Nudist resorts need to do a better job at marketing themselves

I spend lots of time marketing our nudist resort on line. Although we average just over a 75% repeat guest rate, we still need new customers every day. Marketing is my job at our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa.

What makes me write this post is there is a group on Facebook called Sleeping Naked. It is a fun group with fun posts. It has 125,625 members when I checked earlier today. Yes, that is right, over 125,000 members.

I looked at AANR's (American Association for Nude Recreation) Facebook group and they had 469 members. TNS, The Naturist Society was not much better at 529 members. Terra Cotta Inn has less than 100 members. However, our free yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsoftheterracottainn has almost 3000 members. So I am not a complete online idiot :-)

I couldn't believe it, 125,000 members in a group called Sleeping Naked. That is fantastic numbers. Why do they have so many members and nudism so few?

The press loves to cover nudism. Look at how they covered the Guinness World Record Skinny Dip.

The only conclusion I can come to is nudism just is not being portrayed as fun. And if it doesn't seem like fun, people won't be interested.

This is what is on The Naturist Societies Facebook page:

"Our Mission Statement

The mission of The Naturist Society is to promote a culture of body acceptance through clothing-optional recreation using the tools of education and community outreach...

The Naturist Society views clothing-optional recreation as essential to body acceptance. Through clothing-optional recreation, participants, be they individuals, couples or families, learn to appreciate the diversity of body types, gain a better understanding and acceptance of their own bodies, and reap the social, psychological and physical benefits of a healthy and natural way of life..."

No where is the word FUN mentioned. And that is the one thing that all nudists and naturists say about nudism and naturism. It is FUN.

Now the Naturist Society is free to market themselves however they feel to promote their organization. I for one though, think FUN has to be involved. That is why our website is http://sunnyfun.com

This Sleeping Naked Facebook group really opened my eyes as to what a bad job I and most other nudists are doing promoting nudism. And I am sure this affects the bottom line for nudist resorts and organizations.

Now if you want to take a fun vacation, give us a call at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa located in sunny Palm Springs, CA.

We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You don't even have to be a nudist to vacation with us.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

England may finally recognize that nudists are discriminated against

PR is fantastic in the marketing of nudist resorts, as is the internet like this blog. However, one of the worst ways for nudist resort marketing is word of mouth. Yes, when you vacation at a nudist resort all people talk about is what nudist resorts they have vacationed at however, outside the nudist resorts, no word of mouth.

So many of our guests tell us their best vacations ever are at our resort. And then when we ask "how many non nudists have you told about our place," 95% of our guests say none. They are too afraid to admit they are nudists.

I have always said being a nudist today is like being gay back in the 1960's. You have to be in the closet for your own safety. Now some places like Palm Springs, it is very accepted. I was even the campaign treasurer for one of our city council members and was elect the president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce.

Yet, if I was to try to teach school, I wonder would I have a hard time getting a job admitting I was a nudist?

In England they are starting to realize the discrimination against nudists.

Here is the story:


"The Government Equalities Office, overseen by Labour’s deputy leader, ranks the prejudice faced by those who wish to go naked wherever possible as equivalent to that experienced by homosexuals, ethnic minorities and the elderly.

A recent review into discrimination includes a submission written by British Naturism, which was selected for display on the website of the equalities office alongside work by Stonewall, the gay rights group, Age Concern and the Runnymede Trust, which campaigns for racial equality.

“Naturists encounter prejudice in employment,” it reads.

“This is a particular problem for people in the caring professions and education...

There is a thriving industry devoted to naturism in Britain, including more than 100 naturist-friendly campsites and a selection of luxury cruises where clothing is optional...

British Naturism has 16,000 members but claims there could be 1.2m naturists in the country, with many choosing to cover up their hobby.

Now it is urging the Government and other authorities to make “affirmative statements” in favour of naturism.

Andrew Welch, commercial manager of British Naturism, said the type of discrimination suffered by naturists today was similar to that endured by gay people before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967...

“The presumption of many in society that a person without clothes is always up to no good is archaic and discriminatory.”

