View From Afar is a podcast by the travel industry, for the travel industry. The travel industry is constantly evolving, and in our latest podcast, View From Afar, Afar editors talk with the changemakers—the CEOs, tourism experts, hoteliers, and more—who are making travel better for consumers, and the world.
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Live From IPW: Ron Price on the Phoenix People Don't Know
Saison 2 · Épisode 15
mercredi 10 juin 2026 • Durée 23:41
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Phoenix president and CEO Ron Price sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a city that's been quietly reinventing itself—and why so many first-time visitors leave saying, "I had no idea."
Ron has worked in tourism for 30 years, with a career that spans Marriott, Visit San Antonio, and the Arlington Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau. He joined Visit Phoenix in 2021, and under his leadership the city has hosted the Super Bowl, the Women's Final Four, and—next year—the NBA All-Star Game.
In 2024 he launched the Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, finally giving the country's fifth-largest city a coordinated way to compete for major events. He's also helping the destination navigate a rapidly diversifying economy, a softening Canadian market, and the perception problem that comes with being a desert city most travelers think they already understand.
In this conversation, Ron and Michelle discuss
Why the Sonoran is the wettest desert in the world, and how the lushness keeps surprising visitors who arrived expecting Wile E. Coyote
The launch of the Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, the return of the Viva PHX culture festival, and the strategy of growing youth and amateur sports alongside championship events
The TSMC effect—the largest international investment in American history—and what $165 billion in semiconductor manufacturing means for international flights, including two new direct routes from Taiwan
How Waymo turned Phoenix into the only American city where an autonomous vehicle will pick you up at the airport, and what other proving-ground tech is rolling out next
The Canadian snowbird market's stabilization, the long-term Canadian business relationships that anchor it, and what doubling down on a hesitant market looks like in practice
The honest conversation about summer heat—the city's investments in heat mitigation, the no-daylight-savings advantage that makes early-morning hikes possible, and how staying-the-clock changes the visitor day
Plus: a Pan Am-themed speakeasy where the LED windows simulate a flight to San Francisco, the 22 Indigenous nations within the valley, and a passionate endorsement of Phoenix's Michelin-bound culinary scene.
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:01:30 Playing Tourist at the Biltmore
00:03:00 What Surprises Visitors
00:04:30 Building a Sports and Events Engine
00:07:30 The TSMC Effect
00:10:00 Why Canadians Still Matter
00:13:00 New Markets, New Stories
00:15:30 Reframing the Heat
00:18:30 Speakeasies and Indigenous Nations
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Tom Noonan on Austin's Next Era
Saison 2 · Épisode 14
mardi 9 juin 2026 • Durée 26:01
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Austin president and CEO Tom Noonan sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about a city that's in the middle of one of the most ambitious reinventions of any major American destination—and how it's keeping momentum without its biggest meeting venue.
Tom has led Visit Austin since 2016, though his career in destination marketing spans nearly four decades. Under his leadership, Austin has more than doubled its downtown hotel inventory, hit record convention bookings, and launched the Visit Austin Foundation.
But he's also navigating the $1.6 billion Unconventional ATX project—a complete tear-down and rebuild of the Austin Convention Center. The old building came down in April 2025; the new one opens in 2029. In the meantime, Austin is competing for major events without its largest meeting venue, even as it adds 36 airport gates, three new arenas, a stadium expansion, light rail to the airport, and a redesigned downtown.
