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Oxford Economics: Brand USA’s marketing initiatives drove record international visitor spending

April 11, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Today, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announced that a study by Oxford Economics shows Brand USA’s marketing efforts are generating a high return on investment (ROI) and driving significant incremental international visitation and spend, which is helping to fuel the nation’s economy. The report shows Brand USA has consistently driven strong results over the past six years, including record results in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY2018) for incremental international visitor spending, tax revenues generated, and total economic impact.

Highlights of the study show Brand USA’s marketing efforts in FY2018 alone (October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018) helped drive:

• 1.13 million incremental international visitors to the USA who spent
• $4.1 billion on travel and fare receipts with U.S. carriers, and generated
• $1.17 billion in federal, state, and local taxes and
• $8.9 billion in total economic impact, and supported
• 52,305 incremental U.S. jobs

The resulting FY2018 marketing ROI was 32:1—meaning that every $1 Brand USA spent on marketing generated $32 in spend by international visitors.

The study also shows that the cumulative results of Brand USA’s marketing efforts over the past six years (FY2013 through FY018) has helped bring:

• 6.6 million incremental visitors to the USA who spent
• $21.8 billion on travel and fare receipts with U.S. carriers, and generated
• $6.2 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, and
• $47.7 billion in total economic impact, which has supported, on average,
• Nearly 52,000 incremental U.S. jobs each year

The six-year results equate to an average marketing ROI of 28:1.

“International visitation is an important driver for the nation’s economy—benefiting a wide range of industries well beyond travel and tourism,” said Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, international travel to the United States is the nation’s top services export and represents 11 percent of all U.S. exports, contributing a $77.4 billion trade surplus.

“The FY2018 ROI study reinforces the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and how our efforts are supporting communities and employment throughout the country. The United States provides international travelers more value in its diversity of experiences than any other place in the world, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to market the USA as the ultimate travel destination,” added Thompson.

Each year, Brand USA deploys a number of market-driven platforms and programs as part of its mission to increase incremental international visitation, spend, and market share for the United States in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the USA with worldwide travelers.

Brand USA also collaborates with federal partners to communicate U.S. visa and entry policies and correct misperceptions about those policies as required by the Travel Promotion Act.

The Oxford Economics study includes an analysis of Brand USA’s work in nine markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom—and also considers the organization’s total impact in other international markets where Brand USA’s marketing was active during the year via consumer, trade outreach, and cooperative marketing programs.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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Ottawa Tourism launches ThinkOttawa ambassador program

April 11, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Ottawa Tourism, Shaw Centre and Invest Ottawa are collaborating to launch a program to bring more conferences and conventions to Canada’s capital city through the creation of local ambassadors. In addition to attracting potential ambassadors, the ThinkOttawa program also offers a number of solutions and support services to help win and deliver events across the city.

The program appeals to potential ambassadors by asking if they are trailblazers in their industry and wish to be the sort of leader that leaves a legacy. In particular, to increase engagement, ThinkOttawa highlights four key benefits to becoming an ambassador:

• Raised Profile – hosting an international conference can heighten the visibility of an ambassador’s work – whilst potentially generating additional research funding.

• Impact an Industry – with many international events only ever visiting a city once, it is an opportunity to leave a legacy in the ambassador’s industry and the city as a whole.

• Networking – ambassadorship provides a unique opportunity to expand networks, develop relationships and build research partnerships locally and across the world.

• Recognition – be recognised for their efforts in championing an event at annual awards attended by peers, government leaders and other industry experts.

The program also demonstrates how much support Ottawa Tourism, Shaw Centre and Invest Ottawa can offer ambassadors throughout the organising process:

• Bid Development – ThinkOttawa will work with ambassadors to prepare a customised and polished bid document and presentation.

• Venue and Accommodation – as destination experts the ThinkOttawa team will recommend and source proposals from venues and accommodation providers.

• Government, Community and Partnership Support – letters of support can be obtained from key stakeholders, partners and municipal government where applicable to help both the bid and organising process.

• Marketing and Promotional Materials – access to promotional photos and videos that showcase the city and its unique offerings will help in the initial bid process as well as securing attendance at the event itself.

• Financial Support – Ottawa Tourism offers funding programs designed to assist eligible organisations with exhibition and meeting space rental costs as well as other areas of expenditure.

“Ambassador programs are not unusual in the world of association conferences and congresses but we wanted to go the extra mile and create a truly bespoke offering for those individuals wanting to get involved,” comments Ottawa Tourism’s Vice President, Meetings and Major Events, Lesley Mackay.

