Trade mission to pitch state to England, Ireland
Connecticut not known as destination for tourists from European nations
State and local tourism promoters are preparing to embark next month on a trade mission to Dublin, Ireland, and Manchester, England.
“It’s what we have to do,” Anne Evans, district director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Services Division, said Wednesday. “Overseas, they just don’t know us. They don’t know how much fun stuff there is to do here, and how good the food is. We want to show off.”
The five-day mission — “Tastes & Sights of Connecticut” — is scheduled to depart Saturday, Sept. 16, with presentations planned Sept. 18 in Dublin and Sept. 19 in Manchester. The entourage — Evans said she expects about 20 people to make the trip — will fly home Sept. 20.
As many as 60 people — tourism operators, travel agents and travel journalists — are expected to attend the presentations.
In addition to Evans’s office, based in Middletown, partners in the mission include the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, the Connecticut Office of Tourism, the Connecticut Airport Authority and Aer Lingus, Ireland’s national airline, which last fall began operating direct flights between Bradley International Airport and Dublin.
“We wanted to showcase the whole state,” Evans said. “But what’s the jewel in the crown, tourism-wise? Eastern Connecticut. So that region’s going to be featured
very prominently . ... We also wanted to help Aer Lingus fill some of its seats. We want to bring people from Europe to Connecticut, where some will stay in hotels, visit our attractions and eat our food.
“In Europe, people buy travel packages that include air fare and hotel stays and that’s what we’ve got to get the tour operators over there to sell,” she said. “We’ve got to get them to understand that we’re cheaper than Boston, New York and other big cities. They need to know people can visit Connecticut in the winter and go to museums and things like that. We’re full of history. We’ve got to showcase that we are a destination.”
For the Dublin and Manchester events, Aer Lingus is building displays that resemble aircraft fuselages, Evans said. The airline will promote its Bradley service, and representatives of Hartford-area hotels, attractions and restaurants will tout their offerings as well as the state’s small-town charm. Yale University and other New Haven-area landmarks and institutions also are expected to participate.
“We’ll serve wine from Stonington Vineyards and Jonathan Edwards Winery (in North Stonington),” Evans said. “And the whole back of the room will be devoted to Mystic and the shoreline — the casinos, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium. We’ll have an intern dressed up as ‘Petey the Penguin’ (the aquarium mascot).”
Likenesses of Mark Twain and Nathan Hale will roam the events, too, Evans said.
“We are very pleased to promote Connecticut on the international stage,” said Tony Sheridan, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. “The U.S. Department of Commerce always does a fabulous job encouraging travel to American destinations and supporting the tourism industry in general.”
“Connecticut, particularly the eastern region, can be a major draw for international visitors,” he said. “We have world-class cuisine, exciting attractions, beautiful scenery, and we are within easy reach now that we have an Aer Lingus hub in Hartford.”
Tourism-related businesses that wish to get involved in the mission can contact Denise Collins at the commerce chamber by emailing DCollins@ ChamberECT.com or by calling (860) 701-9113.