Felicity Long
As this can't-end-soon-enough year sputters to a close, I've been struck by the nimble way European tourist boards have been able to pivot from in-person to online trade shows and virtual events.
Germany's largest incoming workshop, the German Travel Mart 2020, for example, took place as a virtual marketplace back in June with an eye toward honing marketing campaigns and strategies for 2021.
The event offered online networking, webinars and on-demand content designed to enable direct exchanges and promote learning about the destination.
In all, representatives from 49 countries connected with some 250 German partners via more than 5,700 online meetings.
Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board, admitted that the virtual turnout was even stronger than anticipated, noting, "Seventy percent of the participants had already attended previous [German Travel Mart] events -- the [online] alternative was frequented as much as the real events."
Similarly, the France 360 virtual trade show, hosted by Atout France, the French government's tourism development agency, successfully took place Oct. 19-22, and the Austrian Travel Business travel marketplace for travel professionals was held as a livestream Oct. 21. The latter offered a mix of presentations, appointments with suppliers and virtual tours and was followed by a series of virtual media lunches, such as one on the Kufsteinerland and Vorarlberg regions (Passcode: 1ClYT&cD).
More recently, Switzerland Tourism held its Road to Switzerland event Nov. 16 in anticipation of a return to travel normalcy.
"At a time where more and more Americans start thinking of their first overseas trip, it is vital for key players within the industry to come together and prepare for when borders will be open," said Claudio Zemp, director Americas for Switzerland Tourism.
"We, at Switzerland Tourism North America, [were] delighted to be able to connect 29 Swiss suppliers with tour operators from all over North America in order to facilitate amazing new products."
All of this begs the question: What about next year?
VisitBritain is already planning to host its flagship international trade event, ExploreGB, virtual March 1-5.
Attendance will be free, with registrations set to open from mid-December.
The five-day event will virtually connect international buyers from the U.S. and other countries to travel industry suppliers and destinations from across the U.K., according to Gavin Landry, VisitBritain executive vice president, Americas.
"We are looking forward to highlighting the best of Britain's tourism products, experiences, attractions and destinations with the U.S. travel industry as well as the processes in place to welcome visitors back safely and still providing a great experience," Landry said.
The U.S. is the UK's largest and most valuable inbound visitor market, worth more than $5.5 billion to its economy in 2019 and -- during normal years -- represents millions of American visitors annually.
Hundreds of one-on-one virtual business meetings will take place during the event, along with webinars and online networking events designed to boost attendees' knowledge of the U.K. as a destination.
The start of the event will also feature the online VisitBritain International Business Exchange, or VIBE, which will allow U.K. suppliers to meet virtually with VisitBritain in-market experts.
ExploreGB Virtual, which follows VisitBritain's successful inaugural MeetGB Virtual business event held in June this year, will accommodate different time zones with a scheduled program for international buyers from both short- and long-haul destinations.
Event details and further information will be available in the coming weeks on VisitBritain's corporate website, www.visitbritain.org.