World Travel Market (WTM) held in London, November 10-13, 2008, was well attended by the United Kingdom travel industry. This year Explore Minnesota Tourism’s (EMT) Paul Sherburne participated in the Great Lakes of North America (GLNA) booth along with George Zimmermann, president of Pure Michigan, Toby McCarrick, GLNA executive director and Yolanda Fletcher, senior account manager, and Melanie Jones, public relations manager of GLNA’s United Kingdom (UK) rep firm, Cellet Travel Services, Ltd.

The travel industry is best described as cautiously optimistic, not “irrationally exuberant”, regarding outbound travel to the United States in 2009. While the UK is experiencing an economic slow down comparable to the United States, tour operators indicated consumers are tenaciously hanging on to their right to a family holiday. Winter sales have been holding steady and it is far too early to know what the summer season will bring.

The biggest note of optimism is the Obamamania sweeping the country – and elsewhere in Europe for that matter. Numerous tour operators have jumped on the band wagon and are promoting Obama tours to Chicago and Springfield, Illinois and, of course, Washington DC. In addition, they report that consumer’s interest in visiting the United States has skyrocketed with Obama’s election. The London Daily Telegraph reported their survey results showed that 80% of Brits were more likely to travel to the United States now than before the election!

The other plus is that, despite a strengthening of the dollar against the British pound, the United States remains a bargain. Further, the pound has weakened much more against the Euro making travel to the continent a less attractive option.

As a side note: on Sunday, November 9, 2008, just prior to the start of WTM, the prominent BBC TV travel reporter Stephen Fry broadcast the episode of his Stephen Fry in America series that contained Minnesota. He was here last winter and filmed a segment on ice fishing. The piece was very positive and well received. Numerous tour operators and travel writers saw the show and commented on it in our appointments. A companion book is now on the shelves and there were favorable reviews of the DVD box set in the British press.

Please review the World Travel Market leads and respond if appropriate. Many of the leads are with travel writers seeking additional information to bolster their pitches to editors for coverage of our region.

For additional information about WTM please feel free to contact Paul Sherburne, International Marketing Manager at 651-296-4863, 800-657-3600 or paul.sherburne@state.mn.us.