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February 2020

Dear Colleagues,  

February is a busy month in Massachusetts, as we celebrate Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and School Vacation Week. Read our MA Spotlight on Alexander Gillman of the Mass Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), who shares insights on winter activities in our state parks and open spaces.
 
MOTT continues its work on the Restaurant Promotion Commission and the Historic Women Trailblazers Initiative, while continuing our partnerships for upcoming international sales missions to Germany, Japan, and Korea.

Thank you for working with MOTT and our partners to promote Massachusetts as a top destination for leisure and business travel.


Sincerely,

 Keiko Matsudo Orrall
 Executive Director

 

 

Industry Spotlight
Alexander Gillman
Sharing Our Open Spaces
DCR Forest & Park Supervisor for the Western Region Alexander Gillman talks about how visitors and residents can enjoy the state’s 450,000 acres of open spaces this winter and year round...Read more

 

 

International Opportunities

Scandinavian Familiarization Tour Assistance Request
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.
Check-In: Tuesday, April 21 Check-Out: Thursday, April 23
Needs: 10 hosted rooms (1 hotel) x 2 nights & hosted meals
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. representing 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 Discover New England for more information.
 
Sales Mission to Japan & South Korea – April 6-10, 2020
Discover New England is hosting a sales mission to Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. The mission includes 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. Meet directly with international tour operators and receptive operators who arrange trips for tens of thousands of international travelers annually. New England tourism representatives include lodging properties, attractions, destination marketing organizations and state tourism offices.

IPW 2020 – May 30 – June 3, 2020
IPW, the leading international inbound travel trade show for U.S. destinations, takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. IPW expects 1,300+s exhibitors - suppliers of USA travel products and destinations - and 6,200+ attendees, including 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 journalists representing 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.

 

 

Industry News


Erin Lynch Leading MetroWest Visitors Bureau 
Congratulations to MetroWest Visitors Bureau’s new Executive Director Erin Lynch, who began her new position on January 23, 2020.  Erin holds a B.S. in Recreation Management and Tourism from Arizona State University, National Certification in Nonprofit Management, and International Certification in Group Facilitation from the Institute of Cultural Affairs. The former executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry, Erin brings twenty years of leadership experience focused on collaborative community initiatives.  MetroWest Visitors Bureau’s mission is to stimulate the MetroWest economy by marketing the region’s assets to visitors and residents. The Bureau serves organizations and businesses in 30 municipalities throughout MetroWest and its bordering towns. 
 
Ski Massachusetts Campaign
MOTT's winter #SkiMass campaign launched January 6 and runs through March 27. It's a paid social campaign encouraging Massachusetts residents and visitors to enjoy the slopes close to them and to introduce skiing to our younger audience. 

Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Elected to ACT+T 
The results are in, and a new Chair and Vice Chair have been elected to serve on the Advisory Commission on Travel and Tourism! Congratulations to Chair-Elect Martha J. Sheridan, President and CEO, Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Vice Chair-Elect Nancy Gardella, Executive Director, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.
 
Our sincere thanks and gratitude to ACT&T Chair Emeritus Tom Kershaw for his outstanding leadership and vision over the years.

 

 

 

Travel News
JetBlue announced a new seasonal route between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Montana’s Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) beginning in June 2020.  JetBlue is also adding four additional flights between Boston and New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), starting in May 2020.

American Airlines is adding new direct service between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Indianapolis (IND), Raleigh/Durham (RDU), and Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM), beginning in spring 2020. 

 

 

Industry Calendar

February 4, 2020
Nashoba Valley Chamber
Nashoba Valley Chamber,
2 Shaker Road, Shirley
MOTT Executive Director Keiko Matsudo Orrall is guest speaker at the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce public policy breakfast.  
 
February 11, 2020
Restaurant Promotion Commission Meeting
College of the Holy Cross
Hogan Campus Center, Worcester
10:00 a.m. – Noon
Comments for the Restaurant Promotion Commission’s consideration may be submitted here.
 
March 7-14, 2020
Mass Beer Week 
The Mass Brewers Guild presents its annual Mass Beer Week in local breweries, hotels and restaurants, celebrating the amazing craft beer made in Massachusetts.
 
May 1 – 10, 2020
ArtWeek 2020
MOTT is proud to be a returning partner of ArtWeek 2020 (May 1–10), an award-winning statewide festival spotlighting the creative economy in Massachusetts.

 

 

Massachusetts Film Office
 
Due to popular demand, the MA Film Office has translated the “Massachusetts Film Location Map for Little Women” into three additional languages - French, Italian and Japanese.  MOTT’s international reps are distributing the brochures to media and tour operators who are interested in knowing more about Massachusetts.  Details here.

 

 

Massachusetts Sports Marketing Office
 
Check out the Beanpot Hockey Tournaments at TD Garden, Boston.

 

 

By the Numbers


Lodging Data U.S. & MA: December 2019 vs. December 2018

Note: December 2018 Occupancy and Room Rate values were skewed upward because the gas pipeline crisis created need for emergency housing thus distorting the December 2019 performance comparisons below.

  • The Occupancy Rate across the U.S. for December 2019 (54.4%) increased by 0.6% compared to December 2018. The Occupancy Rate in MA (53.5%) increased by 0.3% compared to December 2018.
  • In the U.S., Rooms Sold grew by 2.8% to 89.9 million. Rooms Sold in MA totaled 1.4 million, an increase of 3.1%.
  • The Average Daily Rate in the U.S. of $126.84 in December 2019 was a 2.0% increase. In MA, ADR decreased 1.8% to $141.87.
  • Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) increased by 2.6% in the U.S. to $69.00. While in MA, there was a decline in RevPar of 1.5% to $75.86.
  • Room Revenue in the U.S. totaled $11.4 billion, up 4.8% from December 2018. In MA, Room Revenue decreased by 1.2% to $197.7 million.

 

 


Lodging Data U.S. & MA: Calendar Year 2019 vs. Calendar Year 2018

  • From January through December of CY 2019, the Occupancy Rate across the U.S. (66.1%) decreased 0.01% compared to the same period in 2018. The Occupancy Rate in MA (68.7%) decreased by 2.7% over the same periods.
  • Rooms Sold in the U.S. totaled 1.3 billion, an increase of 2.0%. The MA Rooms Sold total decreased by 0.2% to 21.7 million.
  • The Average Daily Rate (ADR) in the U.S. of $131.21 was a 1.0% increase, which was more than the MA ADR growth of 0.5% to $188.11.
  • Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) increased by 0.9% in the U.S. to $ 86.76 and outperformed the 2.3% decline to $129.16 in MA.
  • Room Revenue across the U.S. totaled $168.2 billion, up 3.0%. While in MA, Room Revenue was up 0.3% to $ 4.1 billion.

 

 

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: Cape Cod Chocolatier, Barnstable