Recent and Bestselling
Doug has written 10 books, sold several hundred thousand copies, and even won an award or two
MEDIA
CUSTOMIZED KEYNOTE TOPICS
SMART TOURISM: Great Lessons from Smart Destinations
Smart cities demand equally smart tourism. The modern complexities of the tourism industry require a new, smart, holistic approach. Doug Lansky presents the most innovative practices of forward-thinking destinations -- a keynote filled with fresh concepts, perspectives and insightful analysis that will help you rethink the way you market and develop your destination.
Rebuilding Stronger, Smarter After Coronavirus
There are some great lessons to be learned from our global battle with Covid-19 that will help the industry bounce back even stronger: redefining success, spacing out visitors, adapting the product offer, and preparing for tough times. Doug shows solid takeaways from places that have make smart adjustments.
How to Manage Tourism
DMOs were set up as an offensive force for marketing. But, as many coaches often tell their players: “The best offense is a good defense.” That means protecting the product and helping deliver on the brand promise. In this talk, Doug explores and explains the most cost-efficient forms of marketing, from Big Data to basic product development, as well as smart defense. Doug can show why it's in the stakeholders' best interest to work together on unified brand themes and great customer service as well as protecting their most valuable assets so they can continue to enjoy sustainable growth for years to come.
Visitor Experience Design: Getting Tourists To Behave Better, Spend More
The journey begins when the traveler steps off the plane and doesn't end until they get back on. Every minute in the destination colors their experience. As their host, you want to make sure it goes as well as possible so they bring back great memories and spread the word. Things may go well at top hotels and restaurants, but visitors spend most of their trip outside of that high-end bubble. There are plenty of crucial touch points that can slip between the cracks. Visitor experience design might start with finding and removing any pitfalls (long delays at customs, waits for the airport bus), but when done well, it can enhance and elevate the entire visitor experience where it's needed most.
Customized Live and Virtual Keynotes from 15 - 90 minutes
Doug Lansky
Doug Lansky has been living abroad and traveling for the last 20 years in over 120 countries. He is the author of 10 books, including 3 for Lonely Planet and 3 for Rough Guides. Doug had a weekly syndicated travel column in over 40 newspapers for five years, hosted a Travel Channel show, served as a correspondent for Public Radio’s Savvy Traveler show, served as travel editor for Scandinavian Airlines inflight magazine for three years and, more recently, as Destinations Editor and columnist for Skift. He has contributed to publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Reader’s Digest, Esquire, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic Adventure, Huffington Post and Tnooz. On the speaking circuit, Doug has given acclaimed lectures at nearly 100 universities, spoken to a sold-out audience at National Geographic Headquarters, for the United Nations World’s Tourism Organization, as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events from Google Travel to Amadeus, and filled the largest halls at ITB Berlin for five years in a row, introducing audiences to new insights and smart tourism concepts.