Why spend vast amounts on marketing to attract people to your country and then make them feel immediately unwelcome, asks Digital Drums’ Steve Dunne
First impressions count, my grandmother always said. It’s a saying I have seen ring true throughout my life. And yet it’s something many travel destinations pay little heed to.
I have recently returned from a few weeks’ holiday in Orlando. It had been a while since I was last in Florida and I was looking forward to visiting the Sunshine State again.
As I emerged from the nine-hour Virgin Atlantic flight, I was greeted by the warm air and bright sunshine of Florida. And as I made my way along the passageways from the aircraft to US Immigration, I passed walls with huge posters of smiling faces welcoming me to “the vacation capital of the world”. Other posters informed me that Orlando welcomes millions of holidaymakers annually.
A taped message boomed over the airport PA. It was a certain Buddy Dyer informing me that he was the mayor of Orlando and extolling the virtues of the destination as “unbelievably real”, as he listed the theme parks and attractions I would be able to experience on my “vacation of a lifetime”.
Even after the exhaustion of a nine-hour flight, this had me feeling excited and I entered the immigration hall ready for my holiday.
However, this feeling of excitement and enthusiasm rapidly dissolved as I set eyes on rows of frosty faced immigration officers staring at the oncoming tourists with body language that was the very antithesis of warm and welcoming.
Frosty reception
I was lucky to be one of the first tourists to arrive in the hall and was quickly in front of a US immigration officer who had clearly never heard mayor Buddy Dyer’s message or, if she was aware of the message, clearly didn’t subscribe to it. Her body language and tone of voice signalled that she didn’t want tourists of any type in her country.
“Hello”, I said cheerfully, ignoring her cold stare. My greeting was met not with a smile or welcoming words but with a hand encased in a disposable glove held out in front of me in anticipation of receiving something. I handed my passport across with a cheery smile, only to be greeted with a bark: “How long are you here for?” My answer received no acknowledgment as the next clipped question came at me. “Purpose of visit?”
As I stood in front of the disgruntled immigration officer who was carefully scrutinising my passport, I looked over her shoulder at the long line of booths with other officers processing my fellow tourists. Every one of them had the same demeanour and frosty faced look as tourists stood in front of them.
Finally, after barked instructions when having my face photographed, my passport was handed back to me. There was no ‘Welcome to the United States’. In fact, there was nothing. Not a word. As soon as my passport was handed back to me, the officer was already waving the next tourist forward.
Counter-message
Now, before people start telling me that these officials have a job to do and cannot be casual about security, let me say I appreciate that. But surely you can say please or at least offer a welcoming smile to a visitor?
And before people say that the officers are not part of the tourist board but instead part of Homeland Security, I understand that too. However, there seems little point in having warm welcoming messages on posters and from mayors when the first representatives from the destination you meet are the most unfriendly and inhospitable people one could imagine. Why spend vast amounts on marketing to attract people to your country and then make them feel immediately unwelcome when they meet the first official from your destination?
I should point out it isn’t just in Orlando that this happens, or across North America either – it is true of almost every airport entry point I have ever travelled through across the globe.
If we truly want people to fall in love with a destination, embrace it and visit regularly, then it needs to be warm, welcoming and friendly – not just in the marketing material but in officialdom too. Otherwise, it could be too much to expect repeat visitors from people with a world to explore.