Travel Juneau’s business is selling Juneau, and that means knowing the product.
Liz Perry, Travel Juneau President and CEO, gave a presentation to the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce Thursday afternoon about how that effort is going. Perry discussed at length a DestinationNEXT assessment that ranked perception among Juneauites of the capital city’s characteristics.
“We’re doing great on brand,” Perry said. “We are blowing out of the park in perception. We think a whole lot more of Juneau than most people do of their destination. We’re gung-ho on Juneau.”
The DestinationNEXT assessment was an online survey with 69 participants including community leaders, customers and stakeholders during a March 23 workshop. Responses from 92 members of public were also recorded.
DestinationNEXT is a data-driven platform meant to help destination marketing organizations assess strengths, weaknesses and potential opportunities. The survey was a $12,000 that came from the Travel Juneau budget last year, Perry said.
Signage, ability to get around downtown and air access were also identified as perceived strengths.
Local community support and hospitality ranked out as relative weaknesses.
“There’s a perception that we’re offering really bad customer service,” Perry said of the survey results.
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She also mentioned efforts are underway to better market Juneau in the offseason and make it standout more from other locales in Southeast Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and abroad.
The presentation closed with a short question and answer session.
Assembly member Wade Bryson, who was in the audience, asked Perry about how a request for $120,000 for marketing that is being considered by the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly would be used.
The increment request is currently on the Finance Committee’s pending item list during the city’s budget-making process.
Perry specified the money, like most of Travel Juneau’s funding, would come from hotel bed tax funds.
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The requested money would be used to create new video and photos to be displayed on the Travel Juneau website, attend trade shows to help awareness of Juneau as a destination in Australia and hosting “high-value media,” Perry said.
Bryson encouraged those in attendance who liked what they heard to let his fellow Assembly members know ahead of a Wednesday, May 15 City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Finance Committee meeting.
“If you believe in marketing for Juneau, and you are familiar with some Assembly members, please reach out to them,” Bryson said.
• Contact arts and culture reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com . Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
