wa tourism advertising

Data & Research

Research and data are essential for State of Washington Tourism (SWT). They provide valuable insights for destination promotion and management, including travel patterns, market trends, and consumer behavior. SWT partners with industry-leading research firms to measure the performance of marketing campaigns and assess the impact of tourism around the state. Destination communities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations can utilize research and data to make informed decisions, plan strategically, and remain competitive. 

This page will continue to be updated, so check back regularly for more resources. For research inquiries, please contact Michelle Thana .

Economic Impact

State of Washington Tourism contracts with Tourism Economics to conduct an annual Economic Impact of Tourism in Washington State report. 

The economic impact of tourism is measured by analyzing data on tourist arrivals, tourism expenditures, and the multiplier effects of tourism spending on other industries in the economy. This data is used to estimate the number of jobs supported by tourism, the amount of tax revenue generated, and the overall economic activity that results from tourism-related spending.

State of Washington Tourism distributes these reports, along with county-level data, to local destination organizations or county contacts responsible for tourism.

If you would like to request a copy of the report for one-time usage, please email [email protected] with a summary of your request and how you would utilize the report.

View Report Highlights

Advertising Effectiveness

State of Washington Tourism contracts with independent research firm SMARInsights to measure the effectiveness and return on investment of its integrated marketing campaigns. SMARInsights is a recognized leader in the industry, conducting custom research for destination organizations across the country. 

SMARInsights measures incremental travel. It can compare the travel patterns of audiences who have seen advertising and those who have not. This information provides a clear contrast between data sets and depicts a true return on investment value. The inaugural integrated campaign, True to Nature , has generated strong results, yielding an ROI of $33 to $1 spent on paid media in 2022, and a $69:1 ROI on paid media from September 2022 to March 2023.

The report also measures visitation to Washington’s different regions, and overlap in visitation amongst the regions.

View the Report

Visitation Patterns

Understanding visitor patterns and seasonality are important in developing a statewide marketing and stewardship strategy. State of Washington Tourism partners with Datafy to understand visitation patterns and visitor movement throughout the state. Datafy is a mobile geolocation data provider that tracks visitors based on cell phone data received from partner apps. Datafy also provides insight into visitor spending through credit card data from Mastercard.

View Regional Visitation Reports

WTMA Annual Report

State of Washington Tourism reports annually to the Washington Tourism Marketing Authority (WTMA), which is charged with overseeing the state’s tourism strategy and working with industry leaders and tourism marketing professionals to attract visitors to every part of the state. The annual report shows SWT and Washington’s progress against metrics defined by the board.

View the 2023 Report

Pandemic Impact & Industry Recovery 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound and far-reaching impact on travel and tourism. Though some industries and destinations have recovered faster than others, the current economic climate threatens to slow recovery efforts. Persistent inflation and rising oil prices have triggered an increase in transport and accommodation costs. This could affect spending patterns for the remainder of the year, with tourists increasingly seeking ways to maximize their spending power with shorter trips closer to home.

It is important to note that the pandemic’s long-term effects on travel and tourism are still evolving. Consumer preferences, business strategies, and government policies will continue to adapt in response to the ongoing challenges. For more information on these challenges and to track recovery efforts, please review the following resources. 

Longwoods International – COVID-19 and American Travel Sentiment Research Longwoods International is a tourism research firm that has been tracking travel sentiment since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

Destination Analysts – COVID-19 Travel Insights Destination Analysts is a tourism research firm that studies travel sentiment every week of more than 1,200 travelers.

Washington State Department of Commerce – COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Interim Report (September 2022) This interim report covers tourism marketing activities from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. Funding was provided by the Washington State Legislature in the 2021-22 operating budget (ESSB 5092), section 129(57). The legislation allocated $12 million to assist in the recovery of tourism in Washington state after the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Travel Association – Recovery and Growth Insights Dashboard As a member of the U.S. Travel Association, SWT has access to the Recovery and Growth Insights Dashboard, the most comprehensive and centralized source for high-frequency intelligence on the U.S. travel industry and the broader economy. The platform is powered by Tourism Economics and supported by more than 20 data partners.

About the WTMA

The Washington Tourism Marketing Authority was created by the state legislature in 2018 to oversee state funds used for statewide tourism marketing services that promote tourism on behalf of the citizens of the state.

The WTMA contracts with a private entity to perform state tourism marketing activities and the authority is charged with overseeing the use of these funds and working with the contractor to maximize the available dollars to attract visitors to Washington.

The WTMA board is composed of industry representatives appointed by the Governor and members of the state legislature. The board is supported by representatives from the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation and Department of Parks & Recreation as well as a representative from a federally recognized tribe. These individuals are non-voting members of the WTMA and provide additional counsel and expertise to the authority.

The state tourism marketing account was created in the state treasury and all receipts from tax revenues under RCW 82.08.225. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation and expenditures may be used only for expenditures that are related to implementation of a statewide tourism marketing program and operation of the authority. Additional matching funds consisting of nonstate and state funds or other general funds, contributions in the form of cash and in-kind contributions can supplement the revenue apprpriated by RCW 82.08.225.

The WTMA is guided by a set of bylaws approved by the board. You can download a copy below.

Washington Tourism Marketing Authority Bylaws 

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Washington’s awe-inspiring beauty and diverse geography and culture are natural draws for tourists around the world. Throughout the year, residents and visitors alike travel to towns large and small to see stunning vistas carved by volcanoes and mighty glaciers, steal some calm on a deserted ocean beach, catch some waves along the coast or carve some turns in pristine powder as night falls.

Indeed, Washington is an outdoor recreation and sports paradise, from boating and camping to treks through one of the few temperate rain forests in the world. For those that like their adventures to be a little more citified, visitors can enjoy world-class restaurants featuring the freshest seafood the Salish Sea has to offer. If these arts are more your style, roam through endless museums, enjoy a symphony concert in the park, catch a touring Broadway production or bask in the skill of a street musician who can play guitar and hula hoop at the same time.

Feeling like venturing out? Enjoy a day in Edmond’s Creative District before watching the sunset over the Olympics, or spend a weekend in Leavenworth; a Bavarian-themed town tucked away in the lee of the Cascade Mountain range. Tour Washington wine country with its hundreds of wineries and sprawling vineyards. Indulge in a facial or spa treatment in a historic hotel to renew and recharge, such as the Davenport in Spokane or luxurious Fairmont in downtown Seattle.

Whatever strikes your fancy, Washington is ready to exceed your expectations.

Robb Zerr Senior Managing Director State Marketing & Tourism Phone: (206) 256-6111

Industry Snapshot

• Tourism is the state’s fourth-largest industry after ICT, aerospace and forest products.
• The sector generates roughly $22.1 billion annually statewide and contributes $3.1 billion in local and state taxes.
• The average visitor spends $216 per visit.
• 97.6% are domestic visitors; 2.4% are international travelers.
• The industry employs more than 150,000 workers.
• Industry reports estimate that every dollar spent by a tourist creates $1.36 in additional economic impact.
• Two-thirds of travelers are state residents who enjoy Washington’s year-round recreation and sports opportunities.

Some things never change.

Bing Crosby takes you on a journey of Washington State circa 1968, showing you many of the wonders that continue to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the state each year. For locals, it’s fun to spot a few icons that have become cherished memories of our past, like the Seattle skyline before skyscrapers.

2024 Tourism Guide

Helpful links.

• Official State Tourism Site
• Washington Tourism Alliance
• Outdoor Recreation – Gov. Inslee’s Office
• Washington State Dept. of Parks & Recreation

Meeting & Board Updates

A list of meetings and updates concerning WTMA activities can be found on their website, thewtma.org .

office hours

M-F: 8am - 5pm

2001 Sixth Ave., Suite 2600, Seattle, WA  98121

[email protected]

(206) 256-6100

'Walking on a Dream' the slogan for WA's latest international tourism advertising campaign

"Walking on a Dream" will be the catchphrase for selling tourism in WA for at least the next five years after the state launched a new $15 million global campaign.

