In a Quad-City Times feature titled “Cleveland tourism chief tells of visitor successes,” writer Jennifer DeWitt reports about a keynote speech that David Gilbert of Positively Cleveland gave at the annual Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau meeting.

“In his keynote speech at the annual Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau meeting, David Gilbert offered lessons on how his Ohio hometown and surrounding region have rewritten the travel and tourism strategy and found success attracting major tourism events and economic development activity,” DeWitt reports.

"You need to take a look at places like Cleveland and the Quad-Cities and think: 'How do you look and feel like a traveler destination?'" the president and CEO of Positively Cleveland told attendees.

“In the past five years, Cleveland has seen a significant transformation in its travel and tourism industry with $2 billion in new visitor-related infrastructure, including a new convention center, a new casino and nine new hotels, six of which are in its downtown area,” adds DeWitt.

“Thorough research with visitors and residents showed Cleveland needed to "connect the dots" to make the typical traveler's experience as good as its amenities, he said. The research found the region was perceived as difficult to navigate for visitors, had a poor reputation for cleanliness, safety and friendliness, and a low level of residents who would recommend it as a destination for visitors.”

"We had to look at ourselves through the visitor lens," Gilbert said, adding that some changes included signage, streetscaping and encouraging the hospitality industry to promote its strengths.

Read the rest here.