The tour buses don't get it
I was chatting with some tour bus drivers who think they are helping the Grove by driving through the neighborhoods, stopping at the Cocoplum Circle and then dropping the tourists off at The Fresh Market to buy an apple and a yogurt. Some buses do stop to let out people to use the bathroom at CocoWalk and then they are off in five minutes.
How does this benefit Coconut Grove? All they do is clog the store isles at The Fresh Market and the neighborhood streets. How do we get them to spend time at the shops and restaurants and avoid holding traffic up on back streets where people live?
As I stand out in Center Grove sometimes, I see tour buses whizz by with the tourists hanging out the window, wishing they could stop, they literally sped by the Great Grove Bed Race, the King Mango Strut, the Mad Hatter, Snow Days and every other thing we do here in town and the tourists have their tongues out wishing they could be part of it. Last weekend the tourists should have been let out at the Great Taste of the Grove for an hour or so. That would have been a perfect thing to do.
Why not stop and let the tourists enjoy themselves? I bet they would like that a hell of a lot better than seeing a canal at the bridge at Cocoplum.
I am meeting with one of the tour bus companies this week to try and explain the situation. I'll report my findings and possibly we can come up with a solution.
How does this benefit Coconut Grove? All they do is clog the store isles at The Fresh Market and the neighborhood streets. How do we get them to spend time at the shops and restaurants and avoid holding traffic up on back streets where people live?
As I stand out in Center Grove sometimes, I see tour buses whizz by with the tourists hanging out the window, wishing they could stop, they literally sped by the Great Grove Bed Race, the King Mango Strut, the Mad Hatter, Snow Days and every other thing we do here in town and the tourists have their tongues out wishing they could be part of it. Last weekend the tourists should have been let out at the Great Taste of the Grove for an hour or so. That would have been a perfect thing to do.
Why not stop and let the tourists enjoy themselves? I bet they would like that a hell of a lot better than seeing a canal at the bridge at Cocoplum.
I am meeting with one of the tour bus companies this week to try and explain the situation. I'll report my findings and possibly we can come up with a solution.
posted by Tom Falco at 2:00 PM
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25 Comments:
Solution: Tour bus companies cost about $100.00, per hour per 47 to 61 passangers, pick up and delivery, any hours. The cruise lines do not want single parties any longer and won't book. We can pick up the slack. I just called Gary Limo Bus Tours and they will book from anywhere Miami to anywhere Miami, of course in this instance into the Grove. Those singles will come into the Grove for TarJane. Oh, Grape, the drivers can't just stop and go, they are on a schedule, fed & state laws apply. So, we can move 50 to 60 folks from point A to point B for $100.00 per hour. Now, how do "WE" propose to entertain these folks? Come on people, say something intelligent, somethat that has potential.
wasn't there an issue w/the buses parking a while back? what ever came of that?
As a guy has produced videos for Miami Tour Company, I can tell you that the reason the buses don't stop at Cocowalk is because there is no time.
The tours maintain a tight schedule and the Grove is part of a larger tour.
Besides, the buses stop at Bayside which has a lot more to offer than Cocowalk.
If they have a half hour to stop at the Fresh Market to buy water, they have a half hour to stop at The Bookstore or CocoWalk to buy water.
Another reason for the tour is to allow the tourists to get a simple overview of the city and see what parts they want to return to on their own when they have more time.
I'm sure there are just as many tourists who would love to stop at Vizcaya than at Cocowalk.
Besides, if you let a bunch of tourists off in Cocowalk in the middle of the tour, you know how hard it is to gather everybody back at a certain time to continue the tour?
But has Cocowalk or The Bookstore been featured on the Food Network (or was it the Travel Channel)?
The tourists seem to love that aspect of Fresh Market.
They let the tourists off at City Hall so they can walk around along the water and take pictures of the boats. I see them almost every day.
I think we just learned a lot about tour buses in and about the Grove thanks to some serious sincere friendly informative comments. But, to continue, I just learned how tour bus charters work and their rates. They just can't stop and go, here and there, there are promotors who get paid and if the vacationers don't get something for their money, no more bookings. And to continue---we, by we I mean Grove businesses need to create a venue, in spite of the economic downturn, that will want tour vendors to drop off people in the Grove who will eventually state on some approval form that the Grove is a "GREAT EXPERIENCE".
We need to target tour vendors with something unique. We are a truly unique community, a nice community, a family community, but we need something totally-----we need a magnet, something they will talk about and take pictures about and tell their friends about? Come up with something other than TarJane.