“Specifically, we are looking to help those individuals become leaders, share knowledge, connect, introduce ThinkOttawa and identify opportunities for the city. As Canada’s capital we are home to national and international association representatives all looking to host events in creative and inspiring spaces. We want to show them why Ottawa is the perfect destination and how easy it is to hold events here.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

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CarTrawler appoints new head of North America operations

April 11, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

CarTrawler has appointed travel industry veteran Charlie Coniglio as senior vice president, North America.

Mr. Coniglio comes to CarTrawler from Green Torino LLC, a boutique travel consultancy he founded in 2016. Through Green Torino, Charlie has worked with the CarTrawler team for the previous three years and has been crucial to CarTrawler’s success in the North American market. Mr. Coniglio brings more than 20 years’ experience in the car rental industry through his roles as VP at Hertz and, prior to that, VP & senior marketing officer at Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group.

“Charlie is placed perfectly for this role as he brings a wealth of experience that will be fundamental to our growth. In this new role he will be responsible for leading our New York team to ensure the successful delivery of our strategy,” said CarTrawler CEO Cormac Barry. “The opening of our New York office is testament to CarTrawler’s remarkable achievements over the last 12 months, following the launch of our partnership with Alaska Airlines. Supporting both our new and existing partners from within their home markets will ensure continued success in North America.”

Commenting on his new appointment, CarTrawler SVP Charlie Coniglio said, “I am very excited to lead the expansion of CarTrawler with the opening of our New York offices. Our B2B focus aligns perfectly with the North American Market, and we see great opportunities ahead. CarTrawler has an exceptional product, supported by an inspiring team of people. I am looking forward to being instrumental in CarTrawler’s future growth.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

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Viking and China Merchants Group to build cruise line for Chinese cruise market

April 10, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Viking Cruises and China Merchants Shekou, representing China Merchants Group, announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture focused on building a cruise line with worldwide cruise offerings for the Chinese cruise market.

This will be a wide-ranging partnership covering from product development to sales and marketing. Further, China Merchants Group’s shipbuilding subsidiaries will partner with the joint venture to design and build new ocean cruise ships dedicated to the Chinese market.

“China is a dynamic outbound tourism market, and we are pleased to be partnering with China Merchants Group in this joint venture to drive the development of the cruise industry – we see Viking’s way of cruising less as a trip and more as a lifestyle,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “For more than 20 years, we have led the industry in developing a fleet of ships and a range of cruise itineraries that we believe provide guests with the most comfortable and enriching way to explore the world. Our partnership with China Merchants Group will allow us to bring this Viking travel lifestyle to more Chinese travelers more quickly, satisfying the Chinese market’s unmet demand for a greater choice of sophisticated travel.”

“China Merchants Group treasures this cooperation with Viking. This is a full scale, multi-dimensional cooperation that covers all three main business sectors of China Merchants group,” said Gangfeng Fu, president of China Merchants Group. “Viking has gained tremendous experience in cruise operations and branding strategies during its 20 years of rapid growth. We sincerely hope that the alliance of the two powerful brands will create synergies and innovative business models that will lead the cooperation into a market-leading cruise brand.

Viking operates a current fleet of 78 vessels, offering scenic cruising on rivers and oceans around the world. China has been a part of Viking’s destination portfolio since 2003, and since setting up local operations in China in 2016, the company has seen strong momentum in its European river cruise product tailored for Chinese-speaking guests.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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Travel Leaders Network embarks upon major international expansion

April 10, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Travel Leaders Network, North America’s largest travel agency organization, in partnership with sister company Travel Leaders Corporate, has embarked upon a large-scale international expansion program to expand opportunities and provide enhanced service to corporate customers. To date, 40 major travel agencies from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia have become new members of Travel Leaders Network. Many more agencies are expected to join over the coming months.

“We are creating a network of agencies that will serve as connective tissue enabling us to respond to larger opportunities both regionally and internationally,” said Roger E. Block, CTC, President of Travel Leaders Network. “These agencies, now backed by the scale, technology and tools available through Travel Leaders, are positioned to provide an even more customized, personalized and superior level of service to existing and new clients within their respective geographies.”

New members, some of which are among the largest corporate travel agencies in their countries, join several existing international members of Travel Leaders Network. Combined, the network now has agency representation in nearly 50 countries. Additionally, Travel Leaders Group agencies across the U.S., Canada, the UK and Mexico, inclusive of CTS (Corporate Travel Services), will play a significant role in the international expansion.

