Dann Lewis

It was raining. But this was a big night for the New York Division of Tourism and an even bigger night for Broadway. You had major big stars shooting for union scale wages. You had chorus lines waiving residuals. You had Peter Pan’s Sandy Duncan being hoisted into the darkening night-lit sky. You also had Captain Hook, Nana-the-dog, Wendy Dear and the Darling Boys. Last but hardly least, you had the folks from Wells, Rich, Greene Advertising and Dann Lewis, the tweed-jacketed Director of the Division of Tourism (who was paying for this shebang).

There was a lot riding on this thing. The League of New York Theatres and Producers calculate that the “I Love New York” commercials have sold a cool 1.8 million theatre tickets, and the Department of Commerce figures a booming 126 million in revenue has been brought into this state since the campaign began. New York needs that revenue after the huge slump of ‘75.

So the rain was being ignored.

Sandy Duncan Loves New York.

And Lucie Arnaz Loves New York

And Angela Landsbury Loves New York

And Oh Yes, Beverly Sills, who will kick off this Broadway-packed, 60 second commercial when it hits the air on November 17th, Loves New York.

On this campaign alone, five shows are being covered: Sweeney Todd was shot was shot down by South Street Seaport, Dancin was shot on the steps of the Plaza Fountain, They’re Playing Our Song was filmed on a flatbed truck in the middle of Times Square, Evita was shot on the steps of the New York Public Library and of course Peter Pan. Everyone belting out “I Love New York” at the top of their lungs.

Suddenly Steve Horn (the best cameraman-director in the business) says “God, the Twin Towers are getting covered with fog.” The Twin Towers are lit up. So, for that matter, is the entire east side of lower Manhattan. A woman from the Division of Tourism saw to that. She called the Building Owners and Maintenance Association and asked if they’d leave the lights on in their east side offices to form the background for the new “I Love New York” commercial. They said “sure”.

In a funny litttle gesture of excitement Sandy Duncan crosses her arms in front of her chest, flings them wide again and as she is hoisted high above the Brooklyn Bridge says “There’s something in the air!” She throws back her head and laughs the enchanted laugh of a little boy who will never grow up, and we are all, for a split second, young again.

It’s a wrap and Dann Lewis is beaming.

From: Playbill - September 1979

Dann Lewis announced a joint advertising program to encourage more Japanese travel to New York State has been worked out between Japan Air Lines and the New York State Division of Tourism.

“JAL print advertising in Japan will carry the I LOVE NEW YORK logo during October, November and December,” said Dann Lewis, “with special television commercials that were filmed in New York airing during this period, as well as in the Spring of 1980, in Japan.”

In addition, radio commercials will feature the I LOVE NEW YORK theme music, already known worldwide.

Dann Lewis went on to note, “a special I LOVE NEW YORK desk has been placed in the main ticket office of JAL in Tokyo, T-shirts, maps, buttons and other collateral materials are available in response to coupons in local ads.” JAL reports that Japanese tourists are already eager to visit New York, particularly the upstate region.

from - Discover America News - January 1980

“It was one of the most exciting travel promotions I have ever directed,” said Deputy Commissioner Dann Lewis, at the closing night celebration of the transcontinental kick-off tour for the 1979-80 I LOVE NEW YORK winter co-operative advertising campaign.

Now, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta and San Francisco can also learn why so many other areas of the nation Love New York.
Dann Lewis continued, “thanks to the combined efforts of Braniff, Delta, Eastern and United Airlines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York Visitors and Conventions Bureau, the League of New York Theatres & Producers, Radio City Music Hall, and the casts of Grease, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the Division of Tourism was able to spread the I LOVE NEW YORK message into major new markets across the county.” Dann Lewis said “we would have been financially unable to reach these markets otherwise.”

The promotion culminated in a spectacular three-city tour by 39 members of the Radio City Music Hall troupe, featuring the world-famous “Rockettes” who staged a thirty minute production for the people of San Francisco in a mobbed Union Square.
Dann Lewis said “it was an overwhelming expression of good will on behalf of New York City and New York State - one that I am sure will leave these communities with a positive and lasting impression of our great city and state.”

from: I Love New York Tourism Memo - September 1979

“The incomparable, the brilliant star city of cities … the Egyptian paradox, the inferno with no out of bounds, the supreme expression of both the miseries and splendors of contemporary civilization … it stays up all night. But it also becomes a small town when it rains.”
— John Gunther

