Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/604020
B M & T ••• September/October 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 33 T R AV E L DATA U.S. TRAVEL'S 2015 IPW SETS BUSINESS MEETING RECORD M ore than 6,500 delegates from 73 countries, including over 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 media from the U.S. and abroad, attended the U.S. Travel Association's 47th annual IPW, the travel industry's premier international market- place. The event, the largest single generator of travel to the U.S., convened in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center from May 30-June 3. Over the course of three days, nearly 100,000 pre-sched- uled business meetings — a record for IPW — took place between travel buyers and U.S. travel organizations. Travel initiated by IPW is projected to bring 8.8 million interna- tional visitors to the United States, $28 billion in total spend- ing, and $4.7 billion in direct bookings to U.S. destinations over the next three years, according to the independent firm Rockport Analytics. While the immediate projected economic impact for Orlando is $11.6 million, the real payoff of IPW will ripple through the local economy for an estimated three years after, generating an estimated $1.7 billion in direct economic impact and an additional 1 million visitors. Since IPW was last in Orlando in 2010, there has been sig- nificant growth in the number of travel buyers from key international markets, including the United Kingdom (40%), Brazil (30%), Mexico (66%), Germany (17%) and Japan (10%). This year, the Chinese delegation was the largest-ever at 109. Overall, the total delegation at IPW has increased 27 percent compared to Orlando 2010. "IPW is an extraordinarily unique event, which brings the entire international travel and tourism marketplace to the U.S. in one location," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "The business conducted at IPW will have a tremendous effect, not only on the local economy ini- tially, but several years into the future." IPW brings together travel professionals from every cor- ner of the country, including representatives of hotels, desti- nations, attractions, museums, amusement parks and other travel businesses. These groups market themselves to the world's top international tour operators and wholesalers that sell travel to the U.S. At IPW, buyers and sellers are able to conduct business that would otherwise be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips. RECORD TOURIST RELATED TAX COLLECTIONS FOR MIAMI May 2015 $724,268 +1.9% $1,992,655 $1,982,527 +3.4% May 2014 % Change vs.2014 May 2015 May 2014 % Change vs.2014 May 2015 May 2014 % Change vs.2014 2% Hotel Food & Beverage Tax 2% Tourist Development Tax 3% Convention Development Tax During the month of May 2015, Miami-Dade County's reported collections for the 3% Convention Development Tax (CDT) collections for Greater Miami (excluding Dal Harbour and Sufside) showed an increase of 3.4% compared to the same time in 2015. The 2% Tourist Development Tax (TDT for Greater Miami (excluding Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Suefside also showed an increase of 3.4% compared to the same time in 2015, while the 2% Hotel Food and Beverage Tax collections from hotels in Miami-Dade (excluding Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside) showed an increase of 1.9% compared to the same time in 2015. $710,855 $5,942,588 $5,744,562 +3.4% Record Miami-Dade County Tax Collections