January 29, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Berkshires, Poconos drop online, Hudson Valley rises

Enquiries to regional web guides since July 2001 show the Poconos and Berkshires dropping below the Hudson Valley, according to charts published online this week.

Could this be due to changes in how regions are spending to support their "brands"? Both the Poconos and the Berkshires invested heavily to launch their “brands,” the Poconos to associate itself with “honeymoon,” the Berkshires with “Tanglewood.” The chart may be showing the effect of that investing fading over time.

Remarkably, regions in New York State--Catskills, Hamptons and Hudson Valley--show sustained growth in online interest over the past two and a half years. These trends appear not only in share of traffic but in actual numbers of visits recorded.

Web visits are in effect a kind of currency. They translate into lodging reservations at a rate of around one reservation for 30 visits. If visiters to a region spend an average of $400, then web visits may be worth $12 in spending within the region. These charts may be tracking losses and gains in a commodity rapidly gaining in value as travel enquiries go online.

The charts are published in the February issue of TIPS&NEWS, an e-newsletter on online marketing for lodgings in the Catskills, Berkshires and mid Hudson Valley published by Shaun Johnston design & marketing. Copies of the publication can be downloaded from www.shaunjohnstondesign.com/issue/issue2.pdf.

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