Copy
View this email in your browser
Living on The Secret Coast is no ordinary life.
Enter your favorite Coastal Mississippi scenes by December 15 for a chance to win!
Valued Partner, 

It is hard to believe we are quickly approaching the end of a year filled with challenges and opportunities. As we reflect on the many lessons 2020 has taught us, I have to thank you for your steadfast support as we navigated an unprecedented year together. 

Coastal Mississippi is leading nation in occupancy 


We recently learned from Smith Travel Report (STR) that Coastal Mississippi is exceeding expectations in terms of occupancy and revenue, truly acting as an anomaly for the industry. 
  • Nationally, room occupancy is down 33.2%.
  • In the State of Mississippi, room occupancy is down by 16.8%.
  • In Coastal Mississippi, room occupancy is down just 10.2%. 
From the beginning, we have committed to you that we would evolve our strategies to adapt to the new traveler mindset, and we have. Backed by insights and data, we have made pivots and adjustments where necessary. These shifts are addressing the needs of our return and new visitors. To view the full STR report, click here

Meetings Image & Awareness Study results

We recently received results from our Meetings Image & Awareness Study for the destination, conducted by Destination Analysts. Below are a few key findings, and the full report can be viewed here
  • Over 50% expect live events to return in Q2 and Q3 of 2021
  • 65.1% use general internet search when researching destinations in which to hold meetings or events
  • Attributes important to meetings destination selection include overall cost of holding meeting in destination, ease of getting there, popularity of destination with attendees and popularity of destination with decision makers
  • Ways to increase likelihood of sourcing Coastal Mississippi for future meetings include having a convention center with attached resort/hotel, improved airlift and extensive marketing
  • Planners believe Coastal Mississippi is best suited to host Board/other organizational retreats, annual meetings, reunion events, business meetings/board meetings
  • Top impediments to sourcing Coastal Mississippi include lack of familiarity and not knowing enough about the facilities
Outlook for 2021 travel

Destination Analysts has released its latest iteration of the Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index, providing a glimpse into what 2021 could look like for the industry. View the full report here
  • Americans are looking at a 2021 in which they will take three leisure trips on average, and over 47% say they will prioritize leisure travel in their personal budget.
  • In terms of the actual experiences they will prioritize, spending time with loved ones, getting away from crowds, enjoying nature, going to new places they haven’t been before, excitement and energy, as well as budget travel will be top.
  • Well over a third of Americans whose job allows them to telecommute say they are likely to take a “workcation” in 2021, while, 29.4% of Americans who travel with school-aged children say they are likely to take a “schoolcation.” 

Marketing and Sales
We have launched two new vertical markets focusing on outdoors and gaming. Currently, we are leveraging new assets for these campaigns in addition to promoting our overall brand. These new assets represent our comprehensive recovery plan and are being promoted via social, digital and traditional media. We continue to prioritize health and safety in all of our efforts.

Our team has also launched a holiday-themed campaign highlighting the safe, holiday events still available for visitors to enjoy during this month of adjusted festivities. As always, we are continuously sharing updates about our myriad of destination experiences, from casino to cultural.