In this conversation, Tom and Billie discuss
How Austin is filling the 40-month convention center gap with "miniwides"—campus-style events that split a single convention across two or three hotels, taking inspiration from how South by Southwest already operates
The new Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID), which is generating $20 million a year in additional marketing budget and earmarking a portion of new revenue to help end homelessness in the city
Why Austin's international markets are holding steady (and in some cases growing), including a new daily British Airways flight from London and a new Porter flight from Toronto
The arrival of the Michelin Guide in Texas and what it's done for Austin's culinary reputation—including the first three barbecue restaurants in the world to receive a Michelin star
The city's full 2031 transformation, including the new Waterloo Greenway, a rebuilt 6th Street, a new convention center designed as part of a park, and an old historic home—belonging to Austin's first female teacher—that will be incorporated into the convention center plaza
How Visit Austin is approaching the World Cup year (Austin isn't a host city, but it'll host Saudi Arabia for training) and what's planned for America 250
Resources
Afar guide to Austin
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Colorado's Timothy Wolfe on America 250, Colorado's Big Birthday, and Tourism Done Right
Saison 2 · Épisode 13
vendredi 5 juin 2026 • Durée 19:22
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Colorado Tourism Office director Timothy Wolfe sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a state that's been ahead of the curve on managing tourism, not just marketing it—and what that's getting them.
Tim took the director role in 2021 after a long career in Colorado hospitality, including a run at the legendary Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. He arrived as the state was reckoning with the pandemic-era boom on its mountain towns, and made destination stewardship a centerpiece of the office's work.
In 2024, Colorado welcomed 95.4 million visitors, and 2025 is tracking similarly. Tim is also a commissioner for Colorado's 2026 celebration, which marks both America's 250th anniversary and Colorado's 150th year of statehood.
In this conversation, Tim and Michelle discuss
How Colorado is bucking the international-arrivals decline, with steady Canadian and Mexican visitation and a growing list of direct international flights into Denver
The Do Colorado Right framework—a non-finger-wagging approach to destination stewardship that partners with everyone from the Colorado Department of Transportation to individual mountain communities
How Colorado's destination stewardship strategic plan, built with thousands of resident inputs across regions, gives even the smallest cities a five-to-ten-year tourism growth roadmap
The state's growing rail story: light rail from Denver airport to Union Station, Amtrak, the Winter Park ski train, and rail expansion along the Front Range and to the western slope
A 150-stop digital passport program with United Airlines, 150 drone shows scored to John Denver, and the rest of the sesquisemiquincentennial calendar
A new dedicated women's soccer stadium in Denver—the first of its kind—and what it means for Colorado as a sports destination heading into the World Cup year
Resources
The Afar guide to Colorado
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Doug Bourgeois on Louisiana Joy, From the French Quarter to Cajun Country
Saison 2 · Épisode 12
jeudi 4 juin 2026 • Durée 23:16
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Louisiana Office of Tourism Assistant Secretary Doug Bourgeois sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about a state whose pitch to travelers is built on joie de vivre—and what that actually looks like on the ground.
Doug has led tourism for the state since 2018, but his roots go deeper: he grew up in Thibodaux, an authentically Cajun city an hour from New Orleans, and started his career as a riverboat shore-excursion guide giving a Cajun heritage tour.
In 2025, Louisiana welcomed 45 million visitors and generated 19 billion dollars in spending, finally returning to pre-pandemic levels. New Orleans alone hosted 19 million visitors, the second-highest figure in the city's history. But the state is also navigating real headwinds, including a steep drop in Canadian visitation, and Doug is thinking carefully about how to keep momentum going.
In this conversation, Doug and Billie discuss
The 2026 Year of Outdoors campaign and the broader strategy of building annual "Year of" themes (Music, Food, and now Outdoors) to give travelers a fresh reason to come back
How the Michelin Guide arrived in Louisiana this year, awarding two stars in New Orleans and additional stars elsewhere—and why Doug says it enhanced rather than changed the state's visitor demographic
The Gas Station Eats trail, the hot sauce ice cream made with raspberry chipotle, and the case for Louisiana as a culinary destination far beyond New Orleans
The Acadian cultural ties to Canada, the "Louisiana olive branch" of roux spoons Doug's team mailed to Canadians who'd requested travel guides, and what cross-border outreach actually looks like
The Mississippi River Parkway Commission and the case for the river as a single 10-state destination
Where Doug is investing internationally now—the UK direct flight from London, growing momentum in Australia, and a long-game bet on India
Resources
The Afar guide to Louisiana
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:02:00 The Tabasco Test
00:03:00 Growing Up on the Bayou
00:05:00 A Culinary State
00:07:00 Year of the Outdoors
00:09:00 The Roux Spoon Olive Branch
00:11:00 Where Louisiana Is Going Next
00:12:00 The Mississippi as Destination
00:13:30 Beyond New Orleans
00:15:00 Where Joy Begins
00:18:30 Becoming Part of the Story
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Discover Puerto Rico's Jorge Perez on Turning the Bad Bunny Moment Into a Movement
Saison 2 · Épisode 11
jeudi 4 juin 2026 • Durée 23:43
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Discover Puerto Rico CEO Jorge Perez sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about what happens after a residency that brought 400,000 people from 108 countries to a single island.
