Tom Berrigan – Page 273

At a Glance: Anchorage, Alaska

February 6, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

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114 Buyers Confirmed at Sold-Out RTO Summit West

February 6, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

NAJ’s RTO Summit West, the first of the RTO Summit series that bring together receptive tour operators and travel suppliers for a day of face-to-face business meetings, as well as a day of education programs and networking time, is a now sold out.

Scheduled to take place Feb. 21-22 at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, California, the event proved so popular this year that NAJ had to re-configure conference space in order to accommodate the record number of receptive tour operators who have signed up to attend the Summit.

Jake Steinman, NAJ’s founder and CEO, said that 121 suppliers and 114 receptives/buyers (see list here http://www.rtosummit.com/west/attendees/) have confirmed for the Summit, exceeding the numbers for each year since the RTO Summit was launched in 2004.

“The RTO Summit West has established itself a must-see and must-do conference and trade show for U.S. travel suppliers who want to tap into the opportunity to do overseas business with receptive tour operators based primarily in southern California. explained Steinman. “On the basis of the way the pre-scheduling of business appointments has progressed, it appears that the second day of the Summit, the day on which the appointments take place, is booked solid.”

“The intensity of the interest on the part of both buyers and suppliers is indicative of a strong travel market in 2019 for Visit USA product in key Asian destinations,” said Steinman.

In addition to the RTO Summit West, NAJ also hosts the RTO Summit East (April 17-18 at the Wyndham New Yorker in New York City) and the RTO Summit Orlando, October 24-25, 2018 at the Omni Hotel and Resort in Kissimmee, FL.

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First “Buy the Minute” Luncheon Program Debuts at RTO West also sold out. At this year’s RTO Summit West is the luncheon program, NAJ decided to forgo the practice of having a single sponsor, opting instead to make presentations available to multiple sponsors by offering the opportunity to purchase by the minute. All 10 minutes of the luncheon showcase will feature the following sponsors in a short but sweet “edutainment” format mixing video with live presentations.

Here’s Showcase Program.

1:15-1:17 PM: Robert Graff, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters

1:17-1:18 PM: Donald Contursi, Lip Smacking Foodie Tours

1:18-1:21: PM: Chryl Collins, Sonoma Tourism Bureau

1:21-1:23: PM: Harry Wade: Duty Free Americas

1:23-1:25: PM: LaToya Grant, City Sightseeing

1:25-1:35: PM: Betsy Cooper, TourOperatorland.com Presented by: Betsy Cooper

New Brand USA IMAX Film Debuts Next Week in D.C

February 6, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

Brand USA’s second IMAX® and giant-screen documentary, America’s Musical Journey, will have a premiere screening in Washington, D.C. on February 15, 2018 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Narrated by Academy Award winning actor Morgran Freeman, and featuring visits to a number of U.S. destinations famous for their music, America’s Musical Journey celebrates “the diverse music and creative risk-taking spirit that characterize America.”

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc serves as the de fact host of the film, as he traces Louis Armstrong’s footsteps through the colorful locales where America’s music was born—cities like New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Nashville, Miami and more—and meet the artists, music makers, storytellers, and innovators who are shaping America’s culture today.

America’s Musical Journey is Brand USA’s second giant-screen production. The first, featuring America’s national parks, premiered in February 2016 and was a popular hit among overseas visitors to the U.S. It is still playing at some venues. Brand USA has already given the go ahead for a third giant-screen film by MacGillivray Freeman Films. It is scheduled to debut in 2020.

Based in Laguna Beach, California, MacGillivrary Freeman Films was founded in the mid-1960s by GregMacGillivray and Jim Freeman. It has produced documentaries, feature films, and IMAX films. In 2010, MacGillivray Freeman Films became the first documentary film producer to ever cross the $1 billion mark in gross box office.

For more information, visit www.americasmusicaljourney.com

Vive les États-Unis! French Inbound Market up 5% in 2017

February 6, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

According to France’s authoritative Orchestra Gestour barometer for travel businesses, tourist departures in December 2017 were equivalent to those realized in 2016. And for the year (the period from January to December 2017 vs. 2016) is up, passenger departures were up 3 percent.

For long-haul departures, the Dominican Republic remained the leading long-haul destination for French travelers, despite a sharp drop (down 31 percent) in the number of passengers, while Thailand (+ 12 percent) and the United States (+ 5 percent) ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively are in an upward trend. Cuba (down 26 percent) and Mexico (down 20 percent) struggled last year, while Canada and Vietnam are growing by 20 percent in passenger numbers.

Most of the barometer’s numbers had to do with travel from France to European and short- and medium-haul destinations, where the figures were mixed, although there seemed to be recovery in passenger traffic to northern Africa.

While is not generally a safe practice to compare one organization’s long-haul travel numbers with that of another (differences in sample sizes and methodology can vary), the Orchestra Gestour barometer agreed, somewhat, with the latest estimate for 2017 furnished by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTT0) in the latter’s long-term forecast, which was released last month.

The NTTO estimate had 2017 traffic from France to the U.S. increasing 3 percent over 2016—1,677 million visitors vs. 1,628 million. The broader picture for inbound travel from France is encouraging.

Note: In our own 2018 Market Outlook, INBOUND predicted that inbound arrivals from France would increase “by at least two percent” this year. To access this document, click on the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UJ5PU0Vj2w27aa7QuXyk-5HzFm9Gdlbf/view

INBOUND on the ROAD: International Media Marketplace

February 6, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

INBOUND took part in the recent International Media Marketplace at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Some 600 travel suppliers and journalists attended the event, which is hosted by TravMedia, and is one of a series of seven such marketplaces held annually in locations in Asia, South America, Europe and North America. Following is a photo sampler of the tour and travel professionals who were part of the New York event.