Key points:

• The new campaign will see adverts shown in 11 countries and interstate
• WA is trying to rebuild its tourism industry after a tough two years
• Musician Luke Steele says it is an "honour" to promote his home state

The 2008 hit song Walking on a Dream by WA's Empire of the Sun has been reimagined for the campaign, which will run interstate and in 11 different countries.

West Australian-born Luke Steele, who is one half of the electro-pop duo, recorded a stripped-back cover of Walking on a Dream with his daughter Sonny and the Gondwana children's choir.

At the centre of selling WA's new "brand" are a series of video advertisements which will run on TV and online, showcasing dramatic landscapes up and down the state.

They also feature the dancing of two West Australian Aboriginal performers, Rika Hamaguchi and Ian Wilkes.

The advertisements, which will first air on the east coast from tomorrow before being launched overseas, include a one-minute video covering multiple locations.

There are also four 30-second clips focusing on individual WA locations — the Kimberley, Ningaloo Reef, the Margaret River region and Perth.

The adverts will also run widely on outdoor billboards, online and on social media.

A WA crew shot the videos on location and the creative direction came from The Brand Agency, based in Perth.

The international markets that will be targeted include the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, USA, India, Hong Kong, Japan, and China.

The campaign was launched at a breakfast for hundreds of people under a giant blue whale skeleton inside Perth Museum Boola Bardip.

Tourism Minister Roger Cook told the crowd the campaign reflected Aboriginal culture being the "beating heart of WA's tourism strategy".

"Eighty per cent of international tourists come here wanting an Aboriginal cultural experience, less than 20 per cent leave having actually had that experience," he said.

"We're changing this, [with] the new tourism campaign guided through close consultation with WA's Aboriginal community leaders and the community at large."

Minister sets lofty goals

Mr Cook said tourism had never been more competitive and the Walking on a Dream campaign would keep WA in the fight.

"The past few years have been unlike anything the tourism sector and the world have ever experienced. International tourism stopped completely," he said.

"Every country, every state is trying to rebuild and refresh their tourism industry, everyone is competing for attention, it is the toughest and most competitive tourism market the world has ever seen.

"Western Australia offers tourism experiences that exist nowhere else in the world, but we can't expect people to find us by accident. We need to be bold, we need to be different, but above all we need to have a strong sense of identity."

While the government would not reveal any specific targets for visitor numbers or financial return it hoped the campaign would bring, Mr Cook did set a goal to double pre-COVID tourism business in WA by 2032.

"In the year before COVID, the total visitor spend contributed $13.5 billion dollars to our economy and provided 100,000 jobs," he said.

"We want to double that in the next decade."

The campaign will also run in WA, with the state hoping to hang on to some of the boosted intrastate travel that COVID and closed borders helped to foster.

"We want the campaign to be adopted with pride by locals, because it is a story about us, it's about the extraordinary place we are privileged to call home," Mr Cook said.

Tourism WA managing director Carolyn Turnbull said the campaign had been catered to the post-COVID era.

"Visitors are really seeking the wide-open spaces, and extremely beautiful experiential journeys that Western Australia offers so beautifully," she said.

"I do believe that Walking on a Dream is going to elevate Western Australia to the world in a highly cluttered and competitive marketplace that the world is facing right now.

"We want to be a bucket-list destination, we want to be seen as an awe-inspiring place to visit."

Steele gets 'keys to the city'

As is standard practice, the government declined to reveal how much Luke Steele had been paid for his music.

While the singer joked that "a couple of jet skis and the keys to the city" had got him over the line, he said it was an "honour" to promote his home state.

"This is where we wrote the song, this where I met my wife, where my kids were born, I mean what a great honour for this song to represent this great state," he said.

"Re-recording a song that's sold millions of records and had an impact on people around the world took a few revisions.

"The main thing we wanted to remember was not losing what is so great about this song in the first place, which is its simplicity, beauty, and power … the original has nothing in it, there's a keyboard, a guitar."

Premier Mark McGowan said the campaign had tried to differentiate WA from interstate competitors and he was confident the videos promoted a uniquely WA holiday.

"Well, it has Western Australia written on it, that's a pretty good sign that it's about Western Australia and the images are all Western Australia, and it'll direct people to our website, there's not much more you can do than that," he said.

"We are very focused on making sure that we differentiate ourselves from the experiences on the eastern states.

"These sorts of things build, and so running this campaign interstate and around the world builds awareness of Western Australia.

"And then you convert by sending people to your website, by tourism operators and travel agents promoting Western Australia, those sorts of things convert these campaigns into actual people coming here."

The Australian Hotels Association's Bradley Woods agreed the later, more specific stages of the campaign that were set to follow would be important.

"These ads form the basis of the brand, they're not the campaign to actually get people to book. That will come," he said.

"The next iteration of this campaign will be the 'travel now', 'book here', 'this is how you do it', 'here's the special', and that's the tactical campaign that will roll out.

"But the initial stage is the new branding, but the music that comes with that, the fantastic dreamlike essence that this campaign will deliver."

WA's image has a long way to go

Mr Woods said while there was no doubt  WA's image elsewhere had a long way to go in recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 and closed borders, progress was being made.

"The closed borders did have an impact on the state, there's no doubt about that," he said.

"As we know regional Western Australian tourism businesses did really well with people staying within the state.

"Metropolitan Perth, hospitality, and accommodation businesses were in a very difficult period but they're starting to recover now. We're seeing more conventions and events coming to the state."

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• Rural Tourism
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Tourism WA launches new brand campaign ‘Walking On A Dream’ via The Brand Agency

The Brand Agency has released a new campaign that promotes Western Australia to the world for Tourism WA. “Walking On A Dream” invites travellers to visit Western Australia to explore the awe-inspiring attributes that make Western Australia a wondrous, otherworldly, and dream-like place.

The Walking On A Dream brand will underpin Tourism WA’s marketing activities and campaigns into the future and was developed with the support of the WA Government’s $195 million Reconnect WA funding package. Media was handled by Initiative and the campaign is backed by WA based band Empire of the Sun’s hit “Walking on a Dream” and was directed by Clockwork Films’ Hans Emanuel Edwards.

Western Australia’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Roger Cook, said the ‘Walking On A Dream’ campaign has been developed in close consultation with WA’s Aboriginal tourism community.

“Walking On A Dream is inspired by WA’s unique Aboriginal culture in an artistic, authentic way, in line with the State Government’s Jina Plan objective to make WA the nation’s premier Aboriginal tourism destination. The past few years have been unlike anything the tourism sector, and the world, have ever experienced before – every country, every State is trying to rebuild and refresh their tourist industry, amid the toughest and most competitive tourism market the world has ever seen. This new campaign will ensure that WA stands out as one of the world’s most unique, memorable and most desirable places to visit, now and well into the future.”

Tourism WA Managing Director Carolyn Turnbull said the new Walking On A Dream creative would elevate the profile of Western Australia as a unique destination within a highly competitive global marketplace.

“Walking On A Dream was built upon the four destination-defining pillars of Time, Space, Connection and Freedom – themes we know are incredibly important to travellers,” said Turnbull. “Tourism WA’s new brand platform is underpinned by our overarching master brand objective, which is to provoke the spirit of adventure in every traveller.

“This brand platform explores our unique State in the form of a dream – it is a metaphor for the natural, deep connection to the landscapes, wildlife, coastline, people and culture, that is felt by those who come here. This new brand will ultimately help turbocharge visitor numbers to WA and provide a significant financial boost to the State’s economy.”