Jorge came to Discover Puerto Rico with deep ties to the moment: as the former general manager of the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, he was in the room when Bad Bunny's manager called two years before the residency to block out 31 nights. The result was a $200 million economic impact in two months, a 245 percent spike in Puerto Rico searches after the Super Bowl halftime show, and a tourism story that has only accelerated since.
In this conversation, Jorge and Billie discuss
How the Bad Bunny residency was strategically built around July, August, and September (Puerto Rico's traditional low season) and what that meant for the island's overall tourism arc
The 2025 numbers: 8.5 million visitors, 154 million dollars in room tax revenue, and 9 billion dollars in visitor spending—roughly double the 2019 figures
Why Q1 2026 became the best quarter in Puerto Rican tourism history (and how the World Baseball Classic, the Puerto Rico Open, and the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament helped)
The 17 percent jump in European visitors and the 28 percent jump from South America, and what's driving Discover Puerto Rico's expanded international strategy
"Return the Love," the long-running campaign that asks visitors to treat the island and its people with respect—and how Jorge made a version for residency visitors before he took the CEO role
The case for a Puerto Rico destination festival on the scale of Coachella or South by Southwest and why 2028 looks like the earliest realistic launch window
Plus: a viral AI-generated song called "My First Time in Puerto Rico" that's reshaping cultural tourism in real time, the three bioluminescent bays you can only experience here, and a reminder that the island is the rum capital of the world.
Resources
The Afar guide to Puerto Rico
Our Unpacked episode about exploring music on the island
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Visit Detroit's Claude Molinari on Staying True to Motor City
Saison 2 · Épisode 10
mercredi 3 juin 2026 • Durée 23:13
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Detroit president and CEO Claude Molinari sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about a city he insists is well past its comeback chapter—and what comes next.
Claude has led Visit Detroit since 2021, after a decade running Huntington Place, the city's convention center. Under his leadership, the city has hosted the NFL Draft in 2024, secured the NCAA Final Four for next year, and won the bid to host IPW itself in 2028. Five new skyscrapers have gone up downtown in five years, the city has seen population growth three years running, and visitation is up year-over-year—even with Canadian tourism down 30 percent.
In this conversation, Claude and Billie discuss
Why Claude pushes back on the "renaissance" framing: this isn't a comeback, it's a complete transformation, and the narrative has finally caught up with the reality
How Visit Detroit got onto Italian soccer jerseys—a partnership with Juventus that has driven a 400 percent increase in European website traffic and almost 600 percent from Italy alone
The reopening of Michigan Central Station as the global epicenter of autonomous vehicles, complete with an electric road out front
What it means to be the only UNESCO City of Design in the United States—and why architecture, from the Guardian Building to the Detroit Riverwalk (rated number one for four years running by USA Today), is doing the work of telling Detroit's story
How a majority-minority city is leaning into its authentic identity rather than trying to be everything to everybody, and what other destinations can learn from that approach
Three new convention-center hotels opening before the Final Four—including a five-star Edition, a JW Marriott, and a Nomad inside the restored train station
Resources:
Visit Detroit
Detroit Riverwalk
Michigan Central Station
Henry Ford Museum at Greenfield Village
Eastern Market
Detroit Institute of Arts
Buddy's Pizza
Afar guide to Detroit
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Discover South Carolina's Duane Parrish on Finding the Undiscovered South Carolina
Saison 2 · Épisode 9
samedi 30 mai 2026 • Durée 21:50
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Discover South Carolina director Duane Parrish sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a state that's having a record-breaking year on the whole.
