ITTN’s Shane Cullen attended the Meet the Media networking event for the Irish & UK media, which was held in the Radisson Blu Hotel on 14 February 2022.
Travel Media’s event had 30 worldwide travel suppliers including hoteliers, tourist boards and tour operators.
Routes Reopen Across the Atlantic
A sizable cohort from across the Atlantic was in attendance which links with the reopening of many routes to North America. Visit Seattle will have a direct service from Dublin starting in late May with Aer Lingus. Visit Barbados is expecting an increase in Irish visitors due to the direct service from Manchester also operated by Aer Lingus.
Sunshine State
The sunshine state of Florida continues to build on its popularity with Universal Parks & Resorts offering new thrills and excitement. Kevin Gibson from Universal Parks & Resorts was onhand to tell us all about the new Surfside Inn and Suites family-oriented value offering. The property features 2 bedroom suites that sleep up to 6 – perfect for the larger Irish families.
Central Florida’s Kissimmee reminded attendees of its excellent proximity to the region’s many amusement parks including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Parks & Resorts, Peppa Pig Theme Park, Legoland Florida and Wild Florida Airboat, Gator Park & Drive-thru Safari. Jo Piani from Kissimmee described the vast selection of luxury vacation villas catering for couples, families and large groups. The luxury offering can be very good value, especially multi-generational holidays with larger families.
East Coast
Greg Evans from Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau shared how the city has made National Geographic’s Top 25 destinations for 2020 – the only US city to do so. Conde Nast Traveler has also added the city to its 2021 “Gold List”. For something new, New Jersey has plenty to whet an adventurous appetite – Atlantic City, 40 wineries covering six wine trails, Lakota Wolf Preserve, Princeton and much more.
It’s worth remembering, Atlantic City has easy access to NYC and Philadelphia, a broad variety of entertainment, performances and nightlife and 0% tax on all clothing and footwear!
Visit New Jersey and Atlantic City’ Julie Greenhill pointed us in the direction of their new digital goodie bag filled with plenty of content for agents looking material for social media: https://gectr.co.uk/clients/atlantic-city/2/
Go North to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia, Canada makes the perfect destination for those interested in astrophotography with numerous areas and even a hotel dedicated to it. While the camera is away, why not dine on fresh lobster which the area is renowned for. Get there with WestJet flying into Halifax.
