January
2020
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf
of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Happy New Year
to our tourism colleagues around the world, as we embark on an
exciting new year and a new decade here in Massachusetts. We are
looking forward to a busy and productive year.
In-state initiatives on our horizon include Plymouth 400, the
Restaurant Promotion Commission, a new Historic Women Trailblazers
of Massachusetts initiative in honor of the 100th
anniversary of the right to vote for women, and a major exhibit on
King Tut coming to Boston in June.
On MOTT’s international front, we have trade opportunities in
Germany, Japan and South Korea in the coming months, as well as two
of our most important tourism conferences, DNE and IPW.
In this month’s MA Spotlight, we profile Concord Museum’s Marketing
& PR Director Carol Thistle, who shares details about exciting
new exhibits coming up in 2020.
Thanks for working with us to make Massachusetts a premier travel
destination.
Sincerely,
Keiko Matsudo Orrall
Executive Director
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Industry
Spotlight
Carol
Thistle
Concord -
The Crossroads of American History
This month our MA Spotlight features Concord Museum’s Director of
Marketing and Public Relations Carol Thistle, who talks to us about
the upcoming exhibit on Paul Revere, an exhibit on famous Concord
women, and the museum’s new Education Center...Read more
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International
Opportunities
International
Familiarization Tour Assistance Request
Check-In:
Tuesday, April 21 Check-Out:
Thursday, April 23
Needs:
10 hosted rooms (1 hotel) x 2 nights & hosted meals
Region:
Boston #
Participants: 10 (8 Travel Agents/Tour Operators, 2
Escorts – 1 Iceland Air/1 Atlantic Link)
FAM
Background: Scandinavia is one of Massachusetts’
top international origin markets. Icelandair Sweden, in co-op with
Atlantic Link, would like to organize a group trade FAM to
Massachusetts in spring 2020. Participants will be a mix of leisure
/ corporate agencies. The tentative target invite list includes:
Egencia, Amex (HRG), Arrive Agencies, BCD, CWT, Resia, Ticket. The
primary receptives used in Scandinavia are Allied TPro, New World
Travel and Expedia. The group will be accompanied by two escorts
with Iceland Air/Atlantic Link.
If your hotel and/or restaurant wants to host this travel trade
group, contact Maria Speridakos. Thank you for
your support.
ITB
Berlin – March 4 – 8, 2020
ITB Berlin in Germany is the world’s largest travel and tourism
industry show. ITB exhibitors and trade visitors represent all
sectors of the international travel and tourism industry: Leisure,
Business, Incentive, Meetings and Conventions, Health, Adventure,
Education and Study. Join the Discover New England booth this
year for the 3-day trade show to meet directly with tour operators,
airlines and media focused on the German market.
Participation
Fee: $1,750 – Travel expenses on
own
Contact Lori Harnois for more information.
Sales
Mission to Japan & South Korea – April 6-10, 2020
Discover New England will host a sales mission to Tokyo, Japan and
Seoul, South Korea. The mission will consist of a mix of in-company
trainings and one-on-one appointment style workshops, as well as
market briefings and seminar/luncheon for 50 key tour
operators.
Participation
fee: $3,000 per person – Travel
expenses on own. Limited availability.
Contact Shoko
Hirao for more information.
DNE
Annual Summit — May 11-12, 2020
Discover New England’s Annual Summit takes place in Bethel, ME in
2020. DNE is the only New England travel
trade event where the region’s hospitality businesses can meet
directly with international tour operators and receptive operators
who arrange trips for tens of thousands of international travelers
annually. These individuals meet with New England tourism
representatives from lodging properties, attractions, destination
marketing organizations and state tourism offices to learn about
travel products, establish relationships and initiate contracts for
both group and foreign independent travelers (FIT).
Cost to
Attend: Early bird registration is $795 per person and includes
all DNE Summit meals and networking events. Early bird Exhibitor
registration is $1,195 and includes
registration for one person.
As of February
21, 2020, standard rate will be $895 per person and
Exhibitor table standard rate will be $1,295 (includes one-person
registration).
For more information, visit: www.discovernewengland.org/dne-summit
IPW
2020 – May 30 – June 3, 2020
IPW, the leading international
inbound travel trade show for U.S. destinations, takes place this
year in Las Vegas, Nevada. IPW expects more than 1,300 exhibitor
booths held by U.S. suppliers of USA travel products and
destinations and more than 6,200 attendees, including 1,300
international and domestic travel buyers and 500 journalists
representing more than 70 countries.
If you are interested in participating as a delegate in the
Massachusetts booth at IPW, or are planning to have a booth of your
own, contact Daniela De Caro-Heavey.
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Industry
News
Massachusetts
Celebrates Women Trailblazers
In 2020, MOTT is creating an Historic Women Trailblazers of
Massachusetts initiative to mark the 100th anniversary of the
passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowing
women the right to vote, and the 200th anniversary of
Massachusetts native and women’s rights leader Susan B.
Anthony. Stay tuned for more details.
King Tut
Returns to Boston
For the first time since 1963, the acclaimed exhibit, King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibit,
returns to Boston from June 13-December 31, 2020 at The Castle,
Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Presented by IMG in association with
Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, King Tut features 150 authentic
artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, many on display for the
first time outside of Egypt.
