Australia Global Reps

Trade & Media Engagement

Travel South conducted 22 trade meetings and trainings during July, reaching 30 travel advisors, including a well-received Shire Cluster breakfast training session with 22 agents in Sydney. Engagement continued across key partners including The Travel Corporation, Envoyage Travel (confirming attendance at International Showcase in Nashville), Helloworld, Luxury Escapes, and Delta and United Airlines, alongside ongoing outreach to Phil Hoffman Travel and World Traveller regarding future campaigns and TV placements.

Two media meetings generated two published articles and more than 8.4 million impressions, including CNN/Nine.com.au coverage naming Natchez Trace and Caddo Lake among America’s most beautiful spots. New relationships were also built with Melbourne-based freelancer Kate Armstrong and Nine Travel’s Amanda Upton, opening doors for future regional storytelling and partnership opportunities across Nine’s national portfolio.

Market Trends & Travel Demand

Australian arrivals to the USA rose 6% year-over-year in June to 90,870, with the FIFA World Cup estimated to have driven roughly 13,500 additional visitors; year-to-date arrivals nonetheless remained 6.5% below 2025. Texas was the standout Southern gateway, up 29% in June and 13% year-to-date. New Zealand arrivals fell 24% for the month and year-to-date. Softer inflation and steady employment supported Australian household confidence, though the AUD’s continued weakness below US70c kept US travel relatively expensive.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

• Continue recruiting for International Showcase in Nashville, with Envoyage confirmed and several operators still weighing attendance
• Build on FIFA World Cup momentum and the positive media sentiment it generated toward US travel
• Deepen new media relationships with Nine Travel and freelance press for future storytelling
• Sustain trade training momentum following the Shire Cluster session
• Monitor New Zealand’s continued decline and adjust market messaging accordingly
• Highlight Texas and other value-driven Southern gateways in trade and consumer messaging
• Progress the Trade & PR Newsletter and GMM media meetings/planning
• Advance EOY reporting and annual plan implementation

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.