retail

Macy's Presents Self As Tourist Destination

Macy's Visitor Services and Tourism

Macy's is launching VisitMacysUSA.com, meant to appeal to domestic and international travelers. The site, in eight languages, has content about such things as store tours, packages, events, fashion brands, and assorted special offers.

For the retailer's big destination stores in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago, the site has sections on store history, in-store services, local dining, group programs and store or market events.

Macy's is also offering the 10% Visitors Savings Pass as a downloadable voucher on the site that can be redeemed at any Macy's store nationwide.

With Kiwi Collection, a global directory of luxury hotels, the company is cross-promoting the site. The travel Web site has a Kiwi-branded hotel search and booking engine. In-store Macy's Visitor Centers -- which offer amenities like concierge services, language and shopping assistance -- and tourist info are in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and San Francisco stores.

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Orlando Veras, Macy's spokesperson, says the company initially began experimenting with online programs with its Chicago flagship store. "Really, we just kind of had information on the store itself; it wasn't geared toward Visitor Center programs," he says.

He says the company, which has over 800 locations in the U.S., is focusing on the handful of "destination" stores because they have such a huge tourist and traveler appeal.

"We have always had visitor services at these stores, but now have found a new way to talk with tourists by putting them online," says Veras, noting that the destination stores' popularity has to do with their locations.

The New York store is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the city. The Chicago Macy's was once the flagship for Marshall Fields; and the central Philadelphia store is the former flagship of Wannamaker's. "They are architecturally and culturally important stores," he says.

The company is promoting the online service with search-engine marketing, extensive advertising in travel publications geared to both consumers and travel agents, and via a presentation at the International Travel Convention in Orlando, Fla. this week.

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