Celebrating 38 years of Travel South Showcase
Travel South USA began the first regional, domestic, computerized marketplace in 1983 to bring more group travel business to the Southern states. Almost forty Showcases later, the goal has not changed - provide the easiest, most efficient way for tour operators to book business in the Southern states.
The first year of the Showcase, in Tampa, Florida, about 35 tour operators joined 65 tourism suppliers to meet in one-on-one appointments. In 1992, for the first time, Travel South USA began inviting international tour operators to attend Showcase. The growth of the interntional market eventually led to the spin-off of Travel South USA International Showcase in 2012.
In 1998, editorial media / journalistis began keeping appointments on the Showcase floor to learn more about Southern destinations. The journalist program continued to grow and is being expanded in 2019 to include a Showcase Media Marketplace catering to journalists, state tourism offices, destinations and attractions.
In 2018, the state of Mississippi hosted almost 700 delegates at the 36th Annual Travel South Showcase. This included more than 175 tour operators and journalists and over 400 exhibitors from more than 40 states and territories in North America. The exhibitors include state tourism office representatives, destination marketing organizations (DMO’s), hotels, attractions, restaurants, outfitters and travel service providers (advertising media).
The first year of the Showcase, in Tampa, Florida, about 35 tour operators joined 65 tourism suppliers to meet in one-on-one appointments. In 1992, for the first time, Travel South USA began inviting international tour operators to attend Showcase. The growth of the interntional market eventually led to the spin-off of Travel South USA International Showcase in 2012.
In 1998, editorial media / journalistis began keeping appointments on the Showcase floor to learn more about Southern destinations. The journalist program continued to grow and is being expanded in 2019 to include a Showcase Media Marketplace catering to journalists, state tourism offices, destinations and attractions.
In 2018, the state of Mississippi hosted almost 700 delegates at the 36th Annual Travel South Showcase. This included more than 175 tour operators and journalists and over 400 exhibitors from more than 40 states and territories in North America. The exhibitors include state tourism office representatives, destination marketing organizations (DMO’s), hotels, attractions, restaurants, outfitters and travel service providers (advertising media).
1980's
Tampa, FL (1983); Little Rock, AR (1984); Louisville, KY (1985); Virginia Beach, VA (1986); Orlando, FL (1987); Memphis, TN (1988); New Orleans, LA (1989)
1990's
Atlanta, GA (1990); Winston-Salem, NC (1991); Birmingham, AL (1992); Little Rock, AR (1993); Nashville, TN (1994); Atlanta, GA (1995); Myrtle Beach, SC (1996); Louisville, KY (1997); Mississippi Gulf Coast (1998); Greensboro, NC (1999);
2000's
Charleston, SC (2000); New Orleans, LA (2001); Hot Springs, AR (2002); Savannah, GA (2003); Mobile, AL (2004); Memphis, TN (2005); Richmond, VA (2006); Myrtle Beach, SC (2007); Mississippi Gulf Coast (2008); Kissimmee, FL (2009)
2010 - 2019
Birmingham, AL (2010); Atlanta, GA (2011); Louisville, KY (2012); Little Rock, AR (2013); Charleston, WV (2014); Shreveport-Bossier City, LA (2015); Winston-Salem, NC (2016); Branson, MO (2017); Mississippi Gulf Coast (2018), Myrtle Beach, SC (2019), Baton Rouge, LA (2020)
Future Hosts
Please contact Southeast Tourism Society for more information about Domestic Showcase 2021.
Travel South Showcase 1983 - 2020
Richmond, VA - 2006
Nashville, TN - 1994
Atlanta, GA - 1995