Tuscaloosa Hosts International Tour Group Planners

Many groups from around the world will be visiting Tuscaloosa on Thursday as they consider adding our city as a destination for their clients.

Director of Group Tourism Tina Jones with Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission (TTSC) will host a tour group of international operators from Germany, China, and the United Kingdom after attending International Pow Wow (IPW), one of the world’s largest international travel shows, along with Grey Brennan from the Alabama Tourism Department.

A press release from TTSC states,

The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development will co-host the luncheon with TTS for these international guests at the Jemison Van de Graaf Mansion 1305 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 on June 23 at 12 noon.

Jones highlights the importance of the visit.  “We have invested over 3 years now in positioning Tuscaloosa and West Alabama as a prime destination in the South for the international traveler because of our Native American, Civil Rights and Civil War history. We have already seen the benefits of this investment, and we know that the relationships we are building will bring more economic growth to our area, and sustain our hotels, restaurants and attractions that receive the direct benefit of these efforts. These tour operators will see firsthand what we have been describing to them and they are very excited about offering these new destinations to their clients.”

The luncheon will serve as an IPW Post Familiarity Tour and will focus on promoting Tuscaloosa as a tourism destination for international travelers. Guests at the luncheon will become familiar with the history of Tuscaloosa and its attractions. Guest will also go on a driving tour of downtown, riverfront, and the University of Alabama. This post familiarity tour is designed to familiarize international tour group operators with Tuscaloosa so that they will include Tuscaloosa as a destination within the different tours that are sold.

Jones recruited the international tour group operators from the U.S. Travel's IPW 2016 travel show held in New Orleans and persuaded them to join her in Tuscaloosa for a post familiarity tour. The travel show was held June 18-22 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. IPW 2016 had more than 1,100 exhibitor booths held by U.S. Suppliers of USA travel products and destinations and more than 5,000 attendees who were international travel buyers, domestic travel buyers and international journalists representing more than 70 countries.