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POW Wow is a ‘one stop shop’ for all things
American – but the marketplace can be bewildering at the best
of times, with everyone from Phoenix to Florida vying for your
attention. We have selected a few highlights to help you get the
most out of the show.
Texas
The biggest news from the Lone Star State is the new international
terminal at Dallas Fort Worth Airport. The $2.6 billion project
opens in July and Dallas wants the world to know – the
Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting a pre-Pow Wow fam tour to
showcase the new airport to trade and media delegates. The new
terminal also includes the Skylink – a monorail train linking
up the airport’s five terminals – as well as an on-site
Grand Hyatt Hotel. More information: dfwairport.com.
Texas will also be promoting aviation of a more natural kind. It
may come as a surprise to anyone who associates the state with
cattle and cowboys, but Texas is among the best spots in the US for
bird and butterfly spotting. McAllen, for example, has 507 recorded
bird species; 39 of which aren’t seen anywhere else in the
US. The town is in the heart of the newly created World Birding
Centre, a network of nine sites in the Rio Grande Valley dedicated
to twitchers. More information: worldbirdingcenter.org.
Other new projects include the Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum and
Performance Centre in Amarillo. Opened last year, the museum is
dedicated to Native American art and exhibits – some dating
back more than 2,000 years. More information: kwahadi.com.
Pennsylvania
Golf will be on the agenda in a big way as the state prepares to
host the 66th annual PGA Senior Golf Championship held at Laurel
Valley Golf Club in Ligonier. Big names such as Arnold Palmer, Gary
Player and Tom Watson will be in the competition, which tees off
from May 23-29. More information: seniorpga2005.com.
This year is also the 20th anniversary of the Harrison Ford
movie Witness, and Lancaster County will be promoting tours of the
Amish locations used in the film. More information:
padutchcountry.com/group_tours.
Kentucky
Downtown Louisville sees the opening of the Muhammad Ali Centre in
November, which charts the boxer’s lowly beginnings in
Louisville as Cassius Clay, to his rise to superstar fighter and
leading humanitarian. Ali’s profile should garner interest
for his hometown but if boxing doesn’t appeal, Louisville
will also be promoting its most recent artistic acquisition –
88 works by James Whistler. The American artist’s work will
go on display at the Speed Art Museum. More information:
ailcenter.org; speedmuseum.org.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas – famed for knocking everything down and starting
again every few years – is the last place you’d
normally consider for a historical tour. This year, however, Sin
City celebrates its 100th birthday and will be pulling out all the
stops – while pulling in all the punters – to show off
in style.
The Nevada desert resort is spending £1 million on UK
advertising and PR this year, including television adverts and a
redesigned website at visitlasvegas.co.uk.
New attractions include Insanity – the new white-knuckle
ride that debuted at the Stratosphere hotel last month –
which dangles riders 64ft in the air before spinning them at a
force of 3Gs.
The highest-profile project, however, is the Wynn Las Vegas.
Opening next week, the $2.7billion hotel will be the most expensive
ever built, with 2,716 rooms and suites, 18 restaurants, a private
lake, man-made mountain and – of course – a Ferrari
dealership in the foyer. More information: visitlasvegas.co.uk.
Great Lakes of North America
The marketing alliance of the seven Great Lakes states –
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Wisconsin – will be promoting shopping breaks as well as
outdoor activities. Minnesota and Pennsylvania have no sales tax on
clothes or shoes, and if that wasn’t encouragement enough,
Minneapolis in Minnesota is home to the largest retail complex in
the US – the 520-store Mall of America. More information:
greatlakesnorthamerica.co.uk.
Chicago, another Great Lakes city, is home to Marshall
Field’s – the first department store in the US and the
inspiration for Selfridges in the UK – as well as ‘the
magnificent mile’, a tree-lined boulevard with six other
department stores and hundreds of retail therapists.
Major Travel has added shopping packages with Marshall
Field’s and United Vacations among others this year, and the
store will be angling to get more on board at the show. More
information: fields.com.
North Carolina
This summer sees a dedicated UK website for North Carolina come
online at visitnc.co.uk. The State Division of Tourism has also
produced new sales material focusing on the 10 reasons to visit
North Carolina.
Golf plays a major part, particularly with the US Open
competition being staged at Pinehurst in June. Other key areas of
promotion include Native American product, beaches, history and the
state’s movie locations.
West Virginia
Among the key investments in the Mountain State is
Intrawest’s ongoing commitment to the resort of Snowshoe
Mountain. The Canadian-owned ski conglomerate is upgrading
infrastructure and adding more snowmaking equipment. The new Seneca
hotel has also just opened, adding slopeside accommodation to the
resort. More information: snowshoemtn.com.
