Visit Jax CEO says "City Leaders hinder tourism"

[spuwho]

In an article just posted to the Times-Union, Visit Jacksonville CEO Pete Astleford speaks out after a year on the job and he holds back no punches.



http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-02/story/visit-jacksonville-ceo-city-leaders-unintentionally-hindering-tourism?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JacksonvillecomsNewsSportsAndEntertainment+%28Jacksonville%27s+Most+Recent+Headlines+-+Jacksonville.com+and+The+Florida+Times-Union%29

Paul Astleford, who was appointed CEO of Visit Jacksonville this year, said if the city wants to attract more tourists, it's time for a major philosophical overhaul from community leaders.

Astleford said Jacksonville can be "a destination of not only the national but the global market." He said it would be "so much fun to be part of the emergence. There's no reason it shouldn't already be there."

Astleford took over the tourism and visitor agency nine months ago. As the end of his first summer tourism season draws to a close, he said some of the major players supporting Jacksonville may be the city's unintentional worst enemies, stunting the city's progress in breaking out into a major destination for tourism, commercial conventions and other events.

"I see a huge opportunity for Jacksonville and, also at the same time, a huge challenge for the leadership of this community," he said.

Astleford is no novice in the tourism industry. He ran tourism and visitor bureaus in both Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago over the past two decades. Prior to that, he was vice president of sales and marketing from 1986 to 1994 at Disney Resorts in Orlando.

While he recognized the tourism opportunity in the "natural water wonderland" that is Jacksonville on his first trip here (during his interview for the job last year), he said community leaders may be too inward looking to recognize it.

Astleford met with leaders from various Jacksonville civic groups, government agencies and commercial organizations this year. He said he then realized that leadership is running the community as if it were operating in a corporate environment with a phenomenon known as "siloing."

"In a corporation, the big boss is able to say, 'Here's my vision. Now who would like a paycheck?' Now, in a community, you cannot do that," Astleford said, insisting that building a community's tourism brand has to start with the entire community, not just the leaders.

"When a community feels ownership, it builds a level of pride. It builds a level of energy. And pride and energy are critical to having a community want to display itself to the world," he said. "The pride and ownership by the broad aspects of the community has been missing."

After engaging with 32 Jacksonville organizations and their representatives beginning in January, Astleford said, it's evident the sense of ownership in the community is limited to the leaders of those groups, who have good intentions. But each of those groups has its own agenda.

"It's been inward looking in this silo way," Astleford said. "What they are unconscious of is the mantra that eventually evolves: 'My project can live, but only if your project dies.' "

And that's been preventing a collaborative brand that should be showcasing Jacksonville, he said.

Astleford declined to list specific groups that might be competing against each other. But one notable public display was over a project designed to draw more tourism.

In 2011, Jacksonville water enthusiast and activist Tom Ingram asked the Jacksonville Waterways Commission for more public access into the St. Johns River. He recommended adding eco-friendly activities at nine different locations to support kayaking and canoeing. Florida Inland Navigation District officials expressed interest in funding the proposal.

But by the end of the year, Mayor Alvin Brown seized the concept and had an official press event Dec. 20, 2011, at Blue Cypress Park in Arlington to announce his initiative to bring more water access to Jacksonville. Brown then paddled into the river in a kayak with other kayakers joining him as cameras were rolling. There was little mention of Ingram at the event.

'LACK OF CONNECTION'

George Gresham, associate professor of marketing at Jacksonville University, said he was surprised at Astleford's willingness to publicly identify Jacksonville's weakness in attracting more visitors. But he said Astleford is on target.

"The challenges are formidable when you think about the different splinters that we have here," Gresham said. "It's kind of hard to think about a Jax brand isn't it?"

At the minimum, Gresham said, there's been no significant branding or marketing of the very heart of Jacksonville — the St. Johns River. That could be the centerpiece that brings a marketing message together.

"There seems to be a lack of connection," Grehsam said. "A lot of people want to feel what the experience is. They want exclusivity in some type of tourism, some type of event that you can go to. Something that they can engage in and be part of and something they can be emotionally attached to."

Gresham said the river can attract tourists and convention visitors to Jacksonville, but said the Riverwalk has been under-developed.

"You go with what resources you have here. We've always played up the river. But to me, having lived here a few years and having lived on rivers on all my life, I find this is one of the least-engaging rivers," Gresham said.

Sure, people take taxies across the river, make a dinner date and visit The Jacksonville Landing. But Gresham said there's no adequate mass transit to shuttle visitors from Jacksonville International Airport straight into downtown on the banks of the river.

"That's a great divider for everyone. It's a difficult problem," Gresham said. "But I think you need to address it. And quite often it's the outside person who can see the forest where we can't, because we're too close to the trees. He [Astleford] will see things we don't."

'SO MUCH TO OFFER'

JAX Chamber President Daniel Davis bristled at Astleford's observations.

"We all understand the special place we live; we have so much to offer," Davis said. "In some cases, we're the envy of many locales around the state because they see the continuity of Jacksonville's business community. I understand that there's always room to improve."

Davis was asked if he's witnessed the siloing effect in Jacksonville that Astleford described.

"I believe we should work to be on the same sheet of music when we're singing our praises," Davis said. "I think that we're doing a good job, but we can always improve ... I think we should work to have the right consistent message and I think that we are doing that right now."

Astleford said there is a solid foundation for attracting tourists and visitors to Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville is already engaged in partnerships with tourism agencies in St. Johns and Nassau counties to offer package deals. To attract more European visitors, Visit Jacksonville organized a contingent traveling to the United Kingdom next month. The Jacksonville Jaguars play the San Francisco 49ers Oct. 27 in London.

Astleford said Jacksonville should emulate the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches Visitor and Convention Bureau, which "gets it" in terms of global marketing.

