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The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC), along with Vanderbilt Health and Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc., launched the “Good to Go” program in late May.
As destinations across the world have started to lift stay-at-home orders and businesses are once again opening their doors, CVBs are helping to ensure their communities stay safe through the reopening process and ready to welcome visitors. Here are four examples.
Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC), along with Vanderbilt Health and Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc., launched the “Good to Go” program in late May. The free, voluntary program supports local businesses by asking them to commit to guidance from the Metro Public Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Businesses are given access to toolkits and support to help carry out these recommendations, including training modules. Participating businesses receive a green music note to display at their locations and on their website and marketing materials to indicate they follow these safety standards, and also are recognized on the “Good to Go” website, promoted to visitors.
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
As a CVB with a life sciences division — PHL Life Sciences, made up of experts from Philadelphia’s life sciences and health-care communities — Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) is uniquely positioned to support the destination in safely reopening. PHLCVB recently launched the “PHL Health Pledge,” which leverages these PHL Health Advisors to provide expert advice and resources for the community for new standards for safe meetings, events, and travel, and continuing education on new protocols and business solutions. Local businesses can sign the PHL Health Pledge to be featured on a list indicating their commitment to high standards for cleanliness and safety. To support this initiative, PHLCVB has partnered with David Nash, M.D., Dean Emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health, to serve as the PHLCVB’s Chief Health Advisor. Nash will provide guidance to meeting and event planners. He will also serve as a PHLCVB-designated spokesperson on panels and review current public health guidelines, reports, and protocols before making recommendations to planners.
VisitEngland and Partners
VisitEngland, in collaboration with national tourist organizations for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, launched an industry standard for tourism in June called “We’re Good to Go.” The industry standard and corresponding logo indicate that businesses are adhering to government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment test, and have made sure required safety processes are in place. To obtain the stamp of approval, businesses must complete a self-assessment through the “We’re Good to Go” platform, which includes a checklist ensuring they’ve taken all required safety precautions before becoming eligible to display the green checkmark logo at their location and online.
“I want to encourage the public to experience a great British holiday this summer and be confident that they can do so safely,” said Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston in a press release. “This new industry standard will show people that tourism businesses, destinations, and attractions are adhering to the guidance.”
Discover the Palm Beaches
On June 2, Discover the Palm Beaches announced it would be the first destination in Florida to pursue the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s (GBAC) STAR accreditation. GBAC, a division of the International Sanitary Supply Association, is staffed with experience in academia such as Harvard Medical School, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, and Emory University, as well as the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the International Organization for Standardization. Facilities eligible to be recognized in the program include Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach County Convention Center, and more than 150 cultural institutions, hotels, and two Major League Baseball Spring Training parks.
Casey Gale is an associate editor at Convene.