May 9, 2008 | Volume 3, Issue 19

CT COMMISSION ON CULTURE & TOURISM PLANS SHOWCASE OF ATTRACTIONS FOR CT RESIDENTS

Join fellow tourism partners in being part of Connecticut Open House Day, Saturday, June 14, 2008. The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism created this event as a way for residents to discover or rediscover the wealth of treasures in our own backyard. To learn more about how to become a participating location for the 4th annual event click here.

NEW HAVEN WELCOMES MORE THAN 500 NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE ATTENDEES DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL!

The month of April was an active thirty days for local tourism partners and the Greater New Haven Convention & Visitors Bureau (GNHCVB), as more than 500 visitors came to town to attend either the Discover New England Tourism Summit (April 17-19) or the New England Culinary Tourism Symposium (April 27-29) both at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale.

“The benefit of hosting industry conferences is multi-layered. Not only did the region do well in terms of increased hotel occupancy during those weeks, but we also expect future bookings by the tour and travel operators in attendance,” explained Ginny Kozlowski, President/CEO of GNHCVB. “In addition, the local and national media exposure didn’t hurt either,” she added.

Many of the attendees at the conference experienced first-hand the region’s great restaurants and hotels, as well as an appreciation for the nearby attractions like the Yale campus and New Haven tours, Thimble Island Cruises and Clinton Crossings Premium Outlets, to name a few. For a glance at the many faces and events from these conferences check out the images here and click on DNE or ICTA. If you are interested in viewing the news clips contact Suzette Benitez.

GNHCVB HOSTS FIRST EVER BROCHURE SWAP

We will be hosting a brochure swap for all tourism businesses in the Greater New Haven region on Wednesday, May 14th, at the Holiday Inn in North Haven, from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. All tourism businesses are invited to share their brochures and promotional materials. It is suggested that you bring at least 500 pieces of any promotional material you'd like to share. The GNHCVB will be distributing the 2008-2009 Greater New Haven Visitors Guide.

This is also a great networking opportunity to share ideas for packaging and events with other tourist attractions in our region. As the state is looking for overnight packages for its website and to feature in the New York Times' "Escapes" section from May to October, this would be a great time to develop a strategy for including tickets to attractions with an overnight stay. The more creative the package, the better your chances are for being selected for inclusion in the New York Times. To register for The Swap, please contact Barbara Malmberg by May 12th or call 203-777-8550.

UPCOMING BUSY WEEKENDS—TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THESE DATES:

Albertus Magnus College	Sunday, May 18, 2008	www.albertus.edu
Southern CT. State University	Friday, May 23, 2008	www.scsu.edu
Quinnipiac University Graduation	Sunday, May 18, 2008	www.quinnipiac.edu
University of New Haven	Saturday, May 24, 2008	www.newhaven.edu
Yale University Commencement	Monday, May 26, 2008	www.yale.edu
Yale Alumni Weekend	May 29-June 1, 2008 June 5-8, 2008	www.aya.yale.edu
Triple Crown Sports	May 23-25, June 6-8 and June 20-22	www.triplecrownsports.com

TRAVEL COLLEAGUES TAKE NOTE: NEW TOURISM DATA AT YOUR FINGER TIPS

Travel Industry Association recently created a helpful website that enables our constituents in the travel industry to have an easily-accessible resource when communicating about our industry. “PowerofTravel.org presents all of the available economic impact data on travel in an easy-to-navigate format that enables the user to see the benefits of travel from the international level down to individual congressional districts,” said Roger Dow, President & CEO or Travel Industry Association.

Help spread the message about tourisms positive economic impact by reviewing PowerofTravel.org And as always if you need specific industry data for Greater New Haven, contact ginnyk@visitnewhaven.com

GET YOUR EVENTS POSTED ON THESE FREE PROMINENT WEBSITES

Attention all event planners for the Greater New Haven region! Get your event listed on the local INFO New Haven website by logging on www.infonewhaven.com. Click on “events calendar” and place your own event online. Likewise, you can add your event to a newly developed local events and activities site by visiting www.whofish.org and click on “add your event.” You can easily contribute your events, news, business or other information that you wish to share with your community. You don’t need to register and it is free!