The Brand Agency Executive Creative Director Dean Hunt said: “The extreme competitiveness of the global tourism market, post global lockdown, inspired us to create something unique to Western Australia. Our Walking on a Dream creative is a modern representation of an animistic dream and a true showcase of otherworldly Western Australia, and Western Australian talent.”

Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele, who has worked with band member Nick Littlemore to re-record their hit single ‘Walking On A Dream’ exclusively for the new brand launch. The re-recorded track features in the new television and digital advertising that will showcase Western Australia’s re-imagined international identity to entice even more travellers to visit ‘WA the Dream State’ – which has also become the State’s new social media hashtag.

“Working with Nick and Luke to create a bespoke version of their famous song was a unique and special experience,” said Hunt. “The melody, the lyrics and Luke’s ethereal voice capture perfectly what it feels like to explore Western Australia.”

Initiative Head of Client Services Steve Hare said the new brand leveraged the success of the previous interim Tourism WA campaign, Wander out Yonder.

“The new brand’s media continues to celebrate the Aboriginal-inspired creative to its maximum and live the strategy of ‘fewer, bigger, bolder.’ Using culturally impactful locations, investing in partnerships and supported by cross-platform activity and previous learnings, means the campaign and its effectiveness will have a significant impact on awareness of all Western Australia has to offer. We are proud to be part of that journey.”

The domestic launch of Tourism WA’s new brand will include television, online video, large format out-of-home, paid social, digital, press, and trade partner activity, all used at different parts of the conversion funnel.

VIEW THE WALKING ON A DREAM LAUNCH FILM VIEW THE KIMBERLEY FILM VIEW THE NINGALOO FILM VIEW THE MARGARET RIVER FILM VIEW THE PERTH BOORLOO FILM

Tourism WA Managing Director: Carolyn Turnbull A/Executive Director Marketing: Melissa Forbes Director Brand and Marketing: Angela Raso Brand and Marketing Manager: Luke Lenzarini

Agency: The Brand Agency Executive Creative Director: Dean Hunt Senior Art Director: Niall Stephen Senior Copywriter: Dan Debuf
 Head of Design: Dan Agostino Designers: Mindy Lee, Janice Law Strategy Director: Emily Colman
 Business Director: Brendon Lewis Account Director: Ruby Broun
 Senior Account Manager: Christina Tilenni Agency Producer: Rylie Bannan Production Companies: Clockwork Films & King Street Director: Hans Emanuel Edwards
 Executive Producer: Heath George (Clockwork)
 Executive Producer: Katie Trew (King Street)
 Producer/Locations: Claire Burton
 Locations Consultant: Mike Montague
 1st AD: Brad Holyoake
 Production Manager: Caeley Wesson
 Production Assistants: Rachel Hawkins & Alexandra Nell, Kate Separavich DoP: Liam Gilmore
 First AC: Austin Haigh
 2nd AC: Brianna Trinidad
 Trinity/Stedicam: Damien King
 Underwater Cinematographer: Rick Rifici
 Drone Pilot: Stefan Kraus
 Drone Camera Operator: Russel Morris
 Gaffer: Grant Wilson
 Best Boy: Alfie Rashid
 Grip: Greg McKie
 Wardrobe: Helen Fitzgerald & Marcia Ball
 H&MU: Kate Farmer and Nadia Duca Choreographer: Amrita Hepi
 Talent: Rika Hamaguchi & Ian Wilkes Stills Photographer: Mauro Palmieri, Ian Regnard Retoucher: Adam Hayes, Nicola Commons Post Production: UPP VFX Supervisor: Mario Dubec GFX animation: Tracey Kim Offline Editor: Giacomo Prestinari Music: Empire of the Sun
 Music Supervisor: Helena Czajka Sound Engineering: Universal Music Audio Post: Massive Music Media Agency: Initiative Head of Client Services, Steve Hare Associate Director: Molly Trumble Investment Executive: Emily Whyte Performance Manager: Agostina Scagliotti Addressable Manager: Julian Speller Strategy Director: Jessy Van Der Geest

75 Comments

Block Branding?

How is it possible that no one at the agency recognised this work is way to similar to the Karinyup stuff? Took me 30 seconds.

Tourism WA came home and reaped the rewards. Not a quokka cliche in sight.

I look forward to The Brand explaining this….

https://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/130139/Karrinyup-Shopping-Centre-WA-on-Stage

A Hollywood remake of an indie original. Love to hear Matso’s thoughts.

Haha what a strange pastiche. It works when you’re selling a fashion-centric shopping centre but not WA, for me.

Planning a trip to Karrinyup this weekend.

someone slap a karrinyup logo on that bad boy

I need to preclude this by saying that in all my years of working in the WA ad industry, I have never commented in this forum. But having been sent this ad yesterday by a colleague, I found myself with a lot to say about it.

Giving credit where it’s due, the campaign that Brand has created is stunning. It’s beautifully crafted, and a testament to their production team. I also know how long a campaign like this would have taken to create, so the team should be proud at what they’ve accomplished now it’s finally live. The creative and comms strategy is also great, so well done to Emily from Brand and also the Initiative Perth team for their work on this- you can see the effort that went into this. I’m sure it will do well on a global stage in achieving it’s objectives.

But let’s be honest, the concept they have devised is completely unoriginal. In fact, if you added a couple of stages and swapped out the logo for Karrinyup’s, you’d almost be mistaken in thinking that it’s the newest iteration of Block Branding’s highly successful and original ‘WA on Stage’ campaign that was released last year (albeit with a much bigger budget).

The resemblance is uncanny- both have almost the exact same concept- a male and female contemporary dancer, dancing in a dreamlike sequence through iconic and stunning WA locations to showcase the best in WA. Block obviously took this further by using this as a parallel to the best in WA being offered at Karrinyup and used the symbolism of the stages to bring to life the newly redeveloped brand platform, but you get the point. Both ads are pushing a destination brand (and yes, Karrinyup was positioned as a destination following it’s redevelopment not merely a shopping centre), the choreography is eerily similar (the touching of the hands in the opening?), the underwater sequence, the visual effects (the fruit?), the dancing through iconic WA locations….the only difference is the budget and the fact that Block created their campaign almost a year ago now.

Now if this ad had been created by Tourism WA’s East coast agency (which I admit when I first saw it on Youtube I had assumed was the case), then you could almost forgive them of this fact given Block’s Karrinyup campaign was WA-based, and those on the east coast may not have seen it. But it wasn’t. It was created by one of the powerhouse WA agencies. Karrinyup’s WA on Stage platform was one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) campaign to come out of WA in 2021, there was absolutely no way that the Brand team would not have seen it.

As I said before, I’m not taking away from the quality of the Tourism WA ad, nor is this post designed to create division as to which ad was better- they are both stunning pieces of work. But as a usual advocate of their work, I’m left simply feeling really disappointed in The Brand Agency in their decision create something so prominent that was obviously rooted in the original concept (whether intentionally or not) devised by another local Perth agency. Not something I would have expected to see.

Would love a side-by-side comparison of this and Block’s Karrinyup ad

I was about to jump onto this to leave some scathing yet witty remark about its similarity to the Karrinyup campaign. But I was clearly beaten to it. So all I’m going to say is when are we going to stop rolling out music and montage ads with the same old places? Kangaroo Island did it best. 100% New Zealand has an idea. The old Melbourne/Victoria ads actually made me want to go there, so I did for 6 years. It’s pretty safe to say this will not increase visitors in any significant way. So if we take the way Brand solved this – find a good song from a WA artist and use the lyric to create a strap line – my suggestion is from Tame Impala: Tourism WA – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards. Other suggestions are welcomed.

Was a single new thought deployed in coming up with this? You can imagine the sweaty creatives getting so deep in the navel gazing that resurrecting a single from a decade ago and introducing a flying whale shark (WTF) made sense. WA taxpayers fund yet another self-licking ice-cream. Fundamentally, you get no sense or feeling of what it means to visit WA – it is stale and lacks authenticity. The only upside for locals is that accomodation rates will not get any more expensive as this campaign will certainly not motivate a single person to visit.