For the full story click here

It would really be cool if England was the first major government to speak up positively about nudism. Here in Palm Springs, we are highly thought of by our local government because we have such a high occupancy rate, but that is just small town politics, not national politics.

I wish British Naturism good luck with their cause.

Now if you want to try topless or nude sunbathing for the first time, feel free giving us a call at 800-786-6938.

We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You don't even have to be a nudist to vacation with us.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Rush Limbaugh calls nudists nuts and Looney Tunes

I never listen to Rush Limbaugh. He has a habit of getting his "facts" wrong. Just like today, where he calls nudists nuts and Looney Tunes. The funny thing is I know a lot of nudists that listen to him and like him. That means he is calling a lot of his listeners Looney Tunes.

I would bet 40% of our guests at our nudistresort consider themselves conservatives. Nudists are all political persuasions just like they are all ages, shapes, etc.

I think everyone should go to this site and let Rush know how wrong he is about nudists. I already did.

Go to: http://mediamatters.org/limbaughwire/2009/06/24 And tell Rush Limbaugh just how wrong he is about nudists.

Here is what he said:

"... Rush switched gears, pointing to an entry on the New York Times' Green Inc. blog reporting: "Going without clothes on beaches and other vacation spots is commonly called naturism -- a description that implies helping the planet, as some practitioners claim to be doing." Rush said he has a problem looking at most people when they're clothed, but now we're being encourage to go nude. What about skin cancer? Rush said these people are nuts, and he guaranteed that the people we're talking about here are nothing to look at. He hasn't seen them, but he knows these people. He added: "I know the left. I know liberals. All right, would you want to see [Sen.] Barbara Mikulski [D-MD] nude on a beach? Would you want to see [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] nude? OK, do I make my point? OK?"

Later on he continues on his rant against nudists:

...LIMBAUGH: It's not called nudism anymore -- naturism. These people are nuts. They're actual Looney Tunes. Snerdley, I'm gonna knock it. I'm gonna knock it. These people -- I guarantee you - I guarantee -- I don't want to be stereotypical here, but I guarantee you, the people we're talking about here are nothing to look at. They're nothing to write home about. They're not -- you wouldn't put their pictures in a magazine. I guarantee you. Trust me on this.

No, I haven't seen them. Don't -- I just -- I know these people. I know the left. I know liberals. All right, would you want to see Barbara Mikulski nude on a beach? Would you want to see Nancy Pelosi nude? OK, do I make my point? OK."

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Palm Springs, CA
http://sunnyfun.com
1-800-786-6938

Please repost my post on other nudist blogs, forums, and sites so we can all tell Rush Limbaugh that he is making major WRONG assumptions about nudists!

Ten Commandments of naturism?

I recently saw this posted at a nudist blog. click here to see the blog

"Ten Commandments of Naturism
Being a member of Skinbook can be quite entertaining sometimes, especially if you don’t take the discussions too seriously... it seems that the original poster is quite serious...

1 Only wear clothes and shoes for warmth and protection.
2 Do not alter any part of your body.
3 Respect the environment and cut down on activities (sic) that are detrimental to the destruction of the natural environment.
4 Respect your body. Do not smoke or drink alcohol to excess. Do not use medications made by big drug companies.
5 Do not eat meat.
6 Do not gamble.
7 Use your real name as a naturist.
8 Have a bit of common sense in knowing situations when being nude is appropriate and not.
9 Do not use naturism as a smokescreen for other forms of behaviour that is practiced by other social minorities such as homosexuality or swinging.
10 Have fun and stay positive."

What does everyone think.

My opinion is if these were truly the 10 commandments of nudism, then we would have an empty resort.

I always love people who think they know what is "best" for everyone else like the person who wrote these 10 commandments.

We opened the Terra Cotta Inn almost 15 years ago. When we opened, a so called naturist "leader" told us he was appalled that we used http://sunnyfun.com as our web address. He said how dare we say naturism was fun. We were sending out the wrong message. He said naturism had nothing to do with fun. To him it was a religion and he was as dogmatic as any wacky religious right preacher you have seen.

He spent the rest of his life being a negative influence towards our business telling everyone don't go to the Terra Cotta Inn because they believe nudism should be fun.

And of course now years later AANR and all other nudist resorts follow our lead telling everyone how much fun it is to enjoy nude recreation.

In my opinion, the whole point of nudism is to have fun enjoying the freedom of not wearing clothes. Of course you need to be respectful of others. And our guests agree since we have one of the highest occupancy rates of all hotels in Palm Springs.

Tom
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
http://sunnyfun.com
For more info or reservations, call 1-800-786-6938

Nudist resort vacations are more affordable than you think

This was a great article about vacationing at nudist resorts. Nude vacations in the US and Europe, (the Caribbean and Mexico are way over priced) are probably the best vacation value around. Our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa is probably the best vacation value in the US which is why we have such a high occupancy rate.

Here is the story:

"A Cheeky Vacation Idea to Beat the Credit Crunch!

...try naturism.

I’m not joking. Think about it.

Naturism (also called nudism,) is a leisure and lifestyle activity that is enjoying explosive growth worldwide, so much so that naturist vacations, or vacations with a naturist element, are now being featured in the brochures of some of the largest holiday companies. Its popularity can be attributed to growing awareness of its unique properties, including…


Nudism is good for your health. Its singular stress-busting qualities are well proven, and there is some evidence that freedom from clothes and connection to the earth and elements can protect against some types of cancers and other “diseases of civilisation.”

Nudism is environmentally friendly. You don’t need so many clothes on a nudist vacation, and taking just one less suitcase weighing 44 pounds (20 kilos) frees up 22 less pounds of aviation fuel, which saves 68.2 lbs of CO2 emissions. In a car, reducing your load weight by just one suitcase will increase your fuel consumption by nearly 1%. And that doesn’t begin to take into account the cost of manufacture and laundry etc…

Nudism offers a huge choice of vacation opportunities. Nudism’s increasing popularity has attracted millions of dollars of investment capital, and the opportunities for nudist relaxation and leisure are growing exponentially.

Nudism is fun...

Nudism is refreshingly different to anything you’ve ever done before...

In other words, naturism offers you a completely different experience, right on your doorstep! Which is just what we were looking for!

So, remembering that we want a credit-crunch beating vacation which still provides ample relaxation and the chance to “do something different”, let’s see what we’ve come up with...

But be warned.

Once you’ve discovered the freedom and joy of a nudist vacation, you might never want to try any other sort again!"

For the full story click here

The one thing the story really didn't address, is all nudist resorts are different and unique. You do not want to go to a many of the nude places that are packed with single guys (unless you are a guy) for your first experience with your wife/girlfriend.

Women are normally very nervous about their first experience. Every week we have calls from men that took their wives to a bad nudist place for their first experience and they are asking our advice on how to get their wives to come to our resort. Sadly, you only have one chance. That is why guests from around the world fly to our hotel.

So if you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you8 in sunny Palm Springs!

Nude Beach not approved at a New Zealand resort community

The city council at the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand realizes that topless and nude sunbathing is a major tourist draw, has approved nude sunbathing and created a legal nude beach there.

The city council at another resort community, rejected a topless and nude beach. Why, the mayor thinks people look better in bathing suits.

Listen major, your job is not to govern based on your own closed minded views, but what the citizens want. If you were Moslem, I bet you would want everyone to dress up in a Burkini like the picture above.

I for one am tired of politians imposing their own closed minded views thinking that they know best. Hmmm, sort of sounds like the McCain/Palin ticket doesn't it?

Here's the story:

"Sunbathers on Caroline Bay will need to stay covered up

PUBLIC nudity on Caroline Bay will not be an issue this summer.


While togs may soon be optional on the Kapiti Coast, they are definitely required on Caroline Bay, according to the police and Timaru District bylaw.

..Timaru mayor Janie Annear did not believe nude sunbathing would be a drawcard for the city.

Instead of enhancing a Riviera of the South image it was likely to put people off.

