Italy is a well-established and highly engaged market for Travel South USA, represented by Hopscotch Tourism. Multi-state FIT road trips are the preferred travel format, complemented by escorted group tours from major Italian tour operators built around thematic departures on music, food, nature, history, and the Civil Rights Trail. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee are the most-visited and most-combined states, with New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville leading demand, followed by Georgia (Atlanta), the Carolinas, and Alabama.
The core target audience is culturally motivated repeat visitors, particularly couples aged 35 to 65 with medium-to-high budgets and honeymooners. The market has shown strong recent momentum, with over 400 travel agents trained and more than 200 trade meetings conducted in the past year, alongside substantial earned media coverage and a growing TSUSA Italy social media presence. For FY26-27, the strategy follows a three-pillar approach: deepening trade partnerships to drive product development and awareness, using targeted PR and media to build consideration, and engaging consumers directly to stimulate conversion and long-term destination affinity.
Trade activity centers on expanding distribution and product development across GPP participation states, strengthening partnerships with both major USA-specialist tour operators and promising mid-size operators, and supporting the trade’s shift toward experiential, tailor-made, higher-value itineraries built around road trips, music, gastronomy, outdoor activity, and culture. Deliverables include monthly e-newsletters to roughly 9,000 travel agent contacts and 100 tour operators (each covering three to four states, ensuring every GPP state is featured equally), Visit USA Italy membership benefits (webinars, social visibility, and an annual newsletter), the US Commercial Service Showcase, a multi-city roadshow across key Italian cities with workshop-style tour operator exhibitions, and delegation management for the Travel South International Showcase in Nashville. PR and media efforts follow a digital-first, thematic storytelling strategy targeting national newspapers, tier-one lifestyle and travel magazines, trade media, and freelance journalists, with roughly a dozen press releases distributed annually to 300-plus media contacts, ongoing media pitching and relationship-building, and coordination of Italian media participation in the Global Media Marketplace and Global Week. Consumer outreach is managed through organic content on the TSUSA Italy Facebook and Instagram channels, with eight monthly posts (a mix of carousels and static content) and a monthly editorial calendar, targeting segments including experiential travelers, road trip enthusiasts, food and wine lovers, music and culture seekers, and outdoor and adventure travelers.
Recurring content themes for the year include music, entertainment, and Southern culture; outdoor escapes and scenic adventures; Southern flavors (BBQ, bourbon, seafood, and regional specialties); the seasonal South across all four seasons; sports and iconic Americana such as the Kentucky Derby and college football; and hidden gems, Civil Rights heritage, and small-town America. Additional media partnership opportunities under consideration include a native content campaign with Lonely Planet and an editorial collaboration and press trip with Latitudes. Monthly and annual reporting will track trade and PR activity, market trends, and an annual product audit for Travel South USA. No budget figures are included in this summary despite a detailed budget allocation appearing in the source presentation.