Washington
In the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Washington State will be
pushing its natural attractions, not least the area around Mt St
Helens. This year is the 25th anniversary of the massive volcanic
eruption, which destroyed 68,000 acres of forest and did untold
damage to local wildlife. Tourism officials are now promoting the
recovery of the area though the Forest Learning Centre, located
inside the volcano’s 1980 blast zone. The family-oriented
centre is being marketed as a day trip from Seattle, two
hours’ drive away. More information:
theforestreturns.com.
State capital Seattle will be promoting its gateway,
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which officially opens its
renovated and expanded Central Terminal next month. More
information: portseattle.org.
Arizona
The Grand Canyon state will continue its year of promotion for its
most obvious asset, but there’s more to the state besides the
big hole in the ground. Scottsdale, popular with golfers thanks to
its benevolent climate and proliferation of courses, will be
pushing its spa product, with the new $9 million Aviana spa opening
at the Hyatt Regency next month. Plans are also afoot to convert
the nearby La Posada Resort (formerly a Doubletree property), into
a luxury resort and spa. The new Californian owner, Crown Realty
and Development, is investing more than $185 million into the
purchase and renovation. MMore information: scottsdalecvb.com.
Back at the Grand Canyon, the El Tovar hotel has just reopened
after a $4.5million renovation. The historic property, currently
featured by Jetlife and Travel 4, celebrates its centenary this
year. More information: grandcanyonlodges.com.
California
There are renovations aplenty on the West Coast, but possibly the
highest-profile project will be the opening of Donald Trump’s
National Golf Course in Los Angeles this June. Unlike The
Donald’s course in Florida, the National will be open to the
public, and won’t be asking for a $350,000 joining fee. More
information: trumpgolf.com.
More golf developments are afoot in the desert resort of Palm
Springs. New this season is the Indian Canyons Golf Resort. The $15
million public course has been developed by the local Agua Caliente
Band of Cahuilla Indians on the site of the old Canyon South Golf
Course. More information: IndianCanyonsGolf.com.
Florida
The Sunshine State has plenty to shout about with new theme park
rides, hotels and a new terminal at Southwest Florida International
Airport.
Universal will be pushing its Fear Factor Live experience
– billed as the world’s first attraction inspired by a
reality TV show – which opens in Orlando this spring and
later in the year at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay also opens a new attraction this
spring – the SheiKra dive coaster; set to be the highest
rollercoaster in the US and only the third of its kind in the
world. Meanwhile, Disney will be promoting its ongoing year of
celebration for its 50th anniversary. More information:
universalorlando.com, buschgardens.co.uk and disney.com.
Multi-attraction pass specialist Go Card USA will launch its
Orlando Go Card at the end of May, costing £42 for an adult
two-day pass. Highlights include the Gatorland and Water Mania
parks.
Less frenetic pleasure can be found in the twin resorts of
Sarasota and Bradenton on Florida’s Gulf Coast, which will
both be pushing their boutique hotels at Pow Wow. The resorts are
keen to work with UK operators. More information:
floridaboutiquehotels.co.uk.
Daytona will also be promoting its hotel developments –
the area’s first four-star property, Shores Resort and Spa,
opens in June along with the newly renovated Hilton Oceanfront
Daytona Beach Resort (formerly the Adam’s Mark).
Southwest Florida International Airport, the gateway for the
beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, will be trying to attract its
first direct flight out of the UK thanks to a new terminal
building, scheduled to open in June. More information:
flylypa.com.
Hawaii
As well as launching a Travel Weekly training academy at the end of
May, Hawaii will push the ongoing regeneration of Waikiki.
Oahu’s major tourist centre is the focus of a $460 million
project to add green space and make the old Lewers-Kalia-Beach Walk
area more pedestrian friendly. More information:
waikikibeachwalk.com.
Norwegian Cruise Line also launches its new ship, Pride of
Aloha, in June – its second in Hawaii.
New York
NYC and Company will be taking advantage of its host status by
showcasing the neighbourhoods even seasoned travellers may not be
familiar with. Top of the list is Lower Manhattan, which on the
Wednesday will be promoting a development plan on behalf of 15
downtown museums that plan to market themselves together.
The Meatpacking District is still being touted as the hippest place
in town for a night out, while Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem and the
Bronx will also be promoting their cultural diversity. Plenty of
attention will be focused on the city’s newest neighbourhood
called, if you can believe it, Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge
Overpass).
Evening events will be hosted at New York icons such as MoMA and
the Statue of Liberty. More information: nycvisit.com.
