The Visit USA Roadshow took place yesterday at the Iveagh Garden Hotel on Harcourt Street. ITTN’s Emer Roche was in attendance. Hosted by Visit USA, Tony Lane and Tryphavana Cross welcomed guests and speakers at the entrance.
Six participating speakers represented Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Visit Savannah, Nashville, Santa Monica, Florida Keys & Key West, and Travel Texas.
Tryphavana (Visit USA) welcomed everybody and spoke briefly about the impact visiting the USA has on travellers year in and year out. While 2019 was a standout year, she said that the first quarter of 2024 sees bookings to the US from Ireland up 20%.
Della Tully from Visit Savannah spoke of the romance of Savannah and the number of destination weddings, highlighting the connections from Ireland to Atlanta. Speaking about the beauty and charm of the region, she also mentioned the quirky fact that the infamous scene in the film ‘Forrest Gump’ where Tom Hanks sits on a bench and laments ‘Life is like a box of chocolates’ is filmed there. She said that tourism has embraced both their sad and happy past, making it a very interesting place to visit for history buffs.
Karl Cushing, speaking about the Florida Keys, described the scenic beauty of a standalone trip, from Key Largo, the ‘dive capital of the world’ which can be reached within an hour from Miami, to Key West, a vibrant city with palm-tree-lined streets and Ernest Hemingway’s home.
The Kennedy Space Center is a ‘must-see’ according to Philip Britton. It includes spectacular exhibitions that children of all ages would enjoy, such as seeing visionary designs straight from NASA and ‘Planet Play,’ an indoor interactive area where children aged 2-12 can map a constellation and climb a wormhole while parents can enjoy a beer bar!
Megan Kempell, talking about Nashville, emphasised aspects that can be experienced outside of the obvious amazing musical history of the area, such as the Nissan Stadium for NFL fans, its beautiful parks, greenery, farmers’ markets, and world-renowned chicken!
Joshua from Santa Monica noted that it is a very cool and laid-back place, with great hiking and beach opportunities as well as healthy and delicious eateries. For art lovers, there’s a complex of contemporary art galleries housed in a former railway station.
Jane Dawkins from Travel Texas spoke of the wide and diverse state, its direct routes to Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin, its phenomenal gastronomic scene, and Western heritage with many ranches throughout the state. There’s tax-free shopping for international visitors.
Talks were broken up with a tasty lunch and some wine courtesy of Visit USA and the Iveagh Garden Hotel, which holds the distinction of being Europe’s first fully sustainable hotel, evident in its lighting and use of beautiful sustainable flowers and garden walls.