Guess which city Gunther was talking about. (And it ain’t Cairo).
New York City. Of course. And if the new tourism push for that center of theater, art, fashion and debt pays off, the city will be even more vital with cash flow and consuming celebrants.
The promotion began here yesterday when the award-winning commercial spotlighting Broadway characters in “I Love New York” vignettes started hitting the airwaves in Tampa and across Florida. In a cooperative venture, National Airlines and the NY State Department of Commerce have packaged a number of tours designed with the best of marketing methodology in mind, making available in easy form a number of hotel-and-theater packages for traveling to The City.
Broadway, the commerce department found in its marketing research, is what people want but have found difficult to master on their own. The ease of booking is proving most appealing.
And Broadway isn’t all New York State is selling. “We’ve packaged 20 ski areas for sale this winter,” said Dann Lewis, deputy commissioner and director of tourism for New York. “These are just the beginning steps,” said Lewis. Lewis feels New York has just gotten its hands on a marketing bonanza.
Dann Lewis came to the commerce department from a position as director of tourism for the Virgin Islands. Tourism had declined considerably during the early 70’s there, he described, until an approach similar to New York’s new undertaking took effect. “The government decided to develop tourism on a professional platform” Lewis explained’ “I was brought in in late ‘75 as the first tourism director of the Virgin Islands, to put together a professionally staffed tourism organization. I am very happy to say that the U. S. Virgin Islands just celebrated its best year in history.” Dann Lewis went on to say “It shows even an area that has been going downhill, if government recognized the importance of the tourism industry and makes a commitment to tap into the tremendous return on investment in a professional way … puts a reasonable budget behind it and then operates it as a business, rather than a haven for political appointees, you can accomplish a great deal.”

That’s the approach in a nutshell. Professionalism. New York’s commerce department began with marketing research which indicated they should be packaging Broadway. Now the department is hiring professionals to move around the state into regional offices where they will help tourism entities such as hotels and attractions put together packages to be sold throughout the United States and abroad.

“Bundling together tourism accommodations, meals, attractions, transfers and transportation, has been done in Europe for decades,” Dann Lewis said. “The U. S. is probably 30 years behind Europe in tourism development. Many more people in Europe travel across county borders than they do in the states. There are very well developed tour programs and the charter business is very well defined. Fifty percent of intra-Europe air traffic is tour; in the U. S. that’s four percent of domestic. The room for growth here is obviously tremendous. Some of the vast changes in the regulation of the airline industry today, are going to lend credence to what has existed in Europe for years.”

Dann Lewis sees New York in the lead with this tourism development. New York State in the past 15 months has gone from 50th, to first in tourism expenditures; and has recognized this industry as a major economic engine that fuels all of New York’s economy. And it is. And that’s pretty lovable, right?

From: The Tampa Times by Nelda Clemmons

NEW YORK - Travel spending in New York State has grown to an estimated $287 million and 7,900 new jobs have been created since the inception of the Department of Commerce’s I Love New York campaign 18 months ago, according to an official department report. Results of the report, which were announced by Dann Lewis, deputy commissioner and director of tourism development, also showed that in New York city alone, 4,400 full-time travel-related jobs have been created since February when the Broadway Show tours began, and during the first seven months of the program, visitors to New York City spent $152 million more than they did in the same period of 1977.

In upstate New York and Long Island, visitor spending grew by $135 million during the summer of the campaign and created more than 3,500 new year-round jobs.

Dann Lewis also announced that his department is adding both managerial and clerical positions throughout the state as well as new equipment to improve the fulfillment capabilities of the program. The budget for the program, which has grown from $400,000 to approximately $12 million since its launch, now calls for the hiring of six new regional managers deployed strategically throughout the state, who will cooperate with the central offices in both Albany and New York City to creat new promotions and tour programs for the various counties in New York State. Additionally, Dann Lewis reported that a recently installed fulfillment system which becomes operational this month, will enable consumer requests to be channeled to a toll-free number and then transmitted into a central computer in Albany and fulfilled within 24 hours.

Another top priority item on Dann Lewis’ list is speeding up target dates on availability of promotional literature for seasonal campaigns. For example, the winter ski brochure was ready in October of this year as scheduled, but Lewis plans to have it available for the next winter season no later than September.

A number of 1979 programs will be added and others expanded, most notably the 1979 Broadway Showtours which will be expanded from 16 to 23 individual programs.

Dann Lewis also announced that New York has stepped up its participation in tourism industry meetings and special events. Lewis also pointed out that there will be continuing cooperation with both domestic and international flag airlines that serve JFK, LGA and EWR. The U. K., the Netherlands, Germany and France have already begun developing programs for European visitors interested in expressing their love for New York.

From: Travel Weekly, Helen Brower, January 1979

Dann H. Lewis has been appointed Deputy Commissioner and Director of Tourism Development for New York State, it was announced recently by John S. Dyson, Commissioner of Commerce.

Mr. Lewis, former Director of Tourism for the U. S. Virgin Islands has also held a variety of senior positions with the Bahamas Government, including that of Director of Marketing for the Ministry of Tourism.

