TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Three months into 2024, the Tourism Development team is busy embracing our annual goals and seeking out new opportunities to promote Greater Palm Springs to key clients. Our direction this year includes:
- Hosting client FAMs aligned with our target accounts
- Developing a robust Program of Work focusing on key source markets
- Partnering with travel agent associations, Visit California, and Brand USA to provide quality time with influential travel representatives
- Focusing on our key drive and direct flight markets as well as expanding into areas such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia
- Developing and promoting enhanced itineraries with unique experiences and regional partnerships to travel trade; they will be promoted via both in-person and marketing opportunities and travel trade webpage, which will continue to be enhanced
- Leveraging our memberships with ACTA (Association of Canadian Travel Agencies), ASTA, PATA, MAPTA, and key relationships with airline vacation business units as well as key accounts to reach top advisors
- Increasing programming in the European markets to complement our consumer marketing and lean into strategic support from our three European offices as well as UK-based Tourism Development Manager Gerry Boyle; efforts to attract European MICE business will expand from the UK into France and Australia in 2024
- Continuing trade efforts through our Australia office and adding strategy for MICE; project work will continue with Visit California offices in Japan, South Korea, and India
- Developing inspirational marketing campaigns with our target accounts across domestic and international markets
- Holding partner training and updates via a new Global Market webpage and new GPS Next international edition webinars
Recent programming to connect with clients in our key international markets included participation in the Visit California Canada Mission focusing on Western Canada, Club California training events in Tokyo, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Taipei, one-on-one appointments with receptive tour operators and wholesalers at Go West Summit, the USA Travel Show in Scandinavia along with three consumer shows in partnership with FDM Travel and Swanson’s Travel in Scandinavia and the Friedrichshafen Travel Show in Germany, Brand USA Mexico Mission in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Travel Gossip Roadshow in London
Virtually, we met with travel advisors in Australia from iTravel, interactions with over 124 US based travel advisors via TravPro’s Travel & Adventure Show and conducted our first gpsNEXT International Edition webinar focusing on France. Our panel included Marine Cordosa from our France office, Gerry Boyle, Europe based Tourism Development Manager with Visit GPS and Christophe Robin, Regional Director, USA-Canada-Bahamas with Voyage du Monde.
Other recent activities included office visits to Los Angeles based Korean and China receptive tour operator calls in celebration of the Lunar New Year, meetings with airline network planners at Airport Roundtable, and elevating our efforts in Australia to explore MICE opportunities by attending DMS Connect in Sydney.
Over the next couple of months, we will be engaging with U.S.-based retail travel advisors in New York, attending GTM West, ASTA San Diego along with ASTA’s Global Conference in Dallas, and sales calls in Los Angeles. A new show on our schedule is Proud Experiences in Los Angeles, which focuses on the LGBTQ+ travel segment.
Internationally, we will be at U.S. Travel’s IPW in Los Angeles for one-on-one meetings with travel executives across dozens of global markets and traveling to Frankfurt and Hamburg in Germany to meet with our top German based travel companies. With assistance from Visit California’s China office, we will be represented at ITB China in Shanghai meeting with advisors and product managers, attending Visit USA UK’s Summer Affair, an appreciation dinner for the UK travel trade, and connecting with senior level travel executives at the California Cup. Additional programming includes more Club California training events in Copenhagen, South Korea, China, Ireland, and Italy while also attending another airline network planner conference, Jump Start, in Washington DC.
Above: VGPS Tourism Development Manager Oleg Nakonechny presents at The Brand USA Mexico Mission in January.
Above: VGPS Tourism Development Manager Gerry Boyle in Scandinavia for the Visit USA Travel Show, FDM & Swanson’s consumer shows, and sales calls in Copenhagen.
If you have any questions about Tourism Development, please contact:
Gary Orfield, Director of Tourism Development
gary@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1335
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