Still waiting to see how WA Tourism tackles the negative rep WA has gained from 2 years with a hard boarder! What’s the actual number of people from East Coast coming to WA as a tourist? And no that doesn’t include visiting family. Isn’t it less than 0.05%?

Beautiful insight, beautiful track, beautiful craft. Love it! Everyone involved should be very proud.

I don’t believe anyone has the proprietary right to dancing, so I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. We should be celebrating a gorgeous WA campaign coming out of WA. This is a win for everyone.

P.s. where’s my credit?!

WA campaign coming out of WA? Lets examine how much of this came from out of town;

Director: Hans Emanuel Edwards
 Executive Producer: Heath George DoP: Liam Gilmore
 First AC: Austin Haigh Trinity/Stedicam: Damien King Wardrobe: Helen Fitzgerald Choreographer: Amrita Hepi Post Production: UPP VFX Supervisor: Mario Dubec GFX animation: Tracey Kim Offline Editor: Giacomo Prestinari Music Supervisor: Helena Czajka Sound Engineering: Universal Music Audio Post: Massive Music

A LOT of money going east and OS 


These comments are so Perth.

Before we get carried away. The idea that The Brand Agency team would blatantly copy another agency’s idea is quite ludicrous. Why would they do that knowing it will launch within the same market? It’s also worth noting that the Karrinyup spot, as good as it is, is not the first campaign to use a couple dancing to contemporary music and post-production: Burberry, Kenzo… there are many. It is okay to be inspired and influenced by genres, this is how trends with communication happen both locally and internationally. We’re better than this WA. Support the work being done by both of these powerhouse WA agencies. It’s good work.

I dont believe anyone is getting carried away. Im reading a lot of valid points. I agree, there’s nothing wrong with being influenced by a genre. But being influenced by something and producing a near identical execution is not the same thing. As soon as I watched the tourism ad I thought Karrinyup. Influenced or not, that’s not a good thing.

And it certainly isn’t original. Classical dancing doesn’t scream indigenous either, in fact, there’s really nothing First Nations about this piece at all. A missed opportunity to connect the unique culture of WA to the rest of the World I think. Hiring indigenous talent doesn’t cut it I’m afraid.

Speaking of significant financial boost to the State’s economy – why not use a WA-based Director & production company? Instead the money is spent flying in a Sydney director and his producers. Not to mention his work is primarily automotive…

Basically every Tourism cliche with a campaign line lifted from a music track. Trying to claim this has any link to WA’s First Nations culture is simply embarrassing.

Tough briefs boy, ignore this comments section and move on to the next brief.

The biggest shame of this campaign is that an east coast production company, and a director flown in all the way from Spain were used. With all the wonderful talent and production companies in WA, you’d think the Brand Agency and the client would understand the value in using WA talent in a job that is promoting WA. Come on Tourism WA, why not walk your talk and ensure that your suppliers are actually using WA creatives for a campaign about WA?! Not only would it contribute to WA’s creative industry and keep work in the state, it would no doubt be far more cost effective too than flying people in from all around the world. Madness!

WA jobs for WA people… remember? Apparently someone forgot… Eye watering amount of money leaving the state.

But most of those credits are WA locals…

Can someone please explain to me how whale sharks evolved to have wings? Maybe, if it stayed in the water this campaign would have made a bigger splash!

Yes it is ludicrous to suggest that the team at Brand sat down and deliberately ripped off Karrinyup. However, it’s equally ludicrous to try and mount the ‘genre’ defender when there are plainly great similarities. My guess is that someone – Minister? Client? – saw the Karrinyup spot and wanted some of that vibe in the TWA spot and inch by inch, through the production process, it got closer to it through no one’s individual fault. Just the system trying to please someone. And it moves from being influenced by Karrinyup (and the other spot you referenced) to being just a little too close to it for comfort.

Surprise surprise. The WA advertising industry bagging a WA tourism campaign. Rinse, wash, repeat. In the 25 years I’ve lived in Perth this type of attack towards a WA Tourism campaign has played out many times. Often the campaigns have been maligned on the back of being created by an eastern state agency. Now a campaign created by a Perth agency is in the firing line. Go figure. But I think we’ve missed the real gem in this release…what a credit list!

Wow! I wish I was part of this. Beautiful work. Unique, emotive and done out of WA. We all had a problem when the TWA work went east. Now they are using a WA agency and WA talent and we still find something to have a crack about. Are we ever happy?

Gosh there are some egos here to match the size of this great State. The concept of multiple discovery has been observed in arts, humanities and science for centuries. Why is it so frowned upon here? No one owns dancing as a distinctive asset.

Different target audiences and different markets means campaign results won’t be impacted by any perceived similarities in creative.

One is about a dream, one is about a performance. Hopefully for both agencies, these clients have committed to these ideas as long term platforms that will continue to grow and evolve and their strategic differences will become clear.

Where were the vfx and post done…. Czech Republic ??? Brand agency – please explain….

Man, WA’s Beef Industry is booming!

Was the post for this seriously done in the Czech Republic? Far out guys, this sums up the industry here. Agency’s bitch and moan when a client takes work east but then local agency’s are more than happy to screw over local production and post and then flaunt it right in their face. And for a tourism WA campaign mind you.

I’d like to see the brand campaign Rare came up with and produced over covid but got canned by Roger Cook. Word around production circles is it was a good campaign.

That b….. whale shark! AGAIN?

For a creature that doesn’t even ‘belong’ to WA, is potentially inaccessible to 99% of visitors (especially those that can’t swim) now has to fly?

And yes, its Karrinyup reimagined.

Experience Very Ordinary.

It’s frustrating that local prod companies are required to spend hours and hours if not days completing complex and convoluted tender documents to be added to the yearly list of Tourism WA approved production suppliers yet in the end, they don’t get used??

Honestly.. If you take out the:

– The contemporary dancing couple – The intimate hand touching moment at the beach – The scenes running through the vineyards and the sand dunes – The EXACT fruit used for the VX in the vineyards – The near identical underwater scene

… It’s actually nothing like the Karrinyup masterpiece tbh

About as original as a Balinese DVD store

I went back and checked – the Karrinyup contains no vineyards. It is clearly an orchard. I rest my case.

And there’s clearly a pomegranate in the Karrinyup spot. Grapes in the TWA spot. Plenty of ads use fruit. Completely different.

Can some please explain to me how tax payers dollars are funnelled through a production company owned by the agency. Isn’t this an inherent conflict and severely disadvantages the other independent production companies bidding on this work. Seriously, can someone please answer this?

People say it’s easy to bag out tourism WA on Campaign Brief but my god they make it easy with campaigns like this. Not only is it an almost identical campaign to Karrinyup but it doesn’t even make WA look appealing. I know that the target audience most likely will have never seen the Karrinyup campaign but seriously it’s just an excuse to use a whole bunch of crew that aren’t even from WA and spend a ridiculous amount of cash creating something that is totally unoriginal but even worse than that, doesn’t even sell WA. This could honestly be advertising anywhere in the world. The advertising industry in WA as well as the tourism industry is in a very sad way right now.

It’s a beautiful ad, with a beautiful sound track. Well done to everyone involved.

Would the general public ever think this is a copy of the Karringyup ad? Probably not.

Lets be proud of WA talent and showcasing our beautiful state 🙂

Yeah, but… “to entice even more travellers to visit ‘WA the Dream State’ – which has also become the State’s new social media hashtag.”

Are we going to ignore that Lotterywest has owned the ‘Dream State’ positioning and hashtag for the past few years?

This work isn’t anywhere near the quality of thinking behind Tasmania, and it needed to be. We bitch that the big accounts are sent East but then produce stuff like this, which just proves to the industry that WA advertising isn’t in the same league. This was an important job for all agencies in Perth.

