TBM Staff - Mumbai On April 28, Brand USA in association with TravelBiz Monitor conducted Part One of the Chalo USA webinar series. The webinar educated the audience on offerings of three popular US tourist destinations-the capital city Washington DC, Nashville fondly called the Music City of Tennessee and Beverly Hills in California.
Before the presentations, US travel guidelines during the Covid-19 period were explained. Besides this, the webinar also threw light on new flights under the Air Bubble agreement between India and the USA. Hyderabad and Bengaluru are the newest cities from India that have direct connectivity with the US.
Destination DC highlighted how it has emerged as a premier global convention, tourism and events destination, with special emphasis on the arts, culture and historical communities. It was also explained that Washington DC has much to offer to visitors and an interesting itinerary ranging from 3-4 days to 10 days can easily be offered for the city and surrounding areas, better known as Capital Region, boasting of great connectivity via its 3 airports. The presentation also spoke about various accommodation options like Hotel ZENA, Eaton DC, Generator Washington DC, W Washington DC, and how all of them are unique in their own way. To have a sumptuous lunch, the presentation introduced the trade with the five restaurants run by women, Colada Shops, Chaia, Thamee, Puddin and Republic Restorative, all catering to different types of cuisine. Dinner cruising on the river of Potomac is another beautiful way to enjoy the city, and Go Go Music and DC Jazz festivals are the other attractions for visitors. This year’s Jazz festival will be held in September in an hybrid mode. The Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts was also highlighted at the webinar.
Similarly, the second presentation was on Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp which highlighted that the Music City continues its emergence as a cultural, artistic and entertainment hub, filled with unique music and event venues. Besides these, the city has a myriad of art galleries, historic homes, botanical gardens & green ways, professional sports, and award-winning dining outlets. The presentation also updated the attendees that Nashville Music City has emerged as one of the 50 Best places to Travel in 2021. On the safety front, Nashville is second to none. Nashville has been named a Safe Travels destination by the World Travel and Tourism Council making it one of only three destinations in the United States to achieve this distinction. It also made spectacular progress on food, and witnessed the opening of 90 new restaurants in 2020.
The third presentation was on Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau. Beverly Hills is an independent city within the region of Los Angeles and in terms of connectivity (from India) LAX is the nearest airport. Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau is the city’s destination and marketing organisation which acts as the resource bank for visitors, members of media and the travel trade. As per their presentation, the city is closely monitoring the pandemic situation and has taken robust steps in terms of safety and hygiene. Currently, all indoor and outdoor dining facilities are open. One of the greatest USPs of Beverly Hills is its location, being conveniently situated within 10 miles of most popular places like Hollywood, Santa Monica beaches, Universal Studios etc. It also offers activities for the whole family like Classic car shows, summer movies in the park, summer concerts at Greystone Mansion and Beverly Canon Gardens etc. The presentation also highlighted the city’s art & culture scene, hotel and lodging facilities, future sports events in Los Angeles, etc.
At the end of the presentation, there was a Q&A session online, where some interesting questions were put forth by attendees, making the whole session quite interactive. The webinar also reinforced the fact that people are very interested to travel once the situation turns normal.
The idea behind conducting the Chalo USA webinars is to ensure the trade fraternity is well equipped with the latest updates straight from US destinations being showcased.
