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OCTOBER 2018

Dear Colleagues,

Autumn is here, and it brings the many activities which charm visitors to Massachusetts this time of year. From Cider Days to Haunted Happenings, and from Cranberry Bog tours to the Head of the Charles Regatta, there is no better place to spend crisp fall days than the Commonwealth.

Last month, we mentioned the launch of MOTT’s new seasonal marketing campaign, Applechusetts. This month, MOTT will unveil its new Apples zine, as visitors to Massachusetts continue to explore all things Apple.

On the international front, Massport has announced more new direct flights to Boston—great additions to an already robust list of international nonstop destinations. Also, please be sure to check out one of the resulting articles from Neil Sowerby’s FAM trip to Massachusetts this past summer.

Thank you for working with us to continuously promote tourism across the Commonwealth, in all four seasons.

Sincerely,

Francois-Laurent Nivaud
Executive Director
MOTT

Danny LevyIndustry Spotlight
Danny Levy
Enjoying the Ride

Danny Levy is Chief Customer Officer for the Mass Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), a newly-created position that is charged with improving the daily experience of each and every MBTA rider by working with all MBTA departments that interact with the public in order to improve services to customers...
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By the Numbers

MA lodging industry performance for August, 2018 vs. August, 2017

• The number of Rooms Sold in MA (2.1 M) grew 5.0%, significantly outpacing the U.S. growth of 3.2%. Rooms Sold in both PA and New York grew by 4.1%, and New Jersey increased by 5.7%.

• The Occupancy Rate in MA increased 0.9%, but trailed the U.S. which was up 1.2%. Occupancy in PA increased by 2.4%, New York up 1.9% and up 2.8% in New Jersey.

• The Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) increased by 1.6% in MA vs. an increase of 2.3% for the U.S. ADR increased by 2.8% in PA, 2.4% in NY and 5.7% in NJ.

• The growth in Room Revenue in MA of 6.7% was higher than the U.S. growth of 5.6% and that of New York up 6.6% but trailed PA’s up 7.0%, and NJ up 11.8%.

• Revenue per Available Room (RevPar) increased in MA by 2.5%, trailing the RevPar growth in the U.S. (up 3.5%), PA (up 5.2%), NY (up 4.3%) and NJ (up 8.7%).

• MA’s RevPar growth in August trailed the U.S. primarily because of the 4.1% growth in supply of Rooms in MA, which was almost double the U.S. growth rate of 2.1%.

MA lodging industry performance CY 2018 through August vs. same period in 2017

• For the first 8 months of calendar year 2018, Rooms Sold in MA grew 5.3% to 14.4 M vs. U.S. growth of 2.9% to 855.1 M. By comparison PA was up 6.4%, New York up 5.1% and NJ up 4.4%.

• The decrease of 0.4% in Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) in MA continued to hold back growth in both MA’s Room Revenue (up 4.9%) and RevPar (up 1.4%).

• ADR was up 2.6% across the U.S., up 1.5% in PA, up 2.6% in NY and up 3.9% in NJ.

• The MA increase in Room Supply of 3.4% also contributed to the drag on RevPar growth in MA of only 1.4%. RevPar was up 3.5% in U.S., up 6.1% in PA, up 5.2% in NY and up 6.3% in NJ.

Industry News & Events

Cider Days in #Applechusetts

Apples continue to be a seasonal focus for MOTT as Franklin County’s CiderDays approaches! Always the first weekend in November, the festival continues to draw attendees from around the country with a love of all things apple, and hard cider producers worldwide. MOTT will release its Apples zine during CiderDays and will have a presence at the demonstration by Amy Traverso (Yankee Magazine’s apple expert) on Sunday, November 4. For schedule and details, visit ciderdays.org.

For more fall events and activities, visit massvacation.com.

Recent Media Coverage

Released in September 2018 across Confidentials, UK Journalist Neil Sowerby’s article explores the literary landmarks in North of Boston and Merrimack Valley, including stops in Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, Cape Ann and Concord. Read on to follow his literary journey in Massachusetts, one of many results of the MOTT FAM program.

New International Flights

Over the past few months, Massport has announced several new international nonstop flights to Boston. This includes new gateways in Asia and Central America. See below for details.

• San Salvador, El Salvador - August 2018
• Mexico City, Mexico - October 2018
• Havana, Cuba - November 2018
• Seoul, South Korea - April 2019
• Amsterdam, the Netherlands - March 2019
• Chengdu, China - spring/summer 2019
• Lisbon, Portugal - May 2019

Please note, future launch dates are tentative and subject to change

MA Sports Marketing Office

Upcoming Sporting Events

• Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox! The Boston Red Sox have clinched the American League Division Series, and are advancing to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros!

• Gloucester Gran Pix: Gran Pix Cyclocross Race
Known as the “steeplechase of bicycle racing,” Gran Prix of Gloucester will draw competitors from all over the world to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, October 13 and 14.

• New England Revolution home game
The New England Revolution welcome opponents Orlando City SC for a regular season soccer match at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on October 13.

• New England Patriots Sunday night game
The New England Patriots will play in primetime when they welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for a Sunday Night game, October 14 at 8:20 PM.

• Boston Celtics Season Opener
The Boston Celtics start their regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers at home at the TD Garden in Boston on October 16.

• The 54th Head of the Charles Regatta
The Charles River serves as the competitive scene for the 54th Head of the Charles Regatta, where the world’s best crew teams will compete on October 20 and 21.

MA Film Office

Film Festivals

The GlobeDocs Film Festival - October 10 – 14
Ibero-American Film Festival - October 16 – 29
Boston Asian American Film Festival - October 18 – 28
Boston Palestine Film Festival - October 19 – 28
Dorchester Short Film Festival - October 25
Arlington International Film Festival - October 25-28

For a full schedule of film festivals in Massachusetts, visit mafilm.org.

CONTENTS

 

BULLETIN BOARD

FAM Leads
Check out the MOTT FAM Leads page for more information on upcoming opportunities to host travel writers and tour operators. As always, thank you to all of our FAM hosts for your support in promoting travel and tourism into Massachusetts.

FREE means FREE!
With so many amazing free things to do in Massachusetts, we created a FREE category listing in our online calendar of events at massvacation.com. Now, you can feel free to add your organization’s cost-free events to MOTT’s year-round calendars. Just visit massvacation.com and click on ‘submit your listing’ on the bottom of the homepage. With questions, please reach out to John Alzapiedi.

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