Dann Lewis also headed a special task force which established Bahamasair, the national airline of the Bahamas, and served as the carrier’s first Chairman.

Governor Hugh L. Carey, noting the appointment of Lewis, said he was delighted with this addition and expansion of the successful I Love New York tourism development program.

Dann Lewis will direct three new programs for the Department of Commerce: the establishment of a wholesale trade development office headquartered in New York City; the development of regional travel offices located throughout the State, which will coordinate the State’s promotional programs with the regional tourism industry; and the establishment of a trade educational and consumer relations office designed to upgrade tourism services throughout the State.

“We are pleased to welcome a person of Dann Lewis’ stature to I Love New York,” said William S. Doyle, Deputy Commissioner. “Dann’s background in international tourism and the success of his efforts in both the U. S. Virgin Islands and the Bahamas will be of great benefit to all of the regions of New York, as the State grows into one of the world’s leading tourist destinations.”

From: New York Daily News, August 2, 1978

“We have just completed one of the best tourism seasons in the history of the United States Virgin Islands, And we are looking forward to a successful summer and fall, highlighting our “Sun, Sand & Free” program.” said Dann Lewis, Director of Tourism for the U. S. V. I.
Lewis went on to say “This past winter, hotel bookings were exceptionally high, airline space was at a definite premium, charter boat bookings soared, and our stateside offices were literally swamped with requests for assistance to meet the tremendous demand for reservations.”
“Part of that success, of course, was a result of a winter that the National Weather Service stated was one of the ‘coldest in the eastern two-thirds of the United States since the founding of the Republic’.”
“Another part, proven by our ongoing Exit Study, is the fact that we have an excellent product. In that study, there is a high degree of satisfaction expressed by our visitors. They are pleased with the natural beauty of the islands, the friendliness of the people they met, the physical layout, the hotels, service and activities. This helps us understand why we have such a high return-visitor ratio as compared to other destinations.”
“And another part, of course, is our advertising program presently running in the northeast corridor of the United States.”

Dann Lewis continued, “Other research indicated that the market for travel to our islands came from the northeast and that it was an upscale one. Our winter market was basically a couple in their early 40’s, planning to spend a week in the sun. Their main interest was ’sun, sand and sea by day, dinner and a little music at night.’ A low-key, relaxing vacation.”
“Further research also showed, however, that most travelers think the ‘all islands in the Caribbean are basically the same.’ So we had to sell them on an island vacation to our islands. That same research also showed that 60% of the traveling market didn’t know that the Virgin Islands were part of the United States, even though they were labeled ‘U. S.’
“Our positioning: that the Virgin Islands is the ‘United States Virgin Islands.’ (This gives the traveler a certain ‘comfort’ - the language is English, the currency, the U. S. dollar - there is a certain stability of Government.) We also stress the fact that we are a year-round resort destination.” said Lewis.

“Our attitude: a sophisticated one, stating ‘It’s not just what you do. It’s where you do it.’
Our visuals: people you’d like to be with, doing things that you’d like to do.

And then our theme: “What A Life.” Once we had the material for our campaign, we then had to decide upon our media. For once again, it’s not just what you do, it’s where you do it. To reach that upscale dual-audience that was our market, part of our media strategy was a continuing regional buy in Newsweek (New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D. C.). For it was here in the northeast corridor that we had the best airline service to the Virgin Islands.” Dann Lewis concluded: “We have just completed our third year with our buy in Newsweek. Until 1977, it is interesting to note that 1976 (when the winter wasn’t really cold at all) was our best in years.”"Could it be the advertising?”

from: Newsweek, May 2, 1977

Tourism Director Dann H. Lewis announced recently that THE TRAVEL ADVISOR, an independent national travel publication rated the U. S. Virgin Islands information and sales offices and the promotional literature which they distribute to the travel trade and consumers, among the top five tourism offices thought the United States.

Tourism is the lifeblood of the U. S. Virgin Islands economy, and the jobs and tax revenues that are created by tourism are particularly important during these economically depressed times.

Dann Lewis and other tourism officials in the islands are viewing with cautious optimism current signs of revival in the once vibrant tourist industry in the Virgin Islands (prior to the Fountain Valley incident). “This revival will continue only if everyone concerned contributes maximum effort and strives for excellence” Lewis said.

The excellent rating awarded the promotional activities of the offshore offices and should serve as an inspiration to all who are involved in the U. S. Virgin Islands tourism industry. This paper joins Commerce Commissioner Rimpel, Tourism Director Lewis, and the entire Division of Tourism in saluting the offshore office personnel and Greengage Associates Advertising, for a job very well done.

from: The Conch Shell, September 1977

USVI Tourism Director Dann Lewis denies that he has a magic formula. Whatever he does have seems to work.

