Press Release - Military Travel Professionals Converge in Kissimmee
Military Travel Professionals Converge in Kissimmee
Annual seminar acquaints travel officials with destination
KISSIMMEE, FL (December 23, 2009) – Over the course of the last 19 years the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau has extended an invitation to military travel planners to visit. And they have, many returning year after year, to accept the mission of gaining strategic advantages of discovering Kissimmee’s assets that appeal to service men and women and their families in search of rest and relaxation.
More than 40 of the United States military’s top travel professionals, including at least 16 first-time attendees, have signed up for the Kissimmee’s 2010 Military Marketing Seminar. The invitation-only event scheduled from January 7-12, will educate, entertain and inform the group of attendees who coordinate the vacation plans for active duty and retired personnel from all branches of the military. Operating out of Information, Ticket and Tour offices and Morale, Welfare and Recreational travel offices, the attendees come from bases around the country.
To keep the seminar fresh and valuable to new and returning attendees, the Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau coordinates the annual visit with the assistance of a task force of about 30 local tourism industry providers. Task force members are representatives from major theme parks, smaller attractions, dinner shows and a range of accommodations.
“The planning and coordinating of this seminar each year is sort of like a labor of love,” said René Kuziv, a Bureau senior sales representative. “The local industry representatives really get into planning a set of activities that help promote Kissimmee and themselves. That’s a good sign of how much value we place on this core group of travel planners.”
Together the task force structures an agenda centered on educating these travel professionals on the sights, scenes and things to do in and around Kissimmee. Over the course of four days, the tour introduces them to the varied aspects that make Kissimmee the “Heart of Florida” destination. They visit and gain personal insight into the area’s varied lodging options and tour some of the diverse attractions that can be included in leisure travel itineraries for the families of men and women who ensure the safety of their country.
In addition, the seminar has evolved over time to incorporate professional development sessions for participating tourism industry providers. Panel discussions allow military planners to share their insights into best practices for developing effective marketing strategies to woo service members to the destination.
New for this year, a “speed selling” session placing tourism providers in one-on-one quick meetings with travel planners to share information about the military bases and markets represented, as well as about the tourism business.
The Kissimmee CVB is Osceola County’s travel and tourism marketer. With a direct passageway into Walt Disney World, Kissimmee is one of the world’s most visited vacation destinations, each year attracting more than 6 million overnight guests.
The area boasts more than 47,000 budget-to-luxury accommodations among a diverse inventory of hotels and motels, private rental homes, condos, villas, and time shares. Travelers favor the destination for its value-added offerings, to include those accommodations all situated nearby to world famous theme parks, a host of smaller attractions and many natural adventures and cultural sites.
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Editor contact: Public Relations Department
Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau
407-742-8212
media@floridakiss.com
www.KissimmeeCVB.com