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OVER 50 wholesalers and MICE market buyers from Australia were treated to a pre-Pow Wow reception at the popular Handlery Hotel Union Square in San Francisco last night. Pow Wow is the American Travel Industry Association’s annual convention which runs for the next five-days and is costing the host city US$7m to stage. The Aussie delegation is the biggest ever to attend the event and acknowledges Australia’s importance to the U.S. market. Over 900,000 Australians visited the US last year and this number is expected to grow to over 1.2m in 2011. At last night’s party, Chairman of the Visit USA Committee, Geoffrey Hutton exclusively told Travel Daily that the Oceania region is set to record the highest growth of any market to the USA. “Our high dollar, the low fares and capacity on the Pacific have all played a major role in the incredible increase in travellers to the U.S., said Hutton. It doesn’t come as a surprise to Jon Handlery who started courting the Australian market 25 years ago. “Aussies regard our hotel as a home away from home and I’m thrilled to say that it’s now my number one market for the 3rd year in a row”. “When our Aussie guests come to stay with us they’ll be in for a pleasant surprise as we’ve just finished totally renovating our Union Square and San Diego properties to the tune of US$10m.” San Francisco is going all out to impress the 7,000 delegates from around the globe attending Pow Wow with a spectacular opening Rock the Night party tomorrow night at Fisherman’s Wharf. They’ll also be taken by ferry to notorious Alcatraz Island where Park Service staff will escort them around the cell blocks to capture the flavours of what it was like to be a prisoner there. Pictured from left are Pauline O’Connell, Venture Holidays; Jon Handlery, GM and Owner of Handlery Hotel Union Square; Neil Rodgers, Adventure World and Davielle Gardner, Travel 2. |
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