Great Lakes
Cellet Travel Services has taken on UK representation for the Great Lakes of North America region and will promote new product and campaign themes at World Travel Market.
The region encompasses six US states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin – together with Ontario in Canada.Products being discussed next week include fishing, sailing, canoeing and steamboat cruises along with recreational pursuits such as hiking, golf, tennis and horse riding.
The area, which will feature in Cellet’s North America Heritage Tourism 2000 campaign, has also introduced a dedicated Internet site – www.glna.com.
GLNA account manager Dawn Faulkner will be at the show to discuss the major attractions in the region next year. These include the Formula 1 US race at Indianapolis in September, and the national designation of the Ohio River Scenic Byway touring route along the southern sections of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
Golf, shopping, city breaks and outdoor recreation are key elements in GLNA’s 2000 in-house product training programme, and will be heavily featured in the region’s sales mission in April which will take in London, Manchester and Glasgow.
Cellet managing director Stella Clery-Ackland said: “UK travel trends to this region are encouraging – the destination was featured in only eight operators’ brochures in 1996, and now it appears in 37. It is clear operators recognise GLNA as a desirable region of North America.”
The Great Lakes region offers more than 11,000 miles of coastline to explore along the shores of lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario, and the aim is to promote longer self-drive itineraries within this area. These will be promoted in the region’s new marketing campaign for 2000, which will have as its slogan ‘North America…New Tides of Adventure!’
Chicago in Illinois remains the major gateway city for the Great Lakes. However, the start of Continental Airlines’ daily service from Gatwick to Cleveland in Ohio this summer has boosted flight options. Clients can also fly into the region via Toronto in Ontario.
All six states and various cities will be represented at WTM, led by GLNA executive director Patrick Kaler.
Regional round-up by Alan Moore
Baltimore in Maryland is taking a separate booth at World Travel Market from its Capital Region partners in an attempt to further raise the profile of the historic harbour city to the international market, and the UK in particular.
Close to two major airports and a 38min journey by Amtrak train from Washington DC, delegates are hoping to sell it as a waterfront city-break destination.
The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association previously exhibited under the umbrella of the Capital Region marketing consortium which includes Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland.
Meanwhile, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development will continue to be part of the Capital Region stand and BACVA remains as a working partner.
The three states will have their biggest-ever delegation in London next week, including representatives from destination marketing organisations, ground handlers, hotels and airlines.
The main airport gateway into the region is Washington Dulles, while Baltimore Washington International, which has been running a long campaign to attract more direct service from London, handles a daily British Airways service. With around 40 weekly ex-UK flights into the region, the WTM mission is keen to attract more operator product such as flydrive and special-interest holidays.
Capital Region representative Peter Chambliss said: “The area is appealing more and more to second and third-time visitors to the US and tour operators are recognising this.
“At WTM next week, we will be promoting a number of new special-interest tours including golf packages, Civil War trail tours, sailing, wine-tasting and of course the nation’s capital, Washington DC. The capital has become increasingly popular as a city-break destination.”
He added: “Also, with the growing interest in fine dining, Washington now boasts some of the best restaurants in the US.”
Agent rates for the Virginia Fun Pass, valid for up to 15 days for unlimited entry to major historic sites and theme parks in the state, will be up for discussion at the show.
The Fun Pass costs £70 for adults and £53 for children aged six-12.
Pennsylvania
The state of Pennsylvania plans to build on its new tourism partnership with the Canadian province of Quebec at WTM, promoting a series of packages that include rail, air and car travel between Philadelphia and Montreal, as well as Quebec City.
The partnership, which was announced in September, includes a third partner US Airways, which operates daily services between Gatwick and Philadelphia in addition to regular cross-border flights to Montreal.
The US state’s delegation to WTM hopes to capitalise on the alliance to promote more options for flydrives, city stays and escorted tours. There has already been growing interest in historic Philadelphia as a city-break and shopping destination, with more UK operators featuring it in their brochures.
The partnership with Quebec has led to the creation of itineraries covering the city, Pennsylvania’s Amish communities and Civil War battlegrounds. An Internet site has been set up to provide more information on the suggested packages – www.go-quebec-penn.com – as well as a travel brochure detailing the itineraries. These include Old Gateways, American Pie/French Fancy and a Two-Nation Vacation Flydrive, all of about six to seven days duration.
Attending WTM will be various delegates from the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading and Berkshire County, as well as Audrey Bialas and Fritz Smith from Pennsylvania Tourism.