Duane has led South Carolina's tourism efforts for 15 years, a period in which tourism has become one of the largest industries in the state. In 2024, it contributed more than 30 billion dollars to the economy and generated 3.2 billion in state and local tax revenues.
But the picture isn't even across the state, and 2025 forced Duane and his team to make some real pivots—doubling down on drive markets like Atlanta and Charlotte, leaning into the "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign, and surfacing the places most travelers don't yet know.
In this conversation, Duane and Michelle discuss
The "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign and why getting off the grid is becoming the state's most resonant pitch
Greenville's transformation from a shuttered textile town into one of the most reinvented cities in the Southeast, complete with a downtown waterfall and a growing Michelin presence
The barrier-island culture of the Lowcountry, from Beaufort to Georgetown, and why these are the places to send travelers who want to explore beyond Charleston
The opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Gullah Geechee Corridor, and the Civil Rights Trail—and why international visitors are especially drawn to this kind of richer storytelling
How AI is reshaping destination marketing, why Duane believes "high tech will never replace high touch," and the Ronald Reagan line he keeps coming back to: trust but verify
Plus: the four styles of South Carolina barbecue sauce (vinegar, mustard, light tomato, heavy tomato), the 225-restaurant barbecue trail that's color-coded by sauce, and Duane's own loyalty to heavy tomato.
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:01:30 A Record Year, With Exceptions
00:03:00 Doubling Down on Drive Markets
00:04:30 Find the Undiscovered You
00:06:30 Greenville's Reinvention
00:07:30 Beyond Charleston
00:08:30 How Destination Marketing Has Changed
00:10:30 The Promise and Limits of AI
00:12:30 Telling a Fuller Story
00:16:30 The Barbecue Trail
00:19:00 A South Carolina Itinerary
Resources:
Discover South Carolina
South Carolina Barbecue Trail
The Afar guide to South Carolina
Listen to our Unpacked podcast guide to Charleston, where we explore food, culture, the outdoors, and shopping
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Visit Seattle's Tammy Canavan on a New Waterfront and a World Cup Summer
Saison 2 · Épisode 8
jeudi 28 mai 2026 • Durée 21:35
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Seattle president and CEO Tammy Canavan sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about what it takes to put a city on the world stage—and what visitors will actually find when they get there.
Tammy has led Visit Seattle for four years, during which the city has opened the Summit building at the convention center, completed an $800 million, 15-year waterfront overhaul, expanded international air service through Sea-Tac, and welcomed a record cruise season. This summer, Seattle will host six FIFA World Cup matches and an estimated 750,000 visitors—a moment that's been functioning as an artificial deadline for years of infrastructure work.
In this conversation, Tammy and Michelle discuss
Why Seattle's "low-key joy"—coffee shops, bookstores, the water, an Evian-mist-style rain—keeps surprising first-time visitors
The completion of the waterfront, after 15 years and what it means for a port city to finally reconnect with its shoreline
How Visit Seattle is rolling out the "Unity Loop," several World Cup fan zones across the city, and a strategy that asks visitors to explore beyond the stadium
The honest conversation about downtown safety, perception versus reality, and how Seattle is reframing its narrative without running from it
What Tammy is telling federal officials about Brand USA, the proposed visa integrity fee, and the rumors that are quietly keeping international visitors away
Resources
Visit Seattle
A guide to Seattle's waterfront reinvention
Afar's guide to Seattle
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:01:30 Why Seattle, Why Now
00:04:00 The World Cup Surprise
00:06:30 What Travelers Need to Hear
00:08:00 A Waterfront, Reconnected
00:09:30 Beyond Pike Place
00:11:30 The Perception Problem
00:14:30 A Civic Renewal
00:17:30 Seattle's Quiet Joy
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Brightline's New CEO on Getting Americans Out of Their Cars—and Onto the Train
Saison 2 · Épisode 7
mercredi 27 mai 2026 • Durée 20:49
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Brightline Holdings CEO Nicolas Petrovic sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about what it actually takes to build a new mode of travel in the United States—and what that could mean for travelers, destinations, and the industry at large.
