This year, more than 6000 attendees from 73 countries, including over 1300 international and domestic travel buyers and over 500 media from the US and abroad, including LATTE, attended the US Travel Association’s 48th annual IPW.

The event, which is the largest single generator of travel to the US, convened in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Over the course of five days, a record of over 105,000 pre-scheduled business meetings were conducted between travel buyers and US travel supplier organisations, who purchased a total of 1352 booths.

Thank you New Orleans

According to the independent research firm Rockport Analytics, travel initiated by IPW is projected to bring $4.7 billion in direct bookings to US destinations over the next three years.

The delegate count at this year’s IPW represents a 20 per cent increase since the last time the conference was held in New Orleans, in 2002. In addition to the usual robust number of delegates from the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany and France, this year’s IPW saw tremendous growth in delegates from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Chile and Colombia.

The real pay-off for IPW will ripple through the local New Orleans economy for an estimated three years following this year’s event. IPW is expected to generate $1.7 billion in economic impact to the city of New Orleans and attract more than one million additional visitors to the New Orleans area during that time.

Excitement and entertainment every night

IPW is renowned for its vibrant gala events, and this year was no exception. During ‘Carnival Around The World’, the Sunday evening event at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the New Orleans Conventions & Visitors Bureau and Brand USA entertained attendees with music, food, cocktails and a Mardi Gras parade. The closing event, ‘Tastes and Tunes of Louisiana’, invited guests to dine on the banks of the Mississippi River, organised by the Louisiana Office of Tourism and Brand USA.

On Monday, Brand USA hosted an opening lunch graced with a performance by Gladys Knight. Sponsored by NYC & Company and Broadway Inbound, Tuesday’s event brought some of Broadway’s biggest and best shows to the stage. On Wednesday, The Bare Naked Ladies raised the bar with a rock show, sponsored by Experience Kissimmee, Florida and Universal Orlando Resort.

Stay open and connected

Noting the recent events in Orlando and the terror attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice and Istanbul, speakers at IPW recognised and discussed the problems facing the international travel trade.

“IPW is a wonderful, unique event in that it brings the world to the US in one location,” said US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “We remain dedicated to welcoming ever more international visitors to our country, and maintain that encouraging travel to the US is the best way to keep us open and connected to the world.”

Noting that current global concerns make it more important than ever to promote and foster international travel, he continued: “The world is ever more connected and complex, but it is impossible to insulate ourselves from risk … We must not retreat out of fear.”

The US Travel Association, according to Dow, will carry on with its mission to increase travel to and within the US: “America is not a fortress and it should not be. It would be dangerous and costly to try to cut ourselves off from the world. We stand our best chance to achieve security and prosperity when travellers, and indeed all of us, choose freedom over fear.”

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) – online application for visitors to the States – is one way to maintain openness.

World Travel & Tourism Council president and CEO David Scowsill said the VWP is “much more safe than manual visa processing”. His comment came amidst calls to suspend the programme.

“Market the Welcome”

An important initiative in response to these concerns is the “Market the Welcome” campaign. The programme was developed in response to negative perceptions of the arrival experience at US airports, said Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson.

Comprising welcoming and informational signage, the programme is designed to provide travellers a warm and seamless arrival experience from the moment they enter the airport and continuing on as they proceed through immigration and passport control, and baggage claim.

“One of the things we realised was that in the arrival halls of a lot of our airports, the experience is very stoic and not very welcoming,” he said.

In time for the IPW 2016, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport became the fourth airport in the nation to implement the campaign. The other airports that have implemented the campaign are the Miami International Airport, Chicago-O’Hare International Airport and Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.

“The United States wants more legitimate travellers to visit the US and experience all our great nation has to offer,” says Executive Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office at the US Department of Commerce, Kelly Craighead. “Knowing that a first impression is a lasting impression, we have set our sights on providing the best arrivals experience in the world to all of our international visitors, while simultaneously maintaining the highest standards of national security.”

IPW raffle winners announced!

San Francisco Travel hosted its annual IPW San Francisco evening party this year and, as always, it was a fun event that ended on a high note. United Airlines donated roundtrip airline tickets from anywhere in the world to San Francisco that were raffled during the event. The lucky winners were:

IPW 2017 will be hosted by Washignton D.C. from 3 – 7 June. To register, click here.