BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —The Travel South Network (TSN) debuted in Birmingham April 10-14 to an eager audience that gave high marks to the travel destinations, homespun humor, conference updates and other content of the fledgling “network.”
Used as a thematic device for delivering travel destination information to tour operators in attendance, the TSN operation cranked up a full show at several meals for the 500-plus delegates in attendance at the 2010 Travel South Showcase.
“We have so much great tourism product in the South, and each year we look for a unique way to deliver our message,” said Liz Bittner, executive director of Travel South USA. “This year, TSN, was the way we chose to present those programs. By spoofing shows like Dr. Phil and The Today Show, we could display our amazing videos, photography and music of the South to deliver a message to many travel buyers.”
Sweet Home Alabama
The city of Birmingham was an eager host to the delegation, delivering an evening “street festival” and dinner event in its Lake View District, while the industry for the state of Alabama turned out to welcome delegates during a Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama event that took place in Birmingham’s McWane Science Center.
“Hosting this event was very important to us,” said Sara Hamlin, vice president for tourism at the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We love the opportunity to have customers in our area, and I think our street festival was a good indication of what we in Birmingham are willing to do to bring groups here. We hope to have many return as a result of hosting Travel South Showcase this week.”
A third outstanding evening event took place at the Birmingham Museum of Art and was hosted by entities including Georgia Tourism, the Atlanta CVB, Kentucky Tourism, Jim Beam, Southern Living magazine, Coastal Living magazine, Biltmore Estate and the Asheville, N.C. CVB.
In addition to the copious amounts of entertainment served up at meal functions, business was brisk in the Marketplace Lounge. Each of the 12 member states had an aisle filled with travel destinations for the tour operators in attendance.
“We had right at 525 delegates at this year’s Showcase,” said Bittner. “And in today’s business environment, we’re thrilled with that. We had a 90/10 mix of domestic and international buyers, and next year in the gateway city of Atlanta, we hope to increase our share of international buyers. At this show, they can focus exclusively on the South.”
Tourism Cares
Tourism Cares, the industry’s philanthropic organization for preserving tourism sites throughout the world, partnered with Travel South USA, the state of Alabama and Birmingham to create a fundraiser to for the Civil Rights Heritage Trail in Birmingham.
“Tourism Cares and Travel South USA will be writing a check for over $5,000 from the fundraising efforts at the show,” said Bittner. “Preserving historic tourism sites is important to our board of directors.”
The Group Travel Leader Inc continued its prominent involvement in this regional industry conference, hosting two events on the front end of the meeting. The Travel South Classic golf and bowling events served as “kickoffs” for nearly 100 delegates as 70 turned out for an afternoon of pin dropping at Lightning Strikes and another 24 played the magnificent Ross Bridge Resort golf course in nearby Hoover, Ala.
“The partnership we enjoy with Travel South USA is longstanding,” said publisher Mac Lacy. “And we have a longstanding relationship with Birmingham as well. So aligning ourselves with America’s premier regional travel organization in this great city was good business and great fun.”
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