Technology
  • Xplorit Technologies spent two weeks in Coastal Mississippi capturing dynamic, experiential 360-degree assets. These assets will later live within a virtual platform on Coastal Mississippi’s website that will engage, entertain, and educate prospective meeting and event planners and visitors. 
  • The Bandwango team is currently onboarding area attractions for feature within the Coastal Mississippi Attractions Pass, in addition to highlighting free attractions on the Coastal Mississippi Free and Fun Pass. This touchless programming will be integrated with Coastal Mississippi’s website, allowing consumers to purchase attraction passes online.
Brand Partnership - Integrated Sponsorships 
  • Dr. Harvey and team are currently in the design stages of the Coastal Mississippi performance tee, featuring the redfish painted within his Facebook live video on November 14. In the Fall/Winter edition of Guy Harvey Magazine, there was a two-page feature story on Coastal Mississippi highlighting the destination’s fishing opportunities and promoting our region as a year-round fishing destination, reaching approximately 20,000 readers.
  • As the running endurance industry has seen most of its high-profile marathons canceled due to COVID-19 this year, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon is on schedule to provide a safe and healthy environment for racing. Coastal Mississippi is proud to be hosting this year’s event alongside two athlete influencers, Des Linden and Grayson Murphy, who will both be participating in the Half Marathon. These influencers can help amplify our ongoing message of prioritizing health and safety.
Meetings and Events
  • An ongoing targeted social media campaign is running tailored toward meeting and event planners, with the messaging that Coastal Mississippi is open and ready to host their next meeting, convention and/or event.
  • The team is working daily to re-engage with our clients, encouraging them to bring their business to Coastal Mississippi as well as identifying new opportunities to host events in destination.
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.
  • To date, Coastal Mississippi has received 711 total submissions.
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.
      • We hope that if you are asked to participate in this study, that you will take advantage of the opportunity as your responses will influence future marketing efforts.
    • Advertising Awareness, Perception and Visitation Impact Study, with results anticipated next month. 
    • Meeting Professionals Image and Awareness Study to comprehensively examine the attitudes, opinions and perceptions of our region as a meetings destination amongst meeting planners. Findings can be viewed here.
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. Information about how to create individual accounts and begin the program will be shared later this week with partners that have expressed interest in the program. Users will continue to be added to the program throughout the year. Learn more here
Become a Coast Champion
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. 
  • To showcase the variety of culinary attributes of the destination, Coastal Mississippi will be hosting a Virtual Chef Roadshow with top tier culinary media. 
  • Piquing the interest of media can be a difficult task. To differentiate the destination, Coastal Mississippi is sending Spill the Secret Media Boxes to top tier travel and lifestyle media members, featuring a sampling of items from the region and encouraging new earned media coverage. 
  • We are inviting media in target markets to visit our 62 miles of shoreline in a safe way during a Virtual Destination Drive-In, featuring various points of interest from throughout our 12 cities and communities. 
  • To celebrate a new year full of possibilities, Coastal Mississippi will be securing a Satellite Media Tour looking toward travel in 2021. 
  • Coastal Mississippi continues to pitch the destination to interested media to determine their interest in visiting for tailored press trips to earn additional media coverage for the destination. 
Go Remote Social Media Campaign

The name of the 2020 game is “remote.” Remote work, remote happy hours, remote check-ins, interviews and birthdays. But we want to redefine the word and offer people a way to enjoy meaningful moments that add up to an experience they’ll carry with them.

On The Secret Coast, visitors can escape the virtual monotony and discover a well-kept world of natural wonders and authentic culture that makes travelers feel like they're the only ones who have it all right at their fingertips. With the space to enjoy themselves, the room to social distance on their own terms and the time to discover what makes this place so unique, visitors will encounter a world that offers more to explore and more to experience.

This robust social media campaign recently launched across Coastal Mississippi's social platforms (including curated playlists on Spotify) and speaks to the current needs of our travelers. Additional phases of the campaign will continue to roll out. We hope you take some time to Go Remote, enjoying more of our beautiful destination! 

Leisure Sales
Expedia

Our campaign with Expedia Group has been live for a few weeks and is showing promising data.  We expect a successful campaign and will be sharing those results after it wraps this month. In January, we will be a spotlight destination in the Visit Mississippi campaign running through March 2021.

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. Our tailored travel toolkit is coming later this month and will be shared on our account and with you all by email.

Motorcoach Industry Update
The motorcoach industry is waiting patiently for vaccine success and plans to resume group travel next year. Our team is engaging with this market and industry leaders, ensuring we are part of the conversation as recovery efforts happen. In the meantime, we partnered with the Student Youth and Travel Association (SYTA) to engage with students, teachers and student travel planners about all the amazing educational opportunities in Coastal Mississippi! Please contact Zach for more information regarding this new market.
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

Coastal Mississippi Wins Best Social Media Presence Award at
MTA's Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Coastal Mississippi is honored to have received the Best Social Media Presence Award at this year's MTA Governor's Conference on Tourism at IP Casino, Resort & Spa, Biloxi! This event showcased how our partners are truly able to create a safe meeting experience for groups of all sizes. 

In spite of challenges presented by last year's freshwater intrusion and the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Coastal Mississippi saw an impressive year-over-year social media growth of 25.76%.
Learn More
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. 
Website
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Vimeo
Pinterest
Email
Copyright © 2020 Coastal Mississippi, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 8005
Biloxi, MS 39531

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.