The event brought together the British travel trade from April 20-21, 2021, with recovery at the centre of the webinars conversations.
The Brand USA Global Marketplace platform welcomed over 200 American partners and a host of British and Irish travel agents and tour operators for a series of discussions and panels as part of the 'Focus on U.K. & Ireland' event last week.
?This event was a fantastic opportunity to reunite more than 225 U.K. and Irish travel agents and tour operators, and show that the U.S is ready to welcome friends and visitors back with open arms. It was uplifting to hear that the U.S. tops the list for U.K. and Irish travellers and that in the post-COVID-19 era, travellers are eager to return to their favourite U.S. destinations as well as explore more of what our country has to offer,? said Chris Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA.
The key takeaways from the event included discussions of recent findings that demand for long-haul holidays is growing, with the US topping the list, notably after the country's successful vaccine rollout. With higher-than-average savings and pent-up demand, the US will likely top people's list for bucket list getaways once leisure travel returns.
Panels also discussed the likelihood of the 'Visiting Friends & Relatives' market being one of the first to bounce back, with larger, self-contained accommodation surging in bookings recently.
During a live media session, experts discussed key post-pandemic trends, including wilderness exploration, sustainability, experiential travel, and bucket list trips - coming to the conclusion that the pandemic accelerated trends and that agents are encouraged to make the most of what appear to be the big markets.