'HISTORIC COAST'

Richard Goldman is the executive director of the agency in St. Johns County and helped develop the branding of the "Historic Coast" that has increased hotel occupancy since the marketing plan began three years ago, only a year after Goldman was appointed to the position.

Goldman said that while tourism is part of the fabric of St. Augustine and surrounding areas, he agreed with Astleford that competing interests in the community remain the biggest barrier to broadening success, even in a traditionally tourism-rich location such as the nation's oldest city.

"While everyone wants more visitors, some people want them all to come to their place and get jealous when they go to someone else's," Goldman said.

Goldman said that after he took the St. Johns County job and left the post of chief marketing director at Amelia Island Plantation, he had to hold meetings with civic leaders in St. Augustine, just as Astleford is doing in Jacksonville. But even in a city that's heavily dependent on the tourism dollar, there were serious obstacles.

"We had, just as exists in Jacksonville, provincial interests both geographically and within different industries," Goldman said. "Overcoming those by finding the areas of agreement among the various stakeholders is what needs to be done."

After teaming with Astleford on several regional tourism projects, Goldman said he's impressed with the Visit Jacksonville CEO. Goldman said he's convinced Astleford can pull off a visitation overhaul in Jacksonville.

"It's a bigger challenge [than St. Augustine], I would argue," Goldman said. "The way you break through provincial interests is to remind everybody what the customer wants, not what we want."

Astleford said he has community leaders from various organizations buying into collaborative marketing. But the goal of changing Jacksonville into an outward-looking city inviting the world will have to come from community leaders themselves, not from him.

"With a bit of a transformation," he said, "Jacksonville and its leadership could be taking this community where it should have been years and years ago."

[mtraininjax]

Astleford - Just do your job man! No need to air the dirty laundry to the media. Just do your job and build the best solutions with what you have available to you. Build then plan, then work the plan. If you have been successful in other jobs in other cities, there is no reason to doubt you will not be successful here. Just do it! like the slogan says!

[thelakelander]

^This could be a part of him doing his job. Maybe we do need a reality check sometimes?

[Purplebike]

^ +1

[strider]

It seems to me that the same issues that hold Jacksonville back in terms of mast transit, equality and commercial development in downtown are the same ones that hold us back from being a more prominent tourist destination. Things like lack of fixed rail like Street cars, a walk-able and vibrant downtown and better use of the river.  It is the same special interest groups that worry more about themselves than the city as a whole.  And Davis saying anything?  Come on, who is more at the beck and call of the special interests that do harm to this city than he is? We need something more than a reality check. Some need a kick in the proverbial pants and some need to be shown the door out.

[Intuition Ale Works]

I completely agree with him and have had experience with members of our community that want to "silo" their ideas.

There tends to be a lot of "copycatting" of ideas in this city. The "copycats" are motivated by profit and typically miss the reason why the original idea was created.

On similar note, why does our city not embrace and promote our growing brewing industry?

There are many examples of cities that have embraced their brewing industry as a tourist destination and have reaped the rewards.

[Stephen]

I'm proud of him.Sometimes the truth needs to be told.The Good old boy network is what keeps this city down and not moving forward. He did an excellent job in Chicago and I hope he will do the same here..The Dragon Boat Festival coming up is an excellent idea and a great start. How about a 3 or 4 Bridge Run...? A Marathon which would take a route which would take them over several bridges..a different number of bridges by mileage which each participant would choose....Lets show this city off.

[jcjohnpaint]

I have had the same question in my head when I moved here three years ago:  This place has amazing amenities- What is holding Jacksonville back? 
Just food for thought, but I hear this so much from outsiders when they visit. 
I don't think we have to look to hard to find out our leaders are causing the problems around here.  I am glad he is saying something publicly.  I don't think it will change anything, but the more the word is out, the less chance these people have of getting back into office.  I think if anything changes for the better around here, it will be due to grass roots efforts. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Shoot, I love him telling the truth and emptying the box marked "Jacksonville's Political Dysfunction"!   He is saying what needs to be said and my response is "tell it man, tell it"! 

[Stephen]

The thing to do then would be to vote the people out who are holding this city back..why keep them?  You get the politicians you deserve...

[Cheshire Cat]

The thing to do then would be to vote the people out who are holding this city back..why keep them?  You get the politicians you deserve...

The problem is that folks have been "trying" to vote these self serving politicians out for a long time.  The reality is that the local power players fund their people well and then work to see them gain or keep control via the various offices.  To change the game, voters have to be "told the truth" about the dysfunction caused when they leave the future of our city in the hands of political parties and private agenda's.  This is what is refreshing about this  man.  He is telling the truth that many have refused to acknowledge or even want discussed.  Long overdue revelations and they need to keep coming. 

[thelakelander]

^I think his words extend past our political leaders.  Seems he's talking about everything from political leaders to various civic groups and business leaders.

[icarus]

^I think his words extend past our political leaders.  Seems he's talking about everything from political leaders to various civic groups and business leaders.

The issue is more pervasive than just the City Council.  Jacksonville seems to lack a unifying vision and is in desperate need of a real leader/champion, politician or otherwise.

[Cheshire Cat]

^I think his words extend past our political leaders.  Seems he's talking about everything from political leaders to various civic groups and business leaders.

He is Ennis but you know for me and my understanding that the political thing has always been a thorn in the side of Jacksonville.  He is correct in his evaluation of all that you listed as well. 

[Cheshire Cat]

^I think his words extend past our political leaders.  Seems he's talking about everything from political leaders to various civic groups and business leaders.

The issue is more pervasive than just the City Council.  Jacksonville seems to lack a unifying vision and is in desperate need of a real leader/champion, politician or otherwise.

Absolutely agree!