OFF THE WALL INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Indianapolis is… B
GENERAL INFO...
How To Get There: American Airlines flies daily from London- Heathrow, via Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport, and from this month (September) via New York’s JFK airport.
Where To Book It:
Sport Abroad 08456 803 086
motorsport@sportabroad.co.uk Sport Abroad, part of the Tui group, now offers a selection of three-night packages to the Indy 500. Packages include three-, four- or five-star accommodation, daily breakfast, a Tower Ticket (main straight and close to pits) for the big race, an official Indianapolis 500 event programme, a drivers’ meeting invitation and admission to the Hall of Fame Museum. Packages are priced from £449 pp (based on twin share), with flights and stopovers available upon request.
Contact:
www.visitindy.com BY STEVE HARTRIDGE
est known for the Indy 500, the annual motor race that attracts up to 300,000 visitors to the famous 2.5-mile Speedway oval
track. Much more of a secret is that the
USA’s 13th largest city, located in the Mid-West about three hours south of Chicago, is packed full of surprises and attractions for visitors. The Indianapolis Convention and
Visitors Association's (ICVA) current marketing tag is ‘Raising the Game’ and for Warren Wilkinson, senior vice- president marketing, it is time to get serious about bringing in more international visitors. “Historically, Indianapolis has not
Clockwise: The NCAA Hall of Champions, on Indianapolis Canal Walk; In the Pits at the Indy 500; a city 'skywalk'
40 September 2010 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
spent the time, effort and money to market to an international audience. We now feel we have a product worthy of international tourism," he said. The ICVA recently appointed First Public Relations (FPR) to help raise its profile in the UK and Wilkinson will be in the UK this month for the city’s first- ever sales mission. One of FPR's first moves was to invite several leading US specialist tour operators to visit the city during the Indy 500 weekend. On the trip was Bon Voyage’s Phil Newcombe, who descried Indianapolis as a "revelation". "I last visited in 2000 and I was struck by the city’s regeneration. The centre is
compact and vibrant and can readily be explored on foot. There are plenty of lively bars and restaurants. “For those customers looking for a
thrilling event, perhaps as a side trip from exploring historic Route 66, the Indy 500 is in a league of its own. It is one of the world's great sporting spectacles and has a unique carnival atmosphere,” he added. Indianapolis’s regeneration has
resulted in 200-plus restaurants, 7,100 hotel rooms and 50 arts and cultural attractions – and most are within walking district of downtown hotels. Currently springing into the sky is Marriott Place, a one-of-a-kind hotel development that, when complete in January 2011, will feature under one roof four hotel brands with 1624 rooms. At its centre will be the world’s largest JW Marriott, with 1005 rooms. By 2012 climate-controlled skywalks
will connect 4,700 hotel rooms to the city’s impressive convention centre. Visitors get an inkling that this is a
forward-thinking city when they arrive at Indianapolis International Airport, a spacious, gleaming new edifice that is just two years old and the first new- build airport in the US since 9/11. Just 15 minutes from downtown, the
airport is a hub for reaching several regional destinations – American Airlines flies to 250 destinations from the city, including 32 to Chicago.
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