Celebrating Travel (and Its Wondrous Possibilities)

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! As America just finished celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday, it got me thinking to back to when I was a kid: I‘m not sure if I appreciated the wisdom of Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel) as much as I do as an adult. His books always entertained me, but I didn’t realize that a majority of life’s lessons could be found on their pages.

I think fondly of sayings like, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” This is so simple, yet so profound. It reminds us that we are only limited by our ability to believe in the impossible. You—and only you—decide how successful you will be at something.

As DMOs, we need to take the initiative to make advancements in our tourism communities. We have the ability to be the “guy” and steer our destination in the direction of growth, uniquely leverage partnerships, and, best of all, dream the impossible.

Recently, our team worked with a tour operator to create a new tour product, “Tulips, Waterfalls, Shopping, Oh My,” with an emphasis on tax-free shopping. To create buzz and to thank our client for the partnership, our team offered a $250 Visa card to be raffled at the group’s welcome reception. The tour was sold out, the group arrived, and the winner was announced. What our team didn’t expect was the power of the story that unfolded next: The winner of the Visa card joined the trip with only $50, having saved everything to join the trip and to have the opportunity to travel with friends and experience a bucket list destination.

By taking the initiative to offer a small incentive, our team was able to inspire someone about the celebration of travel and its wondrous possibilities. We also had the opportunity to enhance, enrich, and expand the experience of every traveler in that group, with one small gesture.

Just like the Dr. Seuss books, I encourage you to follow your dreams to all of the different places in the big, wide world. And, who knows? Those places might be a big city, on a mountaintop, or in helping implement the power of travel.

Written by: Lisa Itel is the global sales manager, the Americas & Oceana, for Travel Oregon/Oregon Tourism Commission.