“Our plan is to sign one exclusive Travel Leaders representative in key countries around the globe. We are engaging partners who can offer a full portfolio of corporate, leisure and events services and are recognized in their country and by their peers as service-oriented, successful agencies,” said Block.

The newly-joined international members will have access to Travel Leaders’ comprehensive suite of resources. Those include online booking tools, a wide variety of marketing programs, the company’s extensive hotel program, including its highly curated SELECT Hotels & Resorts Program, international destination company (DMC) network and access to a vast array of education and training resources. Additionally, members will be able to support both international accounts and local customers through Travel Leaders’ end-to-end technology suite that provides profile management, online trip authorization, data consolidation and analytics, meetings technology and customer reporting tools. International partners will also have access to some of the marquee leisure programs offered by Travel Leaders Network.

“This expansion program is transforming both Travel Leaders Network and Travel Leaders Corporate into more robust international players with stronger abilities and reach enabling true multi-national account management based upon a highly personalized service model on an international scale,” said Gabe Rizzi, President of Travel Leaders Corporate. “Clients will be serviced by local agencies who are leaders in their markets providing premium corporate travel services supported by a vast array of technology. These innovative agencies are now backed by one of the largest travel agency networks in the world. We’re not a call center operation and neither are they. That’s our sweet spot and our competitive difference.”

Member support will be provided on a regional basis with key positions located in each region, including Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and Asia Pacific. “We have hired regional sales professionals in the areas of sales, operations, technology and account management to create a more localized support structure to best serve the needs of our international members,” Rizzi added.

Angeles Yugdar, Senior Vice President of International Markets for Travel Leaders Group, is leading the expansion efforts and overseeing the new regional team members. Kevin Brown, Vice President of International Sales for Travel Leaders Corporate, is also serving in a key role. New regional team members include:
•Carina Fernandez Grenno, Regional Partner Management Director, Latin America
•Susan Lancaster, Regional Partner Management Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa
•Pat Siow, Regional Partner Management Director, Asia Pacific

New international agency members include:

Armenia

Global Travel Club LLC

Brazil

Travel Leaders Brazil

Bulgaria

Jamadvice

Burma

Supported by Vietnam

Cambodia

Supported by Vietnam

China

Travelux Limited

Colombia

Trafalgar Tours SAS

Costa Rica

Rutas Aereas S.A.

Croatia

Supported by Serbia

Egypt

Travel Leaders Egypt

France

Marietton Development SAS (Havas Voyages / Ailleurs Business)

Greece

Kyvernitis Travel

Guatemala

Grupo Travel

Hong Kong

Travel Leaders Hong Kong

Indonesia

Travel Leaders Indonesia

Israel

Lachish Tours

Japan

Toppan Travel Service Corp.

Jordan

Dakkak Travel Agency (DTA)

Kuwait

KAPICO Travels and Tourism Co. WLL

Laos

Supported by Vietnam

Latvia

TAS Baltics Ltd.

Lithuania

JSC Vestekspress

Luxembourg

Select Travel S.A.

Madagascar

Arcadia Travel

Malaysia

Travel Biz & Tours

Mauritius

Arcadia Travel

Montenegro

Supported by Serbia

Netherlands

Business + Travel Group

Panama

International Meetings and Conventions Panama Inc.

Paraguay

Compania de Desarrollo Turistico SRL – Comdetur

Peru

Promotora De Viajes Nuevo Mundo

Romania

Aerotravel

Russia

IBC Corporate Travel International Business Centre Ltd.

Serbia

Travel Leaders Serbia

Switzerland

STC Travel Swiss SARL (Havas Voyages)

Thailand

Travel Leaders Thailand

Ukraine

Sky Travel Holdings Limited (Ukraine)

Uruguay

Travel Leaders Uruguay

Venezuela

Molina Agencia De Viajes C.A.

Vietnam

HG Group

The above agencies join Travel Leaders Network’s existing international members which include:

Bahrain

Cozmo Travel

India

Greaves Travel Pvt Ltd and Orchid Voyages Pvt Ltd

Ireland

Travel Management International

Qatar

Cozmo Travel

Saudi Arabia

Cozmo Travel

United Arab Emirates

Cozmo Travel

Travel News | eTurboNews

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St. Kitts shines in US Roadshow 2019

April 10, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

A signature activity in US, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority conducted its 2nd annual Destination St. Kitts & Nevis US Roadshow 2019 from Monday, March 25 to Friday, March 29. The week-long series of 6 events were held in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Farmer’s Branch (Texas) and Dallas in order to grow visitor arrivals from these gateway markets and supporting flow markets. These events were designed to educate travel agents, tour operators, MICE buyers, wedding and honeymoon planners, media and experiential lifestyle consumers about everything the destination has to offer both business and leisure travelers.

