26 REGION AMERICAS Miami
26 REGION AMERICAS Miami Goes the Whole Nine Yards New hotels, new air routes, new cruise terminal… the U.S. tourism Mecca is booming The big story is more hotel product. We continue to evolve as a global luxury destination. We now have a thing called, “Miami First”. So, whether it’s the new East Hotel in downtown Miami – the first East Hotel outside of Asia, or the Faena on Miami Beach – the first Faena product outside of Argentina, or the first Atton hotel outside of South America – in the Brickell (downtown) district, there are new properties at all price points all over Miami. Almost every other month we are opening new direct air services. Miami’s is the only airport in the United States now served by more than 100 airlines - up to 109 at the moment. In the past year, MIA welcomed six new international nonstop routes: Bimini, Bahamas; Cologne, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway; Paramaribo, Suriname; and Varadero, Bill Talbert CEO, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau With the Super Bowl due to be played in Miami in 2020, tourism infrastructure is set to go the whole nine yards as well! We asked Bill Talbert, CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau what’s new in this respect… Cuba. Future flights include Wow air – April 5th (from Reykjavik) and Aer Lingus – (from Dublin -launching September 1, 2017). Meanwhile, at the end of 2017, the Brightline high speed rail connector will open its first link – Miami via Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach. The service will ultimately connect Miami and Orlando. What’s happening in the cruise sector? We’re still, and always will be the “Cruise Capital of the World”. News here is that Royal Caribbean cruise lines is just embarking upon construction of a new US0m terminal in Port Miami, that will be home to their newer and larger ships Hall 3.1 / Stand 305 Downtown Miami... on the sea too! Savannah, Georgia Goes Multilingual A new tourism app has made this Southern city even more welcoming Savannah, Georgia already has a reputation as one of the “world’s top ten friendliest cities” (according to ‘Conde Nast Traveler’) but now the city is extending its Southern charm to visitors’ pockets, with the arrival of the ‘Savannah Experiences’ mobile app. Produced by local developer Tour Buddy Apps and built on the Tour Buddy platform, the application includes points of interest, maps and audio tours presented in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. Approximately 10% of Savannah’s 13.7 million visitors each year are from outside the U.S. and Joseph Marinelli, President, Visit Savannah says it was important to make the destination accessible to this audience. “With Savannah’s rising popularity domestically and internationally, plus the growth at SCAD (Savannah College of Art And Design) and the Georgia Ports, we see more foreign travellers to our city than ever before. Providing tools like these only helps to make their experience the very best that it can be.” Savannah’s attractions range from beautiful historic parks and picturesque beaches to delicious local food and kid friendly museums; the GPS-enabled app guides visitors to their nearest chosen experience, and gives relevant information in seven foreign languages. There are also specialized sections on Civil War and the city’s design history. Visit Savannah also has dedicated webpages in the same languages on their website; visitors to these pages can read about Savannah’s lodging, restaurants and tours in their language, as well as see a list of some of the area’s most popular attractions Hall 3.1 / Stand 331 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 10 th March 2017 www.itb-berlin-news.com
AMERICAS REGION 27 Georgia on my Mind U.S. state makes list of National Geographic Traveler’s “Best of the World” Destinations for 2017 © Jeff Clark © Georgia Tourism Travel Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division announced today that Georgia has been selected as one of National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s 21 “Best of the World” Destinations for 2017. The highly-coveted annual list was featured in the January 2017 issue of the magazine, which put the spotlight on Georgia’s rich music and live music heritage. It was perhaps no coincidence that Georgia Tourism proclaimed 2016 the “Year of Georgia Music” and focused its marketing on the state’s rich music heritage, world-class venues and unique festivals. National Geographic Traveler took notice and called Georgia a site for great American music. A few of Georgia’s iconic music destinations noted by the magazine include Macon, Dahlonega, Athens and Atlanta. THE YEAR OF GEORGIA MUSIC WAS A CATALYST TO BRING GREATER AWARENESS TO GEORGIA AS A MUSIC DESTINATION “We are thrilled that National Geographic Traveler editors picked Georgia to be featured on this highly-coveted list,” said Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner of tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The Year of Georgia Music was a catalyst to bring greater awareness to Georgia as a music destination, and our inclusion in “Best in the World” as a site for great American music will surely attract even more visitors from around the globe.” According to National Geographic Traveler, the selection process for the sixth annual list was competitive and involved nominations from National Geographic Traveler’s worldwide network of editors, writers, and explorers. The destinations were all chosen by the Traveler editors and fall into one of three categories – Cities, Nature, or Culture. The list includes other notable travel destinations including Finland, Cloud Forests in Ecuador, Moscow and Madrid. For trade show visitors looking to connect with the Georgia Tourism, look out for its booth in hall 15.1, stand 103 Hall 15.1 / Stand 103 A Year To Remember For North Carolina Muscle cars, celestial events, anniversaries and PGA Golf – the Old North State has a busy 2017 planned As a destination, North Carolina already successfully leverages its culture, mountains, beaches, forests and cities to make tourism one of its largest industries. In 2015, domestic travellers spent a record .9billion across the state, a 3% increase over 2014. 54.6 million people visited North Carolina in 2015, which sees it ranked sixth, nationally, in visitation. The Southern state – known affectionately as The Old North State – can expect an upsurge this year as it has a range of events and special occasions in 2017. The world’s first museum solely dedicated to the classic Ford Mustang car is due to open in Concord this Autumn, a fitting attraction for the state that is nicknamed the Home Of NASCAR thanks to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Before that, a solar eclipse will reach totality over the Great Smoky Mountains on August 21. Both events could provide a significant pull for tourists new to the state, likewise the return of the PGA Championship to North Carolina in the summer for the third time in its 101 year history. An eclectic mix of anniversaries also align in 2017, including: 40 years of the legendary hiking route, the Mountains- To-Sea Trail; 200 years of Bald Head Island Lighthouse – ‘Old Baldy’ the state’s oldest standing lighthouse; 50 years of the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum Of American Art, which houses one of the finest collections of art in the country; and 30 years since the cult film ‘Dirty Dancing’ made Lake Lure an iconic movie location. Events commemorating each of these will also boost inbound tourism from a range of sectors. Another major attraction celebrating North Carolina’s rich heritage is due to open Memorial Day weekend – the H2OBX Waterpark near Kitty Hawk will be the largest commercial attraction on the Outer Banks and is themed to recognise the impact of aviation pioneers the Wright Brothers, on the site where they successfully flew the first aeroplane in 1903. This perfect storm of eyecatching attractions and events will, tourism agency Visit North Carolina hopes, deliver another record-breaking year for tourism. Hall 3.1 / Stand 331 People on the Trail ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 10 th March 2017