The majority of this thread is a reflection of everything wrong with the WA marketing industry. A creative “community” plagued by ego, jealousy, sniping, insecurity and toxicity. I’d be embarrassed for colleagues interstate and overseas to see this. Time to grow up, Perth.

It’s beautiful guys, and I reckon it’ll work. Esp. love the song choice. Well done.

“This commentary is embarrassing”

Maybe keep the jobs in the state then… No reason why it couldn’t have been done here…

It’s undeniably beautiful but why would I actually holiday here?

Tough brief, it’s always an account with a lot of vested interest from blog posters! Take everything on here with a grain of salt, is there some truth to some of the comments, probably. Is it beast of a brief that you have created a visually beautiful spot for, sure is. Is it a politically charged minefield that you’ve successfully navigated, 100%. A lot went into this from some genuinely good people, if you don’t feel it hit the mark, consider how you express that, because there are real people behind this job with real emotions. Big effort team, congrats on launching something beautiful.

I know it must be hard at The Brand reading this, but there are a very good points raised here. And I’d love to learn more about this place where the marketing industry is mature and egoless and without jealousy – have you worked in any other markets?

The quality post houses we have in WA: -Siamese -Last Pixel -Double Barrel -Boogie Monster -Frame VR -Whats This? Studio  -Sandbox  -Head Office Studio  Not to mention the great freelancers like Tim Harris…

The post house Brand Agency used: -UPP, Prague, Czech Republic

We are all so lucky to be surrounded by such a wonderful and supportive industry. It’s so great that we can really get behind incredible work that really puts WA on the map, a global campaign, showcasing incredible local talent, a campaign with Aboriginal culture at its core…. But hey, a girl can dream.

Before the production or after? Selling in a piece that you know will move the needle and isn’t what the client has asked for, is painful. But it’s no where near the pain you’ll experience after you’ve made a stinker. That pain lasts a lot longer and is so much more intense.

I spent many years in tourism before joining MF & always found that dealing with the WA Tourism hierarchy was like trying to light a fire with a wet box of matches. Roger Cook said in his press conference that the Ad was about reinforcing the WA Brand & they were relying on their web site to convert interest into activity. I googled “WA Tourism” today & was directed to a site promoting AP tours to New Zealand & the east coast of Aust. Once again it won’t matter whether the ad works or not, the execution by our WA Tourism Commission will let us down.

Sure the local production industry should be supportive of using taxes to pay a Brazilian director $100k+ through a Sydney production company in a ‘joint production’ with the agency-owned ‘local’ production company with all key production talent being flown in (hell, it took a choreographer from QLD to redo the Karrinyup dance) and to post it in Europe. Yeah let’s all get behind it because a WPP agency did the creative. At least they have the good manners to be ‘influenced’ by a fully local production.

The one word to take from any tourism brief on Western Australia is UNIQUE. That direction or clue if you like is entirely missing from here. There’s a trap in letting the “yartz” take over the strategy unless of course ballet oficianados are your target audience. And if all the research tells you a major part of the UNIQUE appeal of WA is our Aboriginal and Noongah heritage why impose European/American dance forms into the communication when there is nothing more striking than a full on corroboree.

I get it, I’ve worked with WA government before and yes I know they can be an absolute nightmare of a client. I know there are real people behind this with real feelings that we need to be mindful of and of course I know it’s easy for people to just think everyone here is having a go due to jealousy or egos or whatever but if this campaign flops and the Tourism WA account and others like it are taken to an east coast agency then we all lose.

There is a fundamental issue with the industry here in Perth which must be addressed and it’s on display in this campaign. It’s not good enough anymore to just create beautiful pictures, anyone can do that. It’s not good enough to use international crew for so much of the work, it shows an incredible amount of arrogance and ignorance and I see absolutely nothing here that couldn’t have been done using local crew and artists. I know an incredible amount of work must have gone into this which makes it all the more frustrating that it’s fallen so flat. It’s unoriginal, uninspiring and ineffective. Between taking the visual style and concept from Karrinyup and pairing it with Lotterywest’s slogan of The Dream State, I really wonder what went through the creative’s heads.

These comments may be difficult to read but they are not wrong. We need a big wake up call and hopefully this is the start of turning this ship around. If we are ever going to grow and improve as an industry we need to do better.

@This commentary is embarrassing Really? I have read through all of these comments several times and I find them informative, (mostly) constructive, certainly interesting and sadly, hard to disagree with. It’s certainly not as you say “a reflection of everything wrong with the WA marketing industry”. Very valid points. Very valid discussion. Also fair enough for our production industry to question the support the WA government gives them as soon as there’s an (ego) budget involved that must require a Spanish director because no one in WA, or even Australia can handle this job. We all know the long term “Walking On A Dream” branding will last as long as Roger Cook is the minister. How long did “Wander out yonder” last?

But I finally figured out where I’d seen this case study video. Thanks to The Work. Bravo Karrinyup. Bravo all involved.

https://thework.awardsplatform.com/gallery/JkpobOKY/rbdRDQzd?search=b027e284a44820c4-43

And to whoever Sad But True is, 8 minute standing ovation from this old film guy. Bloody well put.

@ Sadbuttrue Yep, many of the comments have valid points and setting a higher benchmark is important; I’d suggest the way to go about that isn’t 56 unattributed comments in a blog feed. While there are a few balanced and reasonable points here, there are also a lot of cheap shots and unnecessary snideness. Like I said, if you don’t think it hit the mark, consider how you express that, and let’s try putting the substance we value in our work into our comments as well.

How can an agency expect a supportive response from an industry they rarely show support back to? Let’s take production in house, fly in a director and HOD’s from overseas and interstate, send VFX to Europe and audio post elsewhere but then wonder why we get an ice cold response from the local industry who’s taxes helped pay for the production? Is this really that hard to comprehend?

Dude, your compassion is commendable, but misguided. The hard working folk at The Brand Agency are the perpetrators not the victims here. We can argue over the intentionality of it, but they ‘borrowed’ the work of others without acknowledgement. Then add insult by rolling out the old genre excuse instead of owning their f-up. It is a small production and post community here and we are sick and tired of endlessly quoting and having to kua tua to your TBA-WT beast to get work only to see GOVERNMENT projects go to, not to our local competition, but to your own production company and east or overseas. Hell, during lockdown you somehow managed to convince the same government that a director from the east was so important that they should be able to cross the hard border to shoot a spot telling us the government was going to be doing lots of roadworks and that we need to be patient. Tim, you are a nice guy, but you work for an organisation whose economic influence over the local industry is not healthy. Tim, to paraphrase you, there are real people, real livelihoods being destroyed by this behaviour. Did you really think that this anger is about this one Tourism campaign? Take you TBA-WT corporate hat off and go back and read the ‘snarky’ comments again from the point of view of someone trying to keep a production company they have built and love from going under. From someone trying to make payroll.

Have a little think about why the comments are unattributed.

Matt Eastwood recently posted a pic of him with some of Perth’s legends in the day. He attributed his interest in advertising and {possibly success} to what the Perth adverting family brought him at the time. Let’s be nice. It’s in our nature.

1. The unintentional comparisons to an earlier brand spot are unfortunate, but worthy of a chuckle at best. No vitriol necessary – especially to a couple of creatives who are just trying to get through what was undoubtedly a tough process.

2. The fact that the Karrinyup spot was entirely (and intentionally, to fulfil the promise of ‘WA on Stage’) produced by a Western Australian crew, director, post and VFX etc, and this ad (for one of our biggest taxpayer-funded government accounts) wasn’t, is not ideal.

3. Considering that the biggest reason agencies or clients give for not supporting local production is that ‘we couldn’t do it here’ and this comparison, as coincidental as it might be, demonstrates clearly that this is not the case, deserves a conversation. You really couldn’t ask for a better case study of the problem.

