BALTIMORE (Map, News) - As we enter the busiest travel season of the year, it is appropriate to assess where we stand as a destination. High gas prices and economic uncertainty will no doubt have an effect on travel habits and spending in cities around the country. Baltimore is no exception.

It is more important than ever that we be smarter and more strategic in the ways we market the destination. Innovative programming will keep us competitive, and value-added promotions will appeal to a potential visitor’s pocketbook. Thanks to the support of our hotel partners, for the first time the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA) will be able to offer travelers a “buy two nights, get one free” package that will drive overnight visitation and encourage guests to stay longer and spend more money. All are important pieces of a complex pie every destination marketer will be vying for this spring and summer.

While Baltimore’s tourism industry will do its part to keep the visitors coming, local residents can do their part as well. Word of mouth is a lasting endorsement. More than 11 million out-of-town visitors come to the Baltimore region every year to visit an exciting destination that is right in our own backyard. It’s a valuable asset that needs to be nurtured and promoted by the very people who call Baltimore and Maryland home. When friends and family visit, go ahead and be a tourist in your own town. You will create wonderful memories, and Baltimore will have a visitor for life.

Engaging local residents in the tourism industry is also the cornerstone of a sales initiative to drive group business. Through our Meet Local program, we are asking for your help to keep a meeting in Baltimore, bring a meeting to Baltimore or help us recruit a convention to Baltimore. It’s easy. All you have to do is promote your city to your members. Why go anywhere else for your next meeting or convention when we’ve got everything you need right here? I encourage you to join our sales team by going online to www.meetlocal.baltimore.org if you belong to a group or association that holds meetings.

This is an exciting time to be selling Baltimore, but in this competitive marketplace we have to take bold, new steps to really make an impact. With more than 2,400 hotel rooms coming online — recently opened or under construction — including the Hilton in August, Baltimore is in a unique position as a destination. The city is opening new hotels and spending millions of dollars on renovations at existing properties at a time when many destinations are looking for more rooms. At the same time that we are being tasked with filling more hotel rooms, we are also facing fierce competition from our neighbors to the north and south that are expanding their convention centers or opening new ones. We even have a new competitor in our state with the opening of the Gaylord and the National Harbor project.

The development taking place in Baltimore is a sign of growth and confidence in an industry and city with great potential. This type of growth is also a sign that Baltimore has truly arrived as a leisure destination and can now compete for most of the industry’s largest conventions. There may be a bump in the road in the months ahead due to the softening economy, but we must remain aggressive and focused on what is best for our future.

As you know, first impressions are lasting impressions, so we have one chance to get it right with our visitors. Improving the level of customer service is a top priority for BACVA and our tourism partners, and that’s why we are asking everyone who has contact with a visitor, from the front of the house to the back, to go through a comprehensive training program. For your part, and everyone who has a vested interest in our success, you should take the time to say hello to a visitor on the street or stop and give directions to an attraction or restaurant. Every little bit helps, and if we make visitors feel welcome while they are here, they will most certainly come back.