East Coast USA kicks off inaugural Australia roadshow

East Coast USA kicks off inaugural Australia roadshow
By admin


Australia and New Zealand are gearing up for a series of travel events as the inaugural East Coast USA Mission heads Down Under.

The week-long event will see tourism representatives from New York City, New York State, Washington DC and Florida visit Australian cities for a series of events centred on local retail travel trade.

On July 14, 16 and 17, the Mission will visit Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland respectively, featuring agent expos, B2B meetings and appointments.

The mission is a joint initiative by destination marketing bodies NYC & Company, New York State, Destination DC and Visit Florida, aiming to better showcase the East Coast locations to the Aussie market.

As the first of its kind, the mission intends to illustrate the diversity, history and culture found on the East Coast of America, with 15 exhibitors, including hotels, attractions and cultural institutions.

NYC & Company president and chief executive Fred Dixon says the Mission will work to strengthen relationships with countries like Australia and New Zealand, as they continue to deliver high volumes of tourists to the US.

“Australia and New Zealand are important international markets for us because they have a tendency to stay longer in hotels and shop more,” Dixon said.

In 2013, New York City welcomed 26,000 visitors from New Zealand and 619,000 from Australia, ranking in the top five overseas markets for East Coast destinations New York and Washington DC.

In the same year, Florida welcomed 303,000 visitors from Australia, who pumped more than US $218 million into the economy, comprising 24% of Florida’s volume of all emerging market visitors combined.

“This East Coast USA Mission is a valuable opportunity to engage with travel professionals to encourage continued future visitation growth to our destinations from the South Pacific,” Destination DC president and CEO Elliott Ferguson said.

“With more than US $8.5 billion of development taking place in our city, including new hotels, restaurants and attractions, it’s a great time to plan a trip to our nation’s capital.”

Attendees of the East Coast USA Mission can expect major exhibitors such as The Broadway Collection, Heartland Brewery, Marriott International, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Roosevelt Hotel NYC.

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