We asked tour operators three questions about how they sell the South to their travelers. Here are their responses.
Susan Anderson, Young Transportation and Tours
What destinations in the South are most popular with your travelers now?
North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Charleston, South Carolina.
What types of activities are your groups asking for?
History, culinary experiences, lighthouses and eco-tours.
What is a great Southern experience that people enjoy on your tours?
At Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, our groups can enjoy an afternoon of guided pier fishing with all the supplies provided and then they can prepare their catch and eat what they caught that day.
Kim Buckley, Anderson Coach and Travel
What destinations in the South are most popular with your travelers now?
West Virginia, New Orleans, Savannah and Charleston.
What types of activities are your groups asking for?
Musical shows and historic tours.
What is a great Southern experience that people enjoy on your tours?
Just recently we did the showboat in Branson, Missouri, and had the opportunity to do a VIP dinner in a private dining room on the boat. The group felt they were very special and loved the extra VIP treatment.
Dea Hoover, Are We There Yet?
What destinations in the South are most popular with your travelers now?
Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah; New Orleans; Little Rock.
What types of activities are your groups asking for?
Experiences they cannot have on their own, like private home tours with meals or a beach party that we do on Tybee Island.
What is a great Southern experience that people enjoy on your tours?
We do a private home tour and meal at an Arkansas mansion. The owner is a character among characters, has an excellent, warm friendly staff of friends that he works with and the food is amazing.
Allen KinneyGreat Day! Tours and Charter Bus Service
What destinations in the South are most popular with your travelers now?
Wheeling, West Virginia; Covington, Kentucky; Tennessee Smokies; Birmingham, Alabama.
What types of activities are your groups asking for?
Historical tours, lively music shows, steamboat and river cruises, train excursions, ghost tours.
What is a great Southern experience that people enjoy on your tours?
Passengers like the unexpected and are pleasantly surprised when entertainment and Southern dining are combined into one package. One example would be the program put on at Falcon Rest in Tennessee. Here a costumed “colonel” and his wife entertain as the guests dine. This is a true “Southern experience.”
Mark Franchi, Mid Atlantic Receptive Services
What destinations in the South are most popular with your travelers now?
Music and mountains destinations in Kentucky and North Carolina, as well as South Carolina and Georgia.
What types of activities are your groups asking for?
A mix of local music, fresh farm-to-table experiences, arts and culture of the regions, as well as historical attractions that all help to tell the unique story of the peoples of the region.
What is a great Southern experience that people enjoy on your tours?
Learning how to “flat foot dance” in Southwest Virginia so that when they go to the music venues and jam sessions they can get up and dance with the locals.