I was boarding American Airlines Flight 625 at Kennedy bound for St. Thomas and St. Croix. I reached the door to the bridge at exactly the same time as another man did. “After you” I said.
“No, no, my friend, after you.” he responded in a heavy West Indian accent, “after you, and welcome to the US Virgin Islands”.

I was pleasantly surprised at the man’s warm, sincere welcome, particularly since we were still 1,500 miles from his home. My inbred New York cynicism led me to question him later. “Are you with the Virgin Islands Tourist Office?”

“No, no mon. I’m a taxi driver. I’ve been up visitin’ my boy in Chicago.”

The flight was full - as were most flights to the Virgin Islands last winter according to American Airlines and Eastern Airlines. I had also heard that hotel occupancy rates were in the 90’s. This was not the Virgin Islands of four or five years ago when you could virtually guarantee space without checking.

I asked Dann Lewis, recently appointed director of tourism, if he could explain this resurgence in tourism.

Lewis is credited to a great extent with engineering the revival of the Bahamas tourist industry. Perhaps he had some secret formula that he carried with him when he took over as director of tourism for the USVI last July.

Of course, Lewis denied the existence of a rejuvenation formula, just as he disclaimed credit for masterminding the revival of tourism in the USVI and the Bahamas. But his description of those remarkable turnarounds had three common themes: development of new markets, compilation of tourism data (market research) and inspired promotion.

“While the 1967 - 70 was a soft period in Bahamas tourism,” Lewis explained, “tourism to the Bahamas and the Caribbean in general had declined in 1973-74.” The economy was depressed worldwide, pleasure travel had ebbed, and many destinations that had traditionally depended on lucrative U. S. markets were beginning to explore other possibilities.

“The Canadian scene really exploded with the introduction of ITC’s,” Lewis said. “New market development in Canada and Europe was one reason for the revival of tourism in the Bahamas. Western European business was expanded tremendously, particularly in Germany, France and England.”

Do those markets offer any potential for the expansion of the U. S. Virgin Islands tourism product?

“We are looking at Canada, and we are making some preliminary forays into Western Europe, which, due to a lack of direct air sevice at the moment, are confined to a slow building of awareness among the travel trade.”

Not all new markets are foreign however. ”We are certainly interested in California. We have had some discussions with Delta in an effort to develop their traffic flow from the West Coast through New Orleans.” Additionally Lewis said that both Western and National have expressed a willingness to promote the USVI as an onward destination from Miami.

Much of the Bahamas new market development was based on the collection of hard data on tourism. In fact, Lewis believes that the Bahamas today “probably has the best statistics on inbound tourism.”

While the U. S. Virgin Islands have some unique tourism advantages ($200 duty free limit, US currency, language, lifestyle and immigration considerations), there is one distinct disadvantage in the area of data compilation: “Because we are a U. S. territory, we have no data on visitor statistics that would normally be collected at international arrival terminals,” Lewis explained.

So following the example of what Dann Lewis believes is the best informed tourism plant (Bahamas), the Virgin Islands undertook an exit survey in January 1976. “We have already gotten a good deal of demographic data that has shaped some of our marketing this summer in the ‘Sun, Sand and Free’ program,” Lewis said. “But there is no history, and we have got to start building up a data bank. It is difficult, expensive and time-consuming.”

While Lewis believes that the basic quality of the USVI’s product has remained intact over the years, he also feels that effective promotion has played and important role in the territory’s turn-around - “promotion coupled with a general strengthening of the economy, an increase in travel overall and the continued impovement of services by American Airlines.”

The problems of the Virgin Islands are a thing of the past. With expanded and enlightened promotion, the USVI should have a respectable summer and another record-setting high season. The Division of Tourism will continue to explore new markets; they now have the marketing data they need to pinpoint their always aggressive promotion campaign, and if our amicable cab driver friend is as smart as he is hospitable, he’ll visit his son in Chicago next year during the off season.

USVI Tourism Director Dann Lewis denies that he has a magic formula. Whatever he does have seems to work.

from: ASTA Travel News, by Albert Walters, May 1977

BAHAMASAIR, the new Government-backed national airline of the Bahamas flew its first services on Monday, nearly two weeks ahead of its July 1 target date.

The carrier has taken over all domestic links from Out Island Airways and Flamingo Airlines, and is operating the Bahamas to Miami service with a BAC One-Eleven.

Dann Lewis, assistant director of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and chairman of Bahamian Air Carrier Holdings, Ltd., parent company of the airline said in London that the short term goal was to provide the islands with stable air services .

Dann H. Lewis confirmed that the carrier plans to acquire two or more One-Elevens, the second of which goes into service on August 1, and eventually resume more of the old Bahamas Airways services to Florida.

from: Nassau Guardian, June 1973