Nicolas stepped into the CEO role at Brightline in early 2026, bringing decades of high-speed rail experience from leadership positions at Eurostar, Siemens, and rail projects in the UAE. He arrived at a pivotal moment. Brightline's Florida service is growing—up 20 percent year-over-year, with 3 million passengers last year—and the company has big ambitions to build a high-speed line connecting Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But it's also navigating a significant debt load and the deeper challenge of convincing Americans to leave their cars behind.
In this conversation, Nicolas and Billie discuss
The signature Brightline scent (citrusy, with lemongrass, and yes, you can buy the scent)
What Nicolas learned at Eurostar that he's bringing to Brightline, including how Eurostar went from 10 percent to 80 percent business-market share
The return of the commuter pass, new family fares, and a $39 starter price
Why Brightline is targeting international travelers who don't yet know the train is part of the trip
How Florida riders are using the service in ways that go beyond commuting—from day trips to the theme parks to one passenger who rides every day with his dog
The reality of Brightline's debt situation and what it means (and doesn't mean) for the rider experience
The status of Brightline West, the proposed high-speed line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and why the highway median makes it possible
Plus: a brief detour through railway history featuring Henry Flagler, the 19th-century hotelier whose Florida rail corridor became the backbone of Brightline today.
Resources
Brightline
Brightline West
Afar review of the Brightline experience
Afar coverage of Brightline West
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:01:50 The Brightline Scent
00:03:00 Convincing People to Leave Their Cars
00:04:30 Lessons From Eurostar
00:07:30 The Right Train Experience
00:11:00 How Florida Travels by Rail
00:12:30 Talking About the Debt
00:14:00 The Vision for Brightline West
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live From IPW: Visit Florida Keys' Kara Franker on Balancing Record Numbers and Real Limits
Saison 2 · Épisode 6
mardi 26 mai 2026 • Durée 24:56
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Florida Keys and Key West president and CEO Kara Franker sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about leading a record-breaking destination on a fragile string of islands—and why "better tourism" matters more than "more tourism."
Kara joined Visit Florida Keys in 2024 after leading Visit Estes Park in Colorado, and she came in at a pivotal moment. Key West International Airport saw more arrivals in 2025 than ever before, and 2026 is tracking strong. But the Keys are 120 miles of islands with one road in and one road out, a reef that protects them from hurricanes, and a deeply local culture that doesn't always love being shared. Kara's challenge: how to keep welcoming the world without loving the place to death.
In this conversation, Kara and Billie discuss
How Kara rebuilt her team from 12 staff to 30 in under two years, and why she recruited from outside the tourism industry
The shift from "spray and play" broadcast marketing to messaging that asks visitors to respect the reef, the key deer, and the locals
A new artificial reef being built so divers can practice before they touch the real thing—and how visitor tax dollars are funding it
Why the Keys are physically finite, what that means for residents trying to reach the grocery store on Memorial Day weekend, and the air taxi idea Kara has her eye on
What the recent Monroe County decision to stop using tourism tax dollars to fund LGBTQ events means for Pride in 2027—and why the community is already rallying
The "Come as You Are" tagline, the Conch Republic's rebellious spirit, and what it means to become a "freshwater conch"
Plus: stone crab vs. key lime pie, the only place in the world with crocodiles and alligators in the same place, and a pitch for adding lionfish to the menu.
Resources
– Visit Florida Keys website
– John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
– Fantasy Fest
– Afar guide to the Florida Keys and Key West
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar
00:01:30 Rebuilding the Team From Scratch
00:04:00 Better Tourism, Not More
00:06:30 Investing in the Community
00:11:00 Come as You Are
00:12:00 Pride, Politics, and the Path Forward
00:17:30 The Joy of the Keys
00:20:00 Becoming a Freshwater Conch
Stay Connected
Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.
Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
