Black Meetings and Tourism

July/August 2014

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9 B M & T ••• July/August 2014 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com international markets. The business transacted at IPW has been calcu- lated by the independent firm Rockport Analytics to bring nearly one million extra international visitors and $1.7 billion in international tourism spending to recent host cities, and 8.8 million additional inter- national visitors and $28 billion in international tourism spending to the U.S. economy overall. "One of the major objectives of IPW is to spotlight the economic benefits of travel and tourism, and few cities anywhere in the world understand that equation as well as New Orleans," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "New Orleans epitomizes the idea of rolling out the welcome mat for your guests. We're thrilled that IPW's exhibitors and attendees will be able to experience this utter- ly unique American destination for the first time in over a decade." Greater Miami and The Beaches had been previously announced as the host city for IPW 2016, but arrangements for the event were postponed when the City of Miami Beach Commission voted through a $500 million renova- tion and expansion of the city's convention center, set to begin in 2015 and last an estimated three years. "We look forward to welcoming IPW back to Greater Miami and showcasing a new state-of-the-art Miami Beach Convention Center and the many assets and attractions of our ever-evolving destination," said Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO William D. Talbert, III, CDME. Dow praised the handling of the transition by both Miami and New Orleans, and called it a virtual certainty that IPW will return to Greater Miami and The Beaches once upgrades to its convention facilities are complete. "We have to change venues for IPW 2016 for the best, most wel- come reason we can possibly think of: Miami has wisely decided to make a huge investment in its convention space," Dow said. "The fiscal benefits of that decision will return to the city many times over, and in the meantime, we will have another top-shelf new facility to consider for a future IPW." "We are thrilled to showcase New Orleans to the entire world mar- ketplace for international travel by hosting IPW in June 2016," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. "New Orleans is a magical place built on deeply rooted culture, innovative and authentic food, inspiring music and fabled architecture. We travel the world to meet with our travel industry partners to encourage them to bring business to New Orleans, but having them come and experience all that we have to offer first hand is an opportunity that is a catalytic game changer. SUNRISE AIRWAYS POISED TO EXPAND SERVICE TO CUBA Sunrise Airways is poised to expand its Western Caribbean route network this summer with the launch of new, regularly scheduled ser- vice from its hub in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to four cities in Cuba – Havana, Camaguey, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba. The carrier, which has operated regular charter service to Holguín since November 2013, was recently granted a formal designation by the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to operate the new routes. Philippe Bayard, president of Sunrise Airways, commented on the Cuba expansion, saying: "The feedback from customers who have flown on our Holguín charters and the on-going requests we've received for added flight service indicates the viability of the Cuba- Haiti market and our ability to serve it. We look forward to meeting all remaining regulatory requirements in short order and beginning serv- ice in the next three months."

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