Massachusetts
Readies for Plymouth 400
Massachusetts is inviting the world to visit the Bay State in 2020
to commemorate the 400th anniversary of
the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony,
two historic events that helped shape the United States of America.
More information here.
Lori
Harnois is New Hampshire’s New Tourism Director
Congratulations to Lori Harnois, executive director of the
six-state Discover New England tourism collaborative, who becomes
the new director of New Hampshire’s Division of Travel &
Tourism Development beginning January 31, 2020. More information here.
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Travel
News
- Ultra low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is
launching new direct service from Boston’s Logan International
Airport to four American cities, including Grand Rapids, MI,
Asheville, NC, Knoxville, TN and Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, FL
starting in May 2020. Details here.
- American Airlines announced a new direct
service between Boston and Austin, TX beginning in April
2020. Details here.
- Boston Air Canada and WestJet announced new
direct service between Boston and Calgary, Canada in spring
2020
- Massport ended the 2019 season at Flynn
Cruiseport Boston with another record season, serving 402,000+
passengers and 138 cruise ships. Details here.
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Industry
Calendar
January 22
Cape Cod Travel & Tourism Industry Forum
Hyannis Golf Club
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce presents 2020 tourism-marketing
programs, and MOTT Research Director Tony D’Agostino presents
recent tourism data.
January 24-25
Municipal Annual Meeting
Hynes Convention Center & Sheraton Boston Hotel
The 41st Annual MMA Meeting & Trade Show is the
state’s largest gathering of municipal government
officials.
January 28
Restaurant Promotion Commission
The next Restaurant Promotion Commission takes place at Middlesex
Community College Academic Arts Center in Lowell from 10 a.m. to
Noon.
Comments
for the Restaurant Promotion Commission’s consideration can be
submitted here.
January 31
North of Boston Tourism Summit
DoubleTree by Hilton Boston North Shore, Danvers
North of Boston CVB’s 14th Annual Summit connects local
businesses, visitor destinations, hospitality groups and municipal
leaders to discuss tourism in in the region.
February 4
Nashoba Valley Chamber
Nashoba Valley Chamber, Shirley
MOTT Executive Director Keiko Matsudo Orrall is guest speaker at
the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce public policy breakfast.
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Massachusetts
Film Office
The MA Film Office Massachusetts Film Location Map for Little Women
is being well received by fans of the movie, which was released on
Christmas Day. The self-guided tour identifies the film
locations in Boston, Concord, Lawrence, Ipswich, Groton, Harvard,
Waltham, Canton, and Stoughton. Details here.
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Massachusetts
Sports Marketing Office
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is hosting its Season Opening
Weekend of games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on May 29-30, 2020.
Details here.
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By the
Numbers
Lodging Data for U.S. &
Massachusetts: November 2019 vs. November 2018
Note: November 2018 Occupancy
and Room Rate values were skewed upward because the gas pipeline
crisis created need for emergency housing thus distorting the
November 2019 performance comparisons below
- The Occupancy
Rate across the U.S. for November 2019 (61.8%)
decreased by 0.3% compared to November 2018. The Occupancy Rate in
MA (63.8%) decreased by 7.4% compared to November 2018.
- In the U.S., Rooms Sold grew
by 2.4% to 98.8 million. Rooms Sold in MA
totaled 1.6 million, a decrease of 4.8%.
- The Average
Daily Rate in the U.S. of $125.55 in November
2019 was a 1.0% increase. In MA, ADR
decreased 6.2% to $169.31.
- Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) increased by 1.3% in the U.S. to
$77.62. While in MA there was a decline in RevPar
of 13.2% to $108.02.
- Room Revenue in the U.S. totaled $12.4 billion, up 3.4%
from November 2018. In MA, Room Revenue decreased
by 10.7% to $277.3 million.
Lodging Data U.S. & MA: CYTD
November 2019 vs. November 2018
- From January through November of CY 2019,
the Occupancy
Rate across the U.S. (67.2%) decreased 0.1%
compared to the same period in 2018. The Occupancy Rate
in MA (70.1%) decreased by 2.8% over the same periods.
- Rooms Sold in the U.S. totaled 1.2 billion, an
increase of 2.0%. The MA Rooms Sold total decreased
by 0.4% to 20.3 million.
- The Average
Daily Rate (ADR) in the U.S of $131.53 was a
0.9% increase, which was more than the MA ADR
growth of 0.7% to $191.21.
- Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) increased by 0.8% in the U.S to $
88.42, and outperformed the 2.1% decline to $134.06 in MA.
- Room Revenue across the U.S. totaled $156.8 billion, up
2.8%. While in MA, Room Revenue was up 0.3% to $ 3.9 billion.
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MOTT
Bulletin Board
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 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.
50
Great Things to do Under $50
MOTT’s ‘50 Great Things to do Under $50’ is consistently
ranked as one of our most visited web pages each month. To
list a special deal offered by your organization, the offer must be
valid for a two-month duration and the admission of under $50
must cover either: two adults separately or two adults with two
children 12 and under. We are currently accepting ’50 Under $50’
submissions for May/June and July/August 2020. Please send your
offers for consideration to Phyllis
M. Cahaly.
*Header image: Cross-Country
Skiing, Worthington; photo by Lynn Graves
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