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UK Visitors Pack Bags for New England
Connecticut appeals to international travelers seeking culture, history and quiet, scenic getaways
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Business New Haven
11/26/2001
By:
Susan Cornell
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New England is one of the most desirable American destinations for United Kingdom travelers, according to a recent independent survey of leisure travelers in the UK. In a study of 1,135 UK leisure travelers, 25 percent indicated that they would like to visit New England within the next three years.
NFO Plog Research, one of the nation's leading travel marketing-research firms, developed the United Kingdom Image Study to determine how U.K. travelers perceive U.S. destinations. The mail-in survey was conducted for Discover New England (DNE), the international marketing arm of the six New England state tourism offices; the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA); and a group of other U.S. destinations.
“The success of Discover New England's marketing efforts and strategies of the last eight years have helped make New England one of the market leaders of U.S. destinations visited by the British (just behind Florida, California and New York City),” says Ed Dombroskas, chairman of DNE and director of tourism for the state's Office of Travel & Tourism.
The study also examined consumer's perceptions of seven U.S. states, 12 cities and the New England region. Researchers were asked to determine which attributes visitors most associated with New England. Following is an outline of how the travelers surveyed responded.
In many cases, such as historic sites, relaxing, beautiful scenery, cleanliness and parks/forest, New England ranked the highest of all of the destinations included in the study: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Virginia and Washington state.
Explains Jackie Ennis, managing director of DNE, “Discover New England will of course continue to grow awareness of New England as a four-season destination through our marketing efforts, but we have proven to be very successful at projecting ourselves as a destination with an extremely positive image.”With travelers coming here to appreciate the history and cultural experiences in cities and towns across the state, the international market is a growth opportunity for the Connecticut tourism industry. Many overseas travelers enjoy exploring the countryside and shoreline and relaxing at Connecticut's inns and bed-and-breakfast establishments.
The state Office of Tourism's international marketing is concentrated through DNE. These efforts promote Connecticut destinations to UK and German tour operators, travel agents and independent travelers.
New England Strengths
Beautiful/Scenery 83%
High Standards of Cleanliness 78%
Clean Enviornment 75%
Unique Travel Experience 73%
Parks/Forests 72%
Increase Personal Knowledge 63%
Relaxing 63%
Historic Sites 59%
Convenient Air Service 55%
Safety 52%
Winter Sports 38%
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