Dear Colleagues and Tourism Partners,
 
The United States is open for travel! A significant barrier to long-haul travel has been lifted as the second the federal CDC Negative Pre-Departure COVID testing mandate was removed. We can now expect to reap the benefits of pent-up demand overseas. This also means that we can expect frequent domestic drive travel to soften as people are able to travel out of the country more freely without the fear of being denied re-entry. 
 
Right now, Discover New England is going through an exciting renaissance as we are creatively assessing markets and strategies for the most impact possible moving forward. Part of this strategy is to bring back the Partner Program to enable you to directly promote your destination and organization through Discover New England. Stay tuned! More to come.
 
It is now more important than ever for New England to come together as a region and to collaborate on diversifying who we are promoting to. What we do now will impact visitation for years to come. I am very excited to work with you to position the region for success!
 
Wishing you the happiest of travels,




Michele Cota
Executive Director
IPW 2022 - Orlando, Florida
New England was very well represented during IPW 2022 in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. More than 40 representatives from New England representing various aspects of the industry filled an aisle on the show floor to promote the region.

Discover New England took nearly 80 appointments with tour operators and media from overseas who want to feature New England specifically. It was a fantastic success with Western European operators facing more demand for New England than they have supply for (meaning more hotels, inns and B&Bs are desperately needed via receptive operators). Also, tour companies need their staff trained as many experienced a lot of turnover for obvious reasons. This is yet another benefit of working through receptives.

During IPW, Discover New England hosted a UK Media Dinner with 11 high-profile professional journalists joined by a representative from each state. The journalists had a wide and varied range of interests including culinary, fashion, outdoor recreation, history, and family travel. All journalists eagerly stayed until well after the restaurant closed and have several ideas to follow up on.
Visiting New England States
Discover New England's Executive Director, Michele Cota, has been busy on-the-road and recently spent time in Boston, met with New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce executives and traveled along the Maine coast to Bar Harbor to Bangor and back. At the end of this month, Michele will be speaking with Vermont leaders throughout the state over two days in partnership with the Vermont Office of Tourism. More travel to southern New England is being scheduled for later this summer.

From these meetings, Discover New England is able to gather feedback that will shape the direction of the organization and speak with newer staff about strategies that work for reaching the long-haul traveler.
Massachusetts Travel Alert: Summer Tunnel Closure
Starting this year in Massachusetts, the Sumner Tunnel will undergo a restoration that will impact travelers. This will result in detours and delays in North-of-Boston and East Boston, including potential complications for Logan travelers. Check this link to stay up to date about closures, traffic changes, and construction schedules.
Congratulations to all New England restaurants and chefs who made the 2022 James Beard list and nominees and winners.