“This year’s US Roadshow was a resounding success with record numbers of attendees for each event,” said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis. “Having attracted the sheer number of travel agents, MICE buyers, media and more who sell or publicize business and/or leisure travel demonstrates that there is growing interest and demand in these gateway markets for the tourism product that St. Kitts & Nevis has to offer.”

The first event was a brunch held at The Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, New York, an affluent suburb north of New York City on Monday, March 25. The second event was a dinner held at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey, an upscale neighborhood in the northern part of the state, also on March 25. On Tuesday, March 26, the third event was a dinner held at the Westin Buckhead, located in an affluent suburb just north of Atlanta. The fourth event was a luncheon held on Wednesday, March 27, at the Hess Club in Houston. A cocktail reception held on Thursday, March 27 at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmer’s Branch, an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas, was the fifth event in the Roadshow, while the sixth and final event was a luncheon held at III Forks Restaurant in Dallas.

All events supported St. Kitts’ non-stop flights and attracted a total of 300 attendees combined, all of whom were travel agents, MICE buyers, tour operators, wedding and honeymoon planners, media or experiential lifestyle consumers. Attendees were top travel professionals representing some of the most respected organizations in the business, including Maritz Travel, Cox Enterprises, Pro Travel International, Meetings Plus, Valerie Wilson Travel, Houston Style Magazine, Frosch, Questex LLC, Travel Impressions, and Westchester magazine.

“Developing lasting relationships with top travel professionals in our key gateway markets is a key component of our overall marketing strategy for the destination and our Roadshow provides us with the opportunity to connect with these individuals face-to-face,” added Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “In order to continue growing arrivals, we need to maintain and expand our base of sellers to help fill our non-stop flights as we continue to build out new and increased airlift from the US.”

In addition to being treated to a meal and lively conversation with representatives from St. Kitts, the individuals played games, listened to presentations and won a variety of prizes from hotel stays to bottles of St. Kitts’ own Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum that were provided by participating local island tourism stakeholders. In addition, attending travel agents were offered a special $150 incentive for booking clients’ air only on the non-stop flights to St. Kitts or air in combination with a hotel reservation at participating destination hotels, all offering special Summer Sunsation rates, between now and May 17, 2019 for clients’ travel through August 17, 2019 when they log their productivity on St. Kitts’ website or via the Destination Specialist program with Travel Agent University. As a result, many attendees are now adding St. Kitts & Nevis as a featured destination they will sell to their clients.

The delegation from St. Kitts inclded: the Hon. Lindsay F. P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis; Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Ambassador Jonel Powell, Chairman of the Artist Selection Committee for the St. Kitts Music Festival; Annie Sinzinger, US Marketing Manager for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Denise Zimber, Christina Mucha and Shayna White, Marketing Consultants for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Tom Jaronski, Golf Consultant for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; and Candice Kimmel, CEO and Founder of Adams Unlimited, PR & Marketing Agency in North America for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.

A number of tourism stakeholders from St. Kitts & Nevis were also part of the delegation, including: Troy Hendrickson, Carib Journey Masters; Tawanna Wigley, Sales Representative, Ocean Terrace Inn; Richard Berridge, General Manager, Kayanjet; Jaana Kuntonen, Sunlinc; Christine Marshall, Sales Manager, Park Hyatt St. Kitts; Sylvia Martinez, Director of Sales and Marketing, St. Kitts Marriott; Tim Thuell, Nisbet Plantation; Cyndi Miller-Aird, President, Miller + Aird Destination Marketing for Belle Mont Farm; Jamar Wilkins, Travel Industry Sales Manager, Four Seasons Resort Nevis; and Darren Thompson, General Manager, Royal St. Kitts.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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Gleam of hope for tourism

April 9, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

On March 27, all roads led to Mombasa, Kenya, for a joint business meeting organized by Uganda and Kenya and the two Presidents of both countries actually attended. The meeting gathered ministers, key business persons from both countries to discussing topics of mutual interest for the growth. I was personally hesitated to go because my wife and daughter were traveling same week and did not want them to leave without me saying a goodbye.

