Atlanta,
GA – February 2019 / Newsmaker Alert / Travel
South USA continues to grow in attendance and evolves its annual Domestic
Showcase program.
Held
February 24 – 27 in Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina, delegates will be enjoying Southern food, networking
opportunities, and one-on-one appointments to bring visitors to the South.
This year attendees will enjoy a private concert by South Carolina’s own
three-time Grammy winner, Darius Rucker! Showcase will be held inside the
Myrtle Beach Convention Center and attendees will be housed in both the
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel and Myrtle Beach Marriott
Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes.
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Myrtle
Beach welcomes 700 delegates to experience fresh coastal cuisine, a unique
flavor of fun, and warm Southern hospitality along 60 miles of beautiful
coastline. Delegates will gather for 3-days of intensive meetings with
a goal of delivering more visitors, spending more time and money in the
South and showcasing the unique destination with the region.
“We’re
excited about hosting Travel South Showcase again, and welcoming hundreds
of buyers and suppliers to the Palmetto State,” said Duane Parrish, Director
of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “This
is such an important gathering, a time for Showcase delegates to reconnect
and do business, and an opportunity for us to demonstrate how accommodating
South Carolina can be for group tours.”
The
estimated economic impact of group travel is significant. According to
the American Bus Association Foundation, approximately $29 billion in overall
economic impact (direct, supplier and inducted) was delivered to Travel
South members states in 2016 from group travel. It is anticipated that
sales in Travel South member states coming from group tourists totals $15.25
billion. Hotels in Travel South Member States provide group tourists with
an estimated 14.5 million room nights annually.
Domestic
Showcase will deliver close to $600,000 of economic impact into the city
of Myrtle Beach. Along with the state of South Carolina and the city of
Myrtle Beach, over 120 partners have come together to illustrate the warm
hospitality of this coastal destination to over 180 tour operators and
media.
“We
are thrilled to host the 2019 Travel South conference in Myrtle Beach,”
said Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber
of Commerce. “Travel South is a remarkable partnership organization that
exemplifies the meaning of cooperation. Their annual conference is always
stellar, and it will bring hundreds of tourism professionals to our beautiful
region. We know our southern hospitality, amenities, attractions and culinary
options won’t disappoint, and we’re looking forward to this amazing conference.”
Travel
South USA Domestic Showcase has not only continued to grow in attendance
but has expanded the programing provided during Showcase. For the first
time, Domestic Showcase will be introducing Media Marketplace. 48 highly
qualified and vetted journalists will meet one-on-one with Public Relation
Suppliers in their own Marketplace. This will give the journalists an opportunity
to speak with PR specialists who can present expert knowledge of their
destination’s stories, build stronger relationships, and glean even more
published results.
About
Travel South USA
Travel
South USA is America’s oldest and largest regional travel promotion organization,
formed in 1965 by a resolution presented at the Southern Governor’s Conference.
The long-standing regional collaboration of the state tourism offices of
Alabama,
Arkansas,
Georgia,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
Missouri,
North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Virginia
and West Virginia provides a foundation
to positively position tourism as a vital and dynamic element in the region’s
economic development. Tourism ranks throughout the region as one of the
top three industries, behind manufacturing and agriculture, and is responsible
for $133 billion in spending by visitors, generating 1.4 million direct
jobs, $30 billion in worker paychecks, and almost $16 billion in state
and local taxes. Visit TravelSouthUSA.com
for consumer information and travel industry information, TravelSouthUSA.org.
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Contact:
Angelica
De Stefano
Travel
South USA
Coordinator,
Event Marketing & Communications
404-231-1790
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Travel
South USA: Facebook
/ Twitter / YouTube| |