4. It is up to the client, especially a government client, to establish the rules of procurement when producing ads. It’s not Brand’s responsibility to ‘buy local’ as a supplier if that’s not their business plan – but it should be government policy when ‘buy local’ applies to every other part of the government supply chain. When ‘buying local’ can be interpreted as ‘use a local network agency’s internal production company to outsource to a non-WA (or non-Australian) crew’, we have a major problem with the robustness of the procurement system. Again, not really Brand’s problem.

Josh, sorry, but it IS ‘Brand’s responsibility to ‘buy local’’ when spending WA taxes. It is just a moral responsibility not necessarily a legal one. Everyone understands the intent of the ‘Buy Local’ policy is obviously to buy local wherever whenever possible. To do otherwise then would be irresponsible. That is self-evident.

Further, I doubt an agency would use a wholly-owned production company to deliberately circumvent their clients’ (ie the State Government of Western Australia’s) Buy Local procurement policy by concealing the true supplier from those running the procurement process. No agency would do that, surely.

It’s amazing how, for so many years, the Perth industry has been crying out for clients to return home to WA. I think the sentiment around these comments is nothing short of sad. We should be celebrating local work, especially a global campaign to come out of this town. Well done on a brave client having the faith in a Perth agency to provide a world class production and huge ups to the Brand for bringing it home.

Big budgets don’t make tried and tested concepts good. Karrinyup and Tourism included.

‘Dancing montage’ shouldn’t really get to the client.

The dancing people script was in the first round and was high-fived by everyone. This wasn’t forced on the agency by the client. It was sold in. People here can draw their own conclusions based on this fact.

There are a lot of unfair comments but saying you were in the room and doing it under a pseudonym is up there.

I don’t think this is an issue of the majority of the industry not supporting local work-we WANT campaigns like these to succeed because it benefits the entire local industry at the end of the day and shows the talent we have in our state.

Regardless of whether you like the spot, if this had been an entirely original and locally produced campaign I’d wager the comments above would be singing a different tune.

The issue is that the campaign was so heavily ‘influenced’ by Karrinyup (and Lotterywest it seems) that it borders of being perceived as being part of the same campaign. And it isn’t supporting local talent if half of the production and post is not being done locally-that’s the simple truth of it.

I love what we do, but if agencies want the local industry to support its work, they need to show the same support towards the WA industry by utilising the immense talent we have here and not pushing ideas into client that another local agency has achieved success with.

@Off the hook then: I’ve put my name, face and career on the line (and the television) many times in recent years to make this exact point. Between Revive WA, PADC and IN:WA, this message has been made publicly and often. So don’t worry, I know full well what is *supposed* to happen. However, from endless conversations with Government, agency and client stakeholders (which I got off my own arse to have), the answer is not going to come from agencies – particularly not network agencies. The reasons are numerous, predictable and slightly depressing. It’s much simpler, fairer and more responsible for the clients to take a proactive interest in how and where their work is being created – the same way they have a supply chain policy for every other part of their business. If agencies choose to take an active interest in a ‘Buy Local’ policy and use it to build brand differentiation and grow their business, all the better.

Great discussion about the importance of supporting local industry. Just leaving this link here for anyone who is interested enough to become members: https://www.in-wa.com.au/ . IN:WA advocates for the importance of the local, independent sector and the benefits of having a thriving and diverse market.

Why didn’t the whistleblower put their name? There might be a few examples of ‘unfairness’ here, but that’s not one Lachy. It’s an important insight from someone who’d like to keep their job. We can’t always blame the client for uninspired, familiar creative. Yes, it’s a tough brief, with multiple stakeholders, but this could have been so much better. Sure it’s beautifully crafted, but dancing, in this context, is not enough of a concept to say anything meaningful.

I saw this the other day… great work.

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Amtrak with kids is easier (and cheaper) than you think

Half-priced tickets and the Red Cap service made a trip from D.C. to NYC manageable.

Driving back to D.C. after a long weekend in New York in March, my husband and I were dreaming of a different kind of trip: no bathroom stops, no need to gas up, no shrieks from kids tired of their car seats, no traffic jams.

It’s a shame, we agreed, that it would be so expensive to take the train from D.C. to NYC as a family of four. But wait. Would it?

We started to consider the cost of fuel and tolls — and the toll of meltdowns, frequent bathroom breaks for a preschooler and stop-and-go traffic. Then we discovered Amtrak’s half-price tickets for passengers between the ages of 2 and 12, and a free ride (on an adult’s lap) for a child under 2. We ended up booking three round-trip tickets for a total of $255 — only slightly more than I’ve paid for a trip just for myself.

Take a forgiving baggage allowance, invaluable assistance at the train station, bathrooms in close proximity and the ability to have mini-adventures in transit (cafe car, anyone?), and my husband and I agreed: It felt like we were on vacation the moment we got on the train. Arriving in less time than it takes to drive — under three-and-a-half hours to New York and a little bit longer on the way home — was another perk.

Some Amtrak regulars might wince at the idea of sharing train space with a 3-year-old and 9-month-old, so I’ll just say this now: We avoided the quiet car.

Here’s what we learned about riding the rails with tiny passengers.

Take advantage of the Red Cap service

I read that families with kids are allowed to pre-board, but I wasn’t sure how that would work. All my previous experiences taking Amtrak involved watching for the gate to pop up on a screen and then making a beeline to jockey for position with hundreds of fellow passengers.

But using the Red Cap service was hands down the best advice we got.

The employees are described as “dedicated Amtrak staff you can count on for free baggage handling assistance.” They also assist passengers with disabilities, older travelers, large groups — and, yes, families with small kids. Amtrak says customers can tip if they like; I’m here to tell you that this service is priceless for a family and you should definitely tip.

We arrived at Union Station in Washington about 30 minutes before departure with our eyes peeled for red. Near the gates, we spotted a sign and someone in the namesake red hat (plus polo shirt) and asked for help boarding. He rolled our Pack ’n Play on his cart and brought us and another group with a small child right down to the track, then helped both parties find seats designated for groups of three or more people. We were on board by 9:19 a.m., more than 15 minutes ahead of departure.

In a first for me, the train was entirely empty when we boarded.

On our way back to D.C., we asked police in Penn Station for directions to the Red Cap station. Once there, someone checked our ticket and once again, got us on the train a few minutes before anyone else. Both times, we were able to get situated without getting in anyone else’s way.

People who want to use the Red Cap service should arrive 45 minutes early, an Amtrak representative told me later. The service is only available at major stations including Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark, New York, Wilmington, Del., New Haven, Conn., and Boston’s South Station on the East Coast. Elsewhere, find it in Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

According to Amtrak, priority boarding is also available for families with small kids at some stations; travelers should ask a customer service representative at the station to find out.

Book early for deals, but read the fine print

I often take Amtrak to New York, so I knew from experience that great prices can be found by searching far in advance, staying flexible with dates and seeking out less-convenient times. By booking six weeks in advance for a Thursday through Saturday, we found times and prices that were doable with kids. (I’ve since been tempted by round-trip tickets for the family for $175.)

Our fare was in the “value” category , which doesn’t come with a lot of flexibility: changes are not allowed, and there’s a 25 percent cancellation fee. The restrictions are clear when booking, but I must have shrugged them off because I was surprised when I tried and failed to change our return time.

Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said the half-price discount for kids aged 2 to 12 is “an everyday discount we offer to encourage families to get onboard and experience a better way to travel.”

Kids need to be accompanied by at least one adult, and the discount isn’t good for business class on non-Acela trains, first class or private rooms. One child under 2 is allowed on board for free with an accompanying adult, as long as they sit on a lap.

