Australia Global Reps

Trade & Media Engagement

Secret South Travel founder Janine Hocking launched a new business creating custom Southern drive itineraries for Australian, New Zealand and UK travellers. Luxury Escapes CEO Adam Schwab is preparing his keynote for October’s International Showcase, and Travel USA’s Andrew Gay received itinerary support tied to a Brand USA campaign. Sixteen Hills District agents also completed cluster training ahead of the Destination Coffee Cluster trade event.

Dolly Parton’s death dominated media coverage, with Karryon and The Age publishing Dollywood tribute pieces and Australian Women’s Weekly running a feature on the theme park and Sevierville. Sydney Morning Herald’s Traveller covered both Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Centre and a Hurricane Katrina-anniversary Amtrak journey through Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Meetings also progressed with QANTAS Travel Insider, NZ Herald and podcast network 78 Amped.

Market Trends & Travel Demand

Australian arrivals to the USA fell 6% year-on-year in July to 78,351, though Texas bucked the trend with 19% growth even as California and Hawaii declined. Travel South’s share of Australians’ first intended address rose from 4% to 5%. USA trade visibility trailed competitors like Japan and Fiji, but Las Vegas visitation, Qantas’s new direct route and 9% growth in Australian SME business travel pointed to continued underlying demand.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

Takeaways:

• Dolly Parton’s death on 26 August became the month’s dominant editorial hook, driving four of five published articles and heavy Tennessee/Dollywood coverage.
• August impressions rose to 9.33 million from July’s 8.48 million even as trade meetings fell, reflecting the reach of Dolly Parton tribute and Dollywood feature coverage.
• USA content had limited share of voice in AU/NZ trade media this month versus competing destinations like Japan, Fiji and New Zealand, even as underlying demand signals (SME travel, Las Vegas visitation, premium/experiential interest) stayed positive.

Next steps:

• Finalize International Showcase logistics and Adam Schwab’s October keynote briefing ahead of the Nashville event.
• Progress Visit USA New Zealand roadshow planning and prepare the September trade and PR newsletter database.
• Continue GMM journalist discussions and target-list building, following up with NZ Herald, QANTAS Travel Insider and other August media contacts.

Public relations was a particular standout, generating 270 earned articles and 94.4 million estimated impressions, substantially exceeding goals of 100 articles and 30 million impressions. The team conducted 148 media meetings, nearly triple its target, and hosted seven journalists and creators through Global Media Marketplace activities. PR newsletters achieved an especially strong 47.1% average open rate. These results came within an increasingly competitive media environment where timely, distinctive storytelling and first-person experiences are becoming more important.

Trade engagement also significantly surpassed expectations. A total of 274 trade meetings and training sessions were completed against a target of 60, reaching 564 travel advisors. Ten trade newsletters maintained regular industry communication and averaged a 28.4% open rate.

Product development reflected changing Australian travel patterns, with wholesalers increasingly emphasizing flexible FIT, self-drive and bespoke experiences rather than broad packaged tours. New or expanded Southern product incorporated Missouri, South Carolina and Alabama into key road-trip, culinary and music-focused itineraries.

Overall, FY25–26 demonstrated strong market engagement, exceptional media performance and continued progress converting the American South’s distinctive experiences into both compelling storytelling and bookable travel product.

Travel South USA is well positioned to meet this moment through its strengths in music, food, culture, road trips, and warm hospitality, with the plan targeting high-value Late Millennials, Gen X, and Early Boomers — urban travelers with strong travel intent, the means to travel, and a desire for culturally rich, experience-led holidays.

For FY2026-27, the strategy follows a three-pronged approach spanning travel trade, PR and media, and social. Trade activity centers on building agent and operator confidence through targeted sales calls, webinar training, trade newsletters, and International Showcase FAM recruitment, supported by a trade cooperative campaign with a high-value partner (Helloworld/Viva Holidays or Luxury Escapes) and a calendar of events including an NZ roadshow series, AU regional activations, and Thanksgiving trade event sponsorship. PR and media efforts will sustain earned coverage through always-on media relations and editorial pitching around themes like music, food, road trips, and history, alongside participation in TravMedia IMM and Global Media Marketplace. Social strategy continues organic Facebook and Instagram posting to maintain breadth across partner states, supplemented by a modest paid boosting layer and UGC asset capture from a hosted creator to improve engagement and content quality.

Content will continue to be anchored in core themes — music and culture, culinary South, road trips and scenic byways, history and heritage, outdoors and adventure, festivals, the New South, and Southern hospitality (“All Y’all Are Welcome”) — to reinforce the Travel South USA brand. KPIs span trade engagement (partner meetings, agents trained, and International Showcase suppliers), PR and media output (media meetings, articles generated, and earned impressions), and social performance (organic posts, reach, and engagement), giving the region a coordinated, measurable framework for converting awareness into visitation.