U.S. destinations looking to attract more travelers from the mainland could benefit from more cooperation with each other, Bahl says. “We notice that when we take them to Atlanta and Detroit, they want to go beyond the cities. They want to know all about Georgia, and in Michigan, they want to see the Ford factory and museum, and foreclosed houses they can buy.  For that you need Michigan state help.”

Destination marketing in the United States, however, is generally set up city by city, with neighbors often viewing each other as the competition. But their resources can be brought together by a third party, says Bahl: “When we launched the Beijing-Seattle flight, we got people in Portland to come and talk to us about an itinerary that covers both Seattle and Portland.”

The World Expo, currently underway in Shanghai, has been an opportunity for Chinese consumers to view various U.S. destinations under one roof. Bahl has visited four times, and believes it has been a great marketing opportunity for travel to the participating countries.

“The Expo will definitely help outbound tourism. People are learning things that will motivate them to travel to these countries. They get to know a destination, and it generates buzz. It is like a big travel show where Chinese consumers are finding out what those countries have for them.”

Mr. Sandeep Bahl will speak on the upcoming TravelDaily China Travel Distribution Summit which will take place at Beijing from September 15 to 16, 20010. For more information, please visit the website at http://summit.traveldaily.cn/12/index_en.aspx 

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