California Tourism Leaders Get Lessons on the Road From High-End Brands
Photo Credit: A pair of swim trunks created to promote Santa Monica tourism in cooperation with the British brand Orlebar. Orlebar
Skift Take
California is in a unique position because it both has a product every traveler is after and it knows how to speak luxury from the start. Trips like these are just icing on the cake.
California is pushing hard to sell laidback luxury to the "super affluent" traveler. According to Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, "This group (making $250,000-plus per year) is critically important to California. It's only three percent of the tourism market, but 15 percent of the total spend. They aren't high volume, but they are high value travelers."
After unveiling the global Golden State of Luxury campaign last year, California destination marketing executives have been traveling the world in order to better understand the needs and desires of the aforementioned three percent. Destination CEO missions have included visits to the United Kingdom and Canada. A delegation also sojourned to the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes last December.
According to Kathy Janega-Dykes, CEO and President of Visit Santa Barbara, "These missions allow us to gain consumer insights and hear about marketing best practices from both luxur