You’re allowed more free bags than on a plane

My packing strategy for family road trips is usually “better safe than sorry” — which leaves us with a bunch of bags. That likely would have been fine under Amtrak’s luggage rules for this route. Every passenger can bring two carry-ons and a personal item at no additional charge. For people traveling with a child under 2, an additional infant item, like a stroller or diaper bag, is allowed for no fee.

I knew we’d have to manage every item on crowded NYC streets and public transportation as well as “the big train,” as we started calling Amtrak. With a stroller, portable crib, diaper bag, purse, small duffel, tiny cooler bag and two backpacks that held clothes for the four of us, we felt unwieldy — but were still within the baggage limits.

I thought that I might check a bag at the station, but found out in the moment that the train only allowed carry-ons. That turned out to be fine, but it was difficult to suss out in advance if we would be able to check a bag.

The cafe car is your friend

Our seats on both legs of the trip were conveniently close to the bathroom and suitably far from the cafe car — a good arrangement for urgent restroom needs and time-killing sojourns to check out the food offerings.

Amtrak’s website noted that changing stations were available in the bathrooms on “most” train cars, but we never found one. A spokesperson later clarified that changing areas were available on the Acela and some long-distance trains.

Being able to walk around was key; my daughter loved to tap the button to open doors between cars. Seats were spacious, and the view was sufficiently interesting to entertain both kids in spurts.

“Mama look, we’re going fast!” my daughter said as we accelerated. We passed over a sparkling body of water and she excitedly pointed out “the ocean!” We’ll work on geography.

The cafe car’s menu had plenty to satisfy a preschooler’s palate, even if some items like a chewy, barely warm grilled cheese were not a success. An iced lemon pound cake was a hit, as were pretzels and a tropical fruit salad that was as delicious as it was messy.

But it’s still a confined space, so pack entertainment

If you’re a parent too, you know kids get bored and antsy over the course of three-plus hours doing anything. This definitely applies in a confined space.

To pass the time, we packed toys for both kids and a tablet with headphones for our preschooler. She drew using an art app and watched some of her favorite movies and shows on Disney Plus in between walks, trips to the bathroom and food car visits.

The baby nursed, squealed as he tapped on the window and, at naptime, cried a little until we soothed him to sleep. Thankfully, the tears were short-lived — and unfortunately, so were the naps.

My husband and I couldn’t help but overhear someone else’s temper tantrum: a loud, angry businessman cursing during a video meeting, which prompted an Amtrak employee to suggest he relocate to the bathroom if he wanted to use that language.

Unlike my solo train trips, I did not pass my time napping, reading and browsing social media. But I loved taking the ride with them and introducing them to a new travel experience.

The takeaway

We found Amtrak a refreshing alternative to driving, and one that we’ll choose in the future. But we were also lucky on several fronts: The trains were not delayed, which is not always a given . Red Cap service was available at our station. We had our choice of seats when we boarded. There were no diaper emergencies.

If we had boarded somewhere without the extra assistance, or when the train was already packed, it could have been trickier. And the lack of a diaper changing station could have required yogic maneuvering in the bathroom (next time I’ll bring some oversized changing pads). Packing our own snacks and entertainment was crucial.

For us, the best part of the trip was eliminating the drudgery of a drive and turning that time into an adventure where both parents could be present and engaged with our kids. We watched the skylines pass until New York’s came into view and marveled over how much less stressful the train felt than four or more hours on I-95.

“I love the train,” my husband said at one point.

“Me too,” echoed the 3-year-old.

More travel tips

Vacation planning: Start with a strategy to maximize days off by taking PTO around holidays. Experts recommend taking multiple short trips for peak happiness . Want to take an ambitious trip? Here are 12 destinations to try this year — without crowds.

Cheap flights: Follow our best advice for scoring low airfare , including setting flight price alerts and subscribing to deal newsletters. If you’re set on an expensive getaway, here’s a plan to save up without straining your credit limit.

Airport chaos: We’ve got advice for every scenario , from canceled flights to lost luggage . Stuck at the rental car counter? These tips can speed up the process. And following these 52 rules of flying should make the experience better for everyone.

Expert advice: Our By The Way Concierge solves readers’ dilemmas , including whether it’s okay to ditch a partner at security, or what happens if you get caught flying with weed . Submit your question here . Or you could look to the gurus: Lonely Planet and Rick Steves .

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Editor Tapped to Lead Washington Post Won’t Take the Job

Robert Winnett will stay at The Daily Telegraph, after reports raised questions about his ties to unethical news gathering practices.

By Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson

Robert Winnett, the editor selected to run The Washington Post, will not take up that position, after reports raised questions about his ties to unethical news gathering practices in Britain.

Mr. Winnett will stay at The Daily Telegraph, where he is the deputy editor, according to emails sent on Friday to employees of the London-based newspaper and to staff members at The Post.

“I’m pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us,” read a message to Telegraph employees from the newspaper’s top editor, Chris Evans. “As you all know, he’s a talented chap and their loss is our gain.”

Will Lewis, the chief executive of The Post, confirmed the news in an email to employees.

“It is with regret that I share with you that Robert Winnett has withdrawn from the position of editor at The Washington Post,” Mr. Lewis wrote. “Rob has my greatest respect and is an incredibly talented editor and journalist.”

Mr. Winnett chose to withdraw himself from the position running The Post’s newsroom, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. He did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

Mr. Lewis said that The Post would run a search to fill the role. Past searches have been lengthy, culminating with an interview with Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder who owns the paper.

Mr. Winnett’s decision to stay in Britain is the latest in a series of convulsions at The Post. Early this month, Sally Buzbee, the paper’s executive editor, stunned the newsroom by abruptly resigning. That coincided with Mr. Lewis announcing a plan to drastically remake The Post newsroom, including by installing Mr. Winnett as its permanent top editor.

In the weeks since, numerous articles about Mr. Winnett and Mr. Lewis have raised questions about their journalistic ethics and past conduct. Many journalists at the paper have become skeptical that the pair could lead an institution like The Post.

Mr. Bezos, who has owned the paper for over a decade, has been largely silent on the matter, though he weighed in with an email to senior editors this week reassuring them that the standards at The Post would remain high.

“That can’t change — and it won’t,” Mr. Bezos wrote.

Mr. Winnett earned a reputation as an unassuming newshound whose relentless pursuit of scoops earned him the nickname “Rat Boy.” But on Friday, several Washington Post journalists told The Times that, in light of the recent reports about him, they were relieved that Mr. Winnett would not be leading their newsroom.

“Rat Boy is out!” one journalist said in a text message.

Mr. Lewis told Post employees in early June that Mr. Winnett would take over as The Post’s editor after the U.S. presidential election in November. Matt Murray, the former editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, would replace Ms. Buzbee in an interim role until then.

In his email on Friday, Mr. Lewis said that Mr. Murray would continue as The Post’s top editor until after the U.S. elections. He said that The Post was planning to put in place a new division, focused on service and social media journalism, sometime in the first quarter of next year. Mr. Murray was expected to take over the new division at the time Mr. Winnett’s appointment was announced.

Mr. Winnett’s decision is a major setback for Mr. Lewis, who has also repeatedly come under fire in recent weeks.

The Times reported on June 5 that he clashed with Ms. Buzbee over a decision to cover a court development mentioning him in a phone hacking case. Mr. Lewis has denied pressuring Ms. Buzbee. The next day, an NPR reporter said that Mr. Lewis had promised him an exclusive interview in exchange for ignoring a story about phone hacking. In response, Mr. Lewis called that reporter an “activist” and acknowledged having an off-the-record conversation with him.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Mr. Lewis and Mr. Winnett were said to have used fraudulently obtained records in news articles at the Sunday Times newspaper in London. The next day, The Washington Post followed up with a 3,000-word investigation into Mr. Winnett that traced his ties to John Ford, a private investigator who acknowledged using unethical methods to obtain big exclusives.

