhere to recommendations outlined by the CDC and MSDH. A graphic detailing the most recent executive order from Governor Reeves can be found below.
|
|
|
|
|