I also do not like meetings where people talk and do not come up with real solutions for the existing problems. I only made the journey after my family blessed it. I took a morning flight aboard Kenya Airways to join two Kenya friends (Shivam Vanayak and wife) out of Nairobi to Mombasa and thankfully, they had managed to secure three tickets on Madaraka train. Securing seats on the train from Nairobi to Mombasa is an uphill task because of high traffic.

I had been to Nairobi a number of times with an aim of securing seats and failed because of the demand. The business class is even worse because the tickets are booked out first way in advance.

The staff of Madaraka train dress more like air hostesses with a proper Kenyan hospitality. The train carries about 1,500 people each way and there are two trains departing Nairobi daily for Mombasa and vice versa which means 3,000 individuals are dropped into Mombasa daily which is a massive business opportunity for the Mombasa service providers such as hotels, restaurants, taxi drivers, entertainment joints, boats, bars, etc.

The train goes through Tsavo National Park which is Kenya’s largest and oldest standing at 13,747 square kilometers. While on the train, we also saw the 300 kilometer long Yatta Plateau, the longest lava flow in the world. Tsavo is home to the larger mammals, vast herds of elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, lions, leopard, pods of hippo, crocodiles, water bucks, lesser kudu, genenuk and the prolific bird life.

At the business forum in Mombasa, I was given an opportunity to address the audience which included President Museveni and President Uhuru Kenyatta on behavior Uganda and Kenyan tourism group. My address focused on seven points we had agreed upon before the Presidents arrived at Sarova sands where the meeting took place.

The first point focused on the flights between the East African countries especially Kenya and Uganda. Our observations are that the tickets between Uganda and Kenya are very expensive because of the high taxes levied by both governments. Kenya for example charges $50 on every ticket and Uganda charges $57 which makes a total of $107. That figure is what should be the cost of a ticket between the two countries. We actually recommended that flights between the two countries be domesticated.

The second point focused on the East African tourists’ visas which have Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda working together. Our proposal was that the two presidents convince the Tanzanian leadership to join the good arrangements. Many tourists are finding it easy paying $100 for a visa that covers the above three nations which allows them to move back and forth.

Since some local airline operators such as coastal want to fly into Ugandan national parks, it would positively affect the tourism business between the four nations. The third point focused on politics. Overtime, we as the tourism operators in the region have seen politics affect tourism a lot especially during campaigns and since insecurity and tourism can’t co-exist, foreign tourists will fear to travel in the region.

The leaders were asked to remember what their actions mean to business and practice restrain. This particular point was well received by both leaders and we hope to see some change with time. The fourth point focused on trans-boundary tourism opportunities which focus on the shared tourism attractions such as Lake Victoria and Mountain Elgon.

The tourism fraternity feels we need a combined effort in exploiting the above because we miss out on potential billions of dollars that could come out of activities such as cruises, sport fishing, water transport, accommodations on the shores and the many islands found on the lake. We also talked about the joint marketing opportunities across the globe that would see millions flock to Uganda and Kenya hence more revenues.

We asked the presidents to go easy on the yellow card requirements for citizens from both countries because it inconveniences the business travelers most since they are frequent.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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The Travel & Adventure Show San Francisco, USA

April 9, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Seychelles Islands marked its presence through its marketing body Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), as it exhibited at the Travel & Adventure Show 2019 edition.

The event took place in the city of San Francisco, in Northern California, on March 21-22, 2019.

The STB team was represented by the Regional Director for Africa & the Americas, David Germain, was present at the Show on the organisation’s behalf to showcase Seychelles as an extraordinary holiday destination to the 9,500 consumers, travel trade and Media who visited the exhibition at the Santa Clara Conference Center.

Mr. Germain mentions STB’s participation to the event is in line with its marketing efforts in the USA for increased arrivals from North America in 2019.

“Destination awareness and visibility is central to all we endeavor to do as Seychelles Tourism to grow our country’s market share in North America, and on the entire continent,” said Mr. Germain.

The annual participation by the STB at the Travel and Adventure shows in different cities of the United States each year, allow the STB to showcase Seychelles to a wide audience of consumers in the United States, creating awareness of the destination.

Viewed as one of North Americas largest consumer show for tourism and leisure, it is the place for holidaymakers to find information and offers about the latest travel trends, new destinations, among others.

In the prospect of raising the destination’s profile, the STB continues to increase its marketing efforts in North America during 2019, with marketing activities in different major cities in the United States during the year.