Much of the angst in the newsroom from those revelations has been expressed privately. But David Maraniss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Post, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday: “I don’t know a single person at the Post who thinks the current situation with the publisher and supposed new editor can stand. There might be a few, but very very few.”

Scott Higham, a Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter who left The Post in March, chimed in: “Will Lewis needs to step down for the good of The Post and the public. He has lost the newsroom and will never win it back.”

The search for Mr. Lewis was run by Patty Stonesifer, a widely respected tech executive who is a confidant of Mr. Bezos and the former interim chief executive of The Post. Ms. Stonesifer made an appearance at The Post newsroom on Friday to meet with employees on a variety of matters, including its new service journalism division, according to a person with knowledge of her visit.

Before the widening scandal enveloped The Post, Mr. Lewis expressed effusive praise for Mr. Winnett.

In remarks during a contentious meeting with employees this month, Mr. Lewis called Mr. Winnett a “brilliant investigative journalist” who would “restore an even greater degree of investigative rigor” to the newspaper, according to a recording obtained by The Times.

“I think really naughty days lie ahead with Rob here as well,” Mr. Lewis promised.

An earlier version of this article misstated Scott Higham’s employment at The Washington Post. He left The Post in March. He is not currently a reporter there.

How we handle corrections

Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact Ben securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or email at [email protected] . More about Benjamin Mullin

Katie Robertson covers the media industry for The Times. Email:  [email protected]   More about Katie Robertson

Nashville tourism leaders unveiled a new strategic vision. How it could change downtown

Nashville's tourism industry could soon look quite different thanks to a newly proposed plan from the city's tourism leaders.

"The Music City Strategic Plan," released on Thursday and co-chaired by Deana Ivey of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp . and Colin Reed of Ryman Hospitality Properties , outlines industry changes, improvements and other recommendations that aim to successfully spearhead Nashville as an industry leader in the upcoming years.

For example, the report proposes relocating two of the city's biggest annual attractions , "Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th" and "Nashville's Big Bash New Year's Eve" to the East Bank, the future home of the new and improved Nissan Stadium . Other proposed relocations include the Live on the Green music festival, the Nashville Hot Chicken Festival and Oktoberfest. Additionally, the city is eyeing hosting the Grammy Awards and a Super Bowl .

According to the report, the number of visitors in Davidson County has grown steadily in recent years. In 2018, 12,603,962 people visited the area. In 2023, that figure increased by nearly 3 million. But while the city has reaped the cultural and financial benefits of hundreds of thousands of tourists descending upon the city annually, Nashville and its locals have also had to deal with accompanying crime and safety concerns .

"We have a great destination, but we also need to take care of it," said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. "And we want to make sure that growth continues. The plan is our roadmap to tell us what we need to take care of."

Mayor Freddie O'Connell praised the extensive study by tourism leaders.

"I’m grateful to everyone who put work into this strategic guide because we know tourism is a critical piece of our economy, and this work helps Nashville put its best foot forward for residents and visitors alike," O'Connell said.

Here are the plan's eight priorities.

Improving the experience and reputation of Downtown Nashville

The report pinpoints overconsumption, overcrowding, and noise pollution as a threat to Nashville's reputation as a "warm, welcoming city." Recent efforts to mitigate the concerns include improving Downtown lighting, installing surveillance cameras, implementing a rigorous cleaning schedule and more.

Ongoing efforts include:

• Refining the right-of-way vending ordinance to improve the pedestrian experience on the street.
• Advocating for a dedicated noise enforcement unit to ensure compliance with existing noise ordinances for buildings, vehicles, and vendors on private property.
• Activating Downtown Parks in a way that best serves residents and guests with a focus on local engagement.
• Explore implementing a Street Performer Program that permits live music in dedicated areas to enhance the downtown experience.
• Support private initiatives with downtown establishments to improve bar line management, SAFE Bar Program compliance and scooter and e-bike corrals.

Tourism officials also plan to launch a campaign which promotes the "Nashville way" which would call on bars to enforce better protocols, address raucous behaviour, and encourage other actions which would "help fix what is wrong on Lower Broadway." The campaign targets celebrities with namesake bars as potential partners.

Improving and supporting public safety efforts citywide

Public safety remains the top priority for visitors, read the report. In an effort to prioritize safety and reduce crime, tourism officials proposed allocating local and state resources to the following:

• Increasing the number of MNPD public safety officers.
• Increasing MNPD wages to national levels.
• Curbing disorder Downtown.
• Supporting MNPD in their efforts to reduce gun thefts from vehicles.
• Foster community partnerships with MNPD.

Developing a robust pipeline of job seekers and pushing for transportation improvements

While Nashville's hospitality industry has grown alongside the city, hospitality workers, like most Nashvillians, deal with a lack of affordable housing and public transportation.

Industry leaders plan to address challenges with a three part strategy which includes supporting hospitality workforce development, making affordable housing more available to hospitality workers and increasing the offerings, reach and appeal of public transportation.

Leaders aim to accomplish their goals by standardizing high school hospitality program curricula across Nashville, engaging local college and university hospitality programs to recruit employees and offer on-the-job training opportunities, supporting affordable housing and transportation access on the East Bank, increasing the number of public transportation stops and locations, exploring rideshare and shuttle options and more.

Fostering increased, local support for Nashville's tourism industry

Hospitality is the second largest industry in Nashville and Tennessee, directly employing over 70,000 people. The report states that despite benefits, the industry has had to bear the brunt of many resident's frustrations with the challenges that come along with growth.

Tourism officials propose a campaign highlighting the positive impacts of the industry which would hopefully alleviate those frustrations. Goals of the campaign include broadening the core message of the benefits of tourism, emphasizing personal and emotional connections to hospitality, ensuring messages reach broad and diverse audiences, enlisting diverse communicators to deliver said messages, and communicating across multiple platforms.

A focus on international tourism

More than a national destination, Music City has become an international destination, welcoming visitors from almost every corner of the globe. Tourism leaders aim to make Nashville a more welcoming, inclusive environment by marketing to international visitors and creating a better overall experience.

Officials aim to reach said goals by nurturing relationships with Nashville's sister cities and consulates, increasing direct airlift to and from Nashville International Airport, working together with the Tennessee Department of Tourism, partnering with popular travel apps, providing free Wi-Fi connectivity citywide and more.

Embracing family-friendly programming at the city's newest venues

While Lower Broadway may not be the most family friendly setting after-hours and on weekends, Nashville offers plenty of other family-friendly outings and venues. The East Bank, currently under redevelopment, plans to be a tremendous cultural center and will host multiple events suited for people of all ages.

Tourism officials plan on focusing on the following when evaluating potential new events:

• Creating large, family-friendly outdoor spaces for local and national events.
• Attracting world-class, family-friendly, diverse, and locally appealing events.
• Maximizing the riverfront's potential to offer residents and tourists new recreational opportunities.
• Working with state and local governments to achieve goals.

Marketing Nashville's diverse cultural offerings and developing new cultural assets

Tourism officials recognize that not all Nashville communities have benefited equally from the city's immense growth. In the report, industry leaders vowed to promote broader community participation while expanding offerings to attract diverse visitors and benefit underrepresented communities.

Focus areas include expanding Nashville's offerings to include more diverse music and entertainment events, increasing promotion and mentorship for minority-owned businesses as well as branding and promoting Nashville's culturally diverse communities.

Hospitality leaders to work with Metro and state

Finally, tourism leaders plan to work together with city and state officials to drive meaningful change in a variety of areas, for example economic development and legislative priorities.

By establishing the Music City Local Host Committee , hospitality leaders aim to demonstrate their value to the city. The committee will have the responsibility of attracting major events and raising the funding for the new Nissan Stadium and will also serve as a body of economic counselors to city and state leaders in evaluating critical new development projects or legislative priorities.

Committee leaders include former Governor Bill Haslam, country music artist Eric Church, Chairman of Ingram Industries John Ingram, and others.

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana