Discover New England November Update & News

Dear New England Tourism Industry,

As the holiday season approaches, it seems like a good time to reflect on the past year. And, what a challenging and strange year it’s been.

While health and safety remain the number one priority across the U.S. and New England, the strength and spirit of the tourism industry continues to be strong despite the hardships caused by COVID-19. I commend all of you for supporting each other and pressing on. With the recent news of two promising vaccines on the horizon, we see some light at the end of the tunnel, and know our industry will come back. We are resilient.

Behind the scenes at Discover New England, we’ve been working on several projects we’re excited to share with you, including the latest annual report, website news and how we’re staying involved with travel partners globally. More on that below.

Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Here’s to a much better 2021.

Best regards,

Chris Jennings, Executive Director

Discover New England

FY20 Annual Report

We are happy to share our FY20 report electronically. You’ll find highlights about DNE’s marketing efforts through social media and the website, information about the Valued Partners Program and key takeaways from our top international markets.

Discover New England Summit Update

Considering the time and resources that go into planning and executing the DNE Annual Summit and the current COVID-19 restrictions, we realize it is not feasible to move forward with the 2021 Summit.

Please mark your calendars for May 1-4, 2022! We look forward to seeing you at Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine.

Brand USA Global Marketplace

Last month Discover New England participated in Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 via Global Marketplace, a new virtual platform that connected U.S. destinations with the international travel industry. During this unprecedented time, this resource has become an important tool for DNE to stay connected to our partners overseas, building relationships and providing trade information about what’s new.

This was the second edition of Travel Week Europe and the first event to take place on the Brand USA’s Global Marketplace. Connecting Europe with the U.S. travel industry, the four-day initiative allowed U.S. partners and European buyers the opportunity to schedule one-to-one appointments and attend enrichment sessions and keynote addresses that provided insight from leaders in the industry, as well as the latest market research.

All 24 available appointments were filled (6 per day)- 13 from UK; 5 from Germany; 3 from Netherlands, 2 from Ireland and 1 from Italy. Outside of the Marketplace, DNE met with 1 UK and 1 Italian tour operator. Travel Week Europe 2020 was an amazing virtual trade show that reconnected DNE with several of our longstanding international partners, and introduced us to new opportunities.

Throughout the year, Brand USA will host other events to encourage international travel communication with a range of opportunities from pre-scheduled meetings to educational events. Learn more about the Brand USA Global Marketplace, click here.

Update on Brand USA Subsite

Discover New England has some exciting news to share—we’ve partnered with Brand USA on a new subsite that will live on VisitTheUSA.com. We’re in the final phase of providing information and images to Brand USA to complete the build, and we are incredibly eager to share the end result with you. This will be a tremendous trip planning tool geared toward international travelers and supported by Brand USA.

New B2B Website

In early December, we will have a soft launch of our new B2B website. This site will be a resource for the New England tourism industry interested in overseas marketing and will complement our new consumer-facing subsite through Brand USA. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on developments and the launch.

USTA Let's Go There

Don't forget about U.S. Travel Association’s “Let’s Go There” campaign! It's an industrywide marketing campaign focusing on accelerating recovery. The campaign will rely on the industry to share the message and will be supported with a comprehensive paid media plan.

Learn more about the campaign and access the industry toolkit to make getting involved easy.

New England Reopening News

With quickly changing travel guidelines, please check below for the latest travel regulations for each state.

While there are guidelines for visiting during this unusual time, rest assured the recommended health protocols are to ensure a safe visit and memorable experience.