Mr. Germain further mentioned that as part of the marketing activities planned for the market for the year, media trips and agent’s familiarization visits to Seychelles would take place during the year, in collaboration with airline partners.

Mr. Germain explained that through the current available flight connectivity between North America and most major airlines, the destination has become even more accessible with easy connections to the archipelago via either Africa, Europe or the Middle East.

“Through our constant presence on the United States Market, Seychelles is today more known to the affluent North American travellers than in the last decade and the current visitor arrival figures from the Americas to the archipelago confirm that the North American market is one with great potential” said David Germain.

For the past 15 years, the Travel & Adventure Show has conducted more than 80 events in the major cities of the United States of America, connecting over 1.5 million travel enthusiasts, with over 3,700 unique travel professionals, facilitating face-to-face dialogue, which has resulted in more than 2.1 billion dollars in travel bookings worldwide.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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The Travel & Adventure Show San Francisco, USA

April 9, 2019 by PressEditor

The Seychelles Islands marked its presence through its marketing body Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), as it exhibited at the Travel & Adventure Show 2019 edition.

The event took place in the city of San Francisco, in Northern California, on March 21-22, 2019.

The STB team was represented by the Regional Director for Africa & the Americas, David Germain, was present at the Show on the organisation’s behalf to showcase Seychelles as an extraordinary holiday destination to the 9,500 consumers, travel trade and Media who visited the exhibition at the Santa Clara Conference Center.

Mr. Germain mentions STB’s participation to the event is in line with its marketing efforts in the USA for increased arrivals from North America in 2019.

“Destination awareness and visibility is central to all we endeavor to do as Seychelles Tourism to grow our country’s market share in North America, and on the entire continent,” said Mr. Germain.

The annual participation by the STB at the Travel and Adventure shows in different cities of the United States each year, allow the STB to showcase Seychelles to a wide audience of consumers in the United States, creating awareness of the destination.

Viewed as one of North Americas largest consumer show for tourism and leisure, it is the place for holidaymakers to find information and offers about the latest travel trends, new destinations, among others.

In the prospect of raising the destination’s profile, the STB continues to increase its marketing efforts in North America during 2019, with marketing activities in different major cities in the United States during the year.

Mr. Germain further mentioned that as part of the marketing activities planned for the market for the year, media trips and agent’s familiarization visits to Seychelles would take place during the year, in collaboration with airline partners.

Mr. Germain explained that through the current available flight connectivity between North America and most major airlines, the destination has become even more accessible with easy connections to the archipelago via either Africa, Europe or the Middle East.

“Through our constant presence on the United States Market, Seychelles is today more known to the affluent North American travellers than in the last decade and the current visitor arrival figures from the Americas to the archipelago confirm that the North American market is one with great potential” said David Germain.

For the past 15 years, the Travel & Adventure Show has conducted more than 80 events in the major cities of the United States of America, connecting over 1.5 million travel enthusiasts, with over 3,700 unique travel professionals, facilitating face-to-face dialogue, which has resulted in more than 2.1 billion dollars in travel bookings worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

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Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Germain, Marketing, North American, North American travellers, Northern, San Francisco, Seychelles islands, STB, Travel, travellers, USA

PM Hotel Group announces senior leadership promotions

April 9, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

PM Hotel Group today announced three senior leadership promotions. The company’s executive team is expanding with the promotions of Seon Heo and Fran Owen as Vice Presidents of Sales & Marketing and Chris Macary to the role of Vice President of Hotel Operations.

“The strong portfolio growth we experienced in 2018, opening 3 new properties and taking over management of 3 existing hotels, has continued into Q1 of 2019. These promotions reflect the demonstrated strength of our management team and our well-deserved reputation for creating a culture that develops and promotes professional growth,” said PM Hotel Group President, Joseph Bojanowski. “Seon and Fran have both displayed extraordinary value in their regional sales and marketing roles and will now assume additional portfolio-wide strategic responsibilities. Over the past five years Chris has illustrated operational excellence. We are thrilled to see each of them transition into these newly created positions. Seon, Fran, and Chris tangibly contributed to the record RevPAR growth PM Hotel Group experienced in 2018.”

Together with delivering on the robust 2019-2020 pipeline of projects, ensuring operational excellence continues to be a priority for PM Hotel Group. In Q2 the management company will welcome to its portfolio, the new Home2 Suites by Hilton Silver Spring, the first LEED Platinum hotel in the state of Maryland.

Travel News | eTurboNews

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