Someone suggest something truly unique for the Grove.
Jobie, I am meeting with the guy who runs the tours tomorrow. He is willing to listen and change routes.
We have venues for 20 minute tourist stops: the Green Market, The Bookstore, Commodore Plaza and we have events. We just need to reroute the buses from CocoPlum Circle and The Fresh Market and the bus guys are willing to listen.
Grape, we need to control those tour buses and we can now do so at a rate of $100.00, per hour per 50/60 persons. That translates into about $5.00 being spend per each tourist per hour throughout the Grove. Now, what are the tourist going to pay $5.00 per hour for?
THAT IS REALITY, THAT IS THE MATH.
Or we can tip the driver $20 bucks and offer free bottled water, which is what the Merchants Group might do.
Don't you think the water views are more special for tourists than stores? If you were here as a tourist, you'd want to be dropped off to see a bookstore and vegetables?
I am asking them to bring tourists to the Center Village to purchase drinks rather than a supermarket.
Funny you should mention it, but as I was parking to go to the Taste on Sunday I had a nice Tour Bus driver pull up next to me then honk and flail his arms at me for being parked in one of the "Tour Bus Loading Mon-Fri" spots right in front of the Bath & Body Works.
I pointed to the sign to show I had a right to be there, and got a friendly "You got a PROBLEM?!" when I took a picture of my car (and his bus, for good measure) in relation to the sign. It was just disappointing to see the angry Miami driver syndrome so close to home.
So if you're the tour bus driver you got a positive impression of trying to drop tourists off at an event in the Grove?
How sweet Jimmy, you won the parking spot and we lost 100 tourists.
Folks, Folks, concentrate if you are sincere at having people, any people spend their hard earned bucks in the Grove.
Think, for example: The Chinese state proudly they will send, thanks to their economic status, 200,000,000 tourist overseas annually.
Think, for example: forget about the Chinese and now think about the Europeans---or about 70,000,000 annually.
Think, for example, about all of those Mexican's, Central Americans' and S. American's or about 100,000.00 annually.
Now, what does every single adult, without a family, kids, wife, husband, maid and pets think about while on vacation? And frankly, most of these family members think the same as the singles----!
Now, let us put that one thought here in the Grove and use it as a magnet.
Now, what do you think that most folks are thinking about? How in the hell do you think all of us got here? Come on folks, don't bury you head in the sand.
Mark, I'm talking about you too.
Folks, I'm talking about sex.
$20.00 bucks and some water. No, No, No-----nonono and no.
Hi Guys,
My name is Gus Moore. I am the owner of Miami Tour Company. Thank you for all the great suggestions. Tom and I are meeting, tomorrow, to brain storm some ideas.
The issues we need to solve:
- parking
- finding a fun area, with affordable places to shop for our customers.
We're getting very close folks, the tour bus owner says we need a fun area. Don't be afraid folks, fun, what equates with fun? Some folks think fun equates with party time, happy hour, conversation, dart games, TV football/basketball/baseball, TV like Friends, Sinfield, Two and a Half Men, people coming together, happy times------but think that one thing must be made obvious------all of this does not take place wherever it is that all of these folks reside. I don't want to enter your brains too far, but it's called territorial imperative; it's very basic and it's universal whether you like it or agree with it.
After all is said and done, from the N. Pole to the S. Pole and all around this planet there is but one big gigantic magnet that drives us all and if the Grove wants to turn a profit----then!
Hi Jobie,
You are totally awesome for keeping this post alive. The Coconut Grove Merchant Association should be happy to know they have people like you in the community.
I equate a fun area as having restrooms and shade, along with cool shops and places to buy something to eat.
What's most important, the area needs to be open and ready for business by 11am.
Our customers spend over $10k a week at Fresh Market. I also have relationships with other Miami tour operators, who listen to what I say.
We love Coconut Grove and hope to find a solution that works for everybody.
I'll keep you posted,
Gus
I wonder how many people who post here have actually looked at the Waterfront Master Plan ... if that plan was fully realized we would have hundreds of thousands more visitors each year. But, no, that plan is being hammered to death by special interests and is slowly dying. Too bad ...
My goal is to get people away from the waterfront and up into the businesses in the Center Grove where the tourists are needed at this point.
Hey everybody,
Tom convinced us to bring our tour buses to Mayfair Shops. So, keep your eyes open for some white and orange buses that says "Miami Tour Company" on the side. We'll be rolling in at 11:15, everyday.
I was so impressed with Tom and all the shop keepers I met.
Can't wait to get started.
More to come!
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