FEATURE USA: THE SOUTH
Scenic reflections in North Carolina
including beach resorts Fort Myers and Naples down the coast, Tampa itself and Clearwater and St Petersburg, where the new St Petersburg Dali Museum opened in January and has already been rated the South’s top museum by guidebook publisher Michelin. Orlando Universal Studios is pulling
in the crowds to its new theme park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened to huge acclaim last spring.
The south’s best-known city, New
Orleans, seems to have fully recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina: the national lodging industry results for the year to the end of November 2010 show the city was the number one US destination for RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth, a result that ‘far exceeded expectations,’ according to Jody Hanson, UK sales and marketing director for New Orleans CVB & Louisiana Office of Tourism. Tour operators are also increasing their offerings in the region. Georgia should benefit from extra product being added this year by the Vacations Group, America As You Like It and Kuoni, which is now featuring Macon and Athens as well as extra nights in Atlanta to existing tours, fitting in with the Georgia Department of Tourism’s renewed promotion of the state’s 100- mile heritage Antebellum Trail. Premier Holidays, America As You
Like It and Complete North America are among operators with Alabama
music-focused tours to tie in with the state’s Year of Music campaign. Hayes & Jarvis has introduced Southern city stays into its USA & Canada Collection brochure for 2011, on the back of greater demand for city- based US short breaks. While Florida has Civil War sites, from
Pensacola and Tallahassee down to Key West, most associate the Sunshine State with family attractions and beaches. The South’s most popular state for UK visitors has seen a fall in numbers, largely because of reduced air capacity to Orlando, which accounts for 45% of UK passenger traffic to Florida. But the state’s Gulf Coast has shown
resilience despite the oil spillage, with UK passenger volumes to Tampa growing by over 17% in the year to November 2010. The gateway could buck the trend again in 2011 as British Airways is stepping up its Gatwick-Tampa flights from five a week to daily in April. Underpinning the growth is the popularity of Gulf Coast destinations
WHAT'S NEW In Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay keeps the momentum up with its new high-speed coaster, Cheetah Hunt, which will open in the spring. Discovery Cove will unveil its new
marine experience, The Reef, in June, while Legoland Florida is due to open as a 150-acre family theme park with 10 lands in October. The Legend is a new equestrian event
in Kentucky being run annually from the autumn and follows on the heels of the success of the World Equestrian Games in the state last September. May will see the opening of the 196ft
high SkyWheel attraction at Myrtle Beach Landing, with 42 six-person glass-enclosed gondolas. A $130-million passenger terminal
expansion under way at Myrtle Beach Airport will be finished in 2012. Alabama’s Year of Music campaign
(
www.alabama.travel/yom) launched in January with a 100 Places to Hear Music in Alabama brochure listing the state’s top music attractions including the FAME recording studios, two Hank Williams museums and Alabama’s music and jazz halls of fame. Tennessee’s new Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways
tourism initiative, on
www.tnvacation. com, features 16 self-guided driving trails. It also has a new guide available for travel agents online at
www.deep-
south-usa.com/tennessee-guide. The Deep South USA team – comprising Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee – will again run its annual UK roadshow in June, to train agents and reservations staff.
TOUR ISM TALK PETER HANNAFORD UK DIRECTOR, GEORGIA TOURISM “Georgia is now featured by over 70 UK tour operators. Once known mainly for Atlanta being a
gateway to the Deep South, Georgia has established a personality in its own right with a wealth of reasons to visit. Atlanta and Savannah remain popular while the coastal islands have generated publicity for their deserted sandy beaches, protected unique eco-systems and quaint coastal accommodation. The self-drive Antebellum Trail has been adapted for international visitors and visits seven picturesque towns between Athens and Macon, with museum tours, special events and entrance into private historic homes usually closed to the public."
JODY HANSON SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR, NEW ORLEANS CVB & LOUISIANA OFFICE OF TOURISM “2010 was our best year since Katrina. We ended 2009 with 7.5 million visitors and are hopeful
2010 ended with 7.5 million visitors or more. We expect 2011 to be a strong year for us. The coverage following the Saints’ Superbowl win last year showed the world that New Orleans is the
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