Nude bathing was unlikely to be aesthetically pleasing - clothes helped most people look better.

"I've always thought you should leave a lot to the imagination. Reality is never as exciting as illusion."

She said nudity was really a private thing...

Mrs Annear said that in 2007 the council went over the bylaws to consolidate them and decided that togs were appropriate at Caroline Bay.

"We didn't believe the public had the intestinal fortitude to cope with any more."

...Mid-South Canterbury area controller Dave Gaskin was unaware of any complaints of public nudity. If nudity offended, the police would respond.

Former Timaru woman Kaye Hannam is a member of the New Zealand Naturist Federation and editor of its magazine, Gonatural.

...Ms Hannam believed a great acceptance of naturism was healthy and the Kapiti situation indicated that "simple" nudity was not an offence.

Naturism was not about voyeurism or beauty but acceptance of people in their natural state, she said."

The major doesn't think it would be a drawing card. US the US as an example, Haulover nude beach is the most popular beach in Miami. Our resort has the 2nd highest occupancy rate of all hotels in Palm Springs. We also have one of the highest repeat guest rates in the whole travel industry at almost 80% repeat guests. Wholesome nude recreation is very popular.

For the full article click here

And if you want to go topless or nude sunbathing in a nice safe resort, give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Naturism award presented to Edmonton Journal writer

Our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional resort and Spa is a business members of FCN which is the Federation of Canadian Naturists. They do the same great work in promoting naturism in Canada that AANR does in promoting nudism in the US.

It is funny, since Canadians are a little bit more British oriented, they use the words naturist and naturism, where most Americans use the worlds nudist and nudism. Oh well, it is like the song "You say potato, I say potato...

Anyway, An Edmonton Journal writer won an award from the FCN and other Canadian naturist organizations (of course they have to have a french speaking organization).
She writes she is very proud of her award.

Here is what she has to say:

"Salad Daze
More Journal blogs
Meet the best nudism writer in Canada

Happy Nude Year!: When winter makes nudism a bit too nipply, nudists get their fix with a dip at the pool

I wanted to let you know, dear readers, that I have won a very special sort of writing prize. Not a National Newspaper Award, or a fellowship, or a grant. No, no, those are soooo overrated. The prize I've won is a specialty award, an exclusive sort of award that not just any old writer with a keyboard and a pocketful of trendy adverbs can claim.


Read it and weep: I have won the prize for: the best article about naturism in English to have appeared in the non-naturist print media in Canada during 2007. This award is presented by the Fondation naturiste du Québec in association with the Fédération québécoise de naturisme and the Federation of Canadian Naturists.


Yes, that's me! The Edmonton Journal's resident nudism beat reporter, Elizabeth Withey!

Note this prestigious award comes with a certificate and a $150 cash prize. Far out.


Honestly, winning this prize has made my WHOLE SUMMER. It truly has. I remember, shortly after I wrote the article so so long ago, that someone emailed me and said they'd entered my story in the contest. At the time, I thought, now wouldn't THAT be a hoot...and then I promptly forgot about it. Now, 18 months later....victory!...

Perhaps you've detected a trace of silliness, even mockery, in this posting. It is all affectionate teasing. I am actually quite proud of this win (and I'm not just saying that because I haven't yet received my prize money). It's an honour to be recognized with a writing award of any sort...even the Grade 10 writing award in rural Saskatchewan (yup, I nabbed that one too). So, thanks, FQN/FCN. Truly. I am chuffed. I love it. I mean, how many people can put "award-winning nudism journalist" on their CVs? It's terrific.


To read her story: click here

It is nice that this reporter actually participated in the nude swim and had a fun time. Ms. Withey, if you are in Palm Springs, you are invited to come spend a fun day at our resort. Earlier this year, Canada.com picked us as one of the best places in the world to go nude sunbathing. So I hope to meet you someday.

And if you have always wanted to go topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 1-800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada). Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We have been written up at least three times already in the Edmonton Journal as Canadians love to vacation at our nudist resort.

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!