Trade show connects Central Mass., Florida tourist attractions
Sunny Zheng
An attendee speaks to representatives from the Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at a trade show at Worcester Regional Airport Friday morning. Fort Lauderdale is one of the destinations JetBlue flies to from the airport.
Travel agencies and other businesses are trying to capitalize on the increased connections between Central Massachusetts and Florida thanks to JetBlue’s new nonstop service.
Some of Florida’s most well-known brands — from Walt Disney World and Universal Studios to Sea World and Sandals Resorts — were on hand Thursday at Worcester Regional Airport, trying to drum up business at a travel professional trade show attended by roughly 200.
Massachusetts has always been a productive market for Disney, said district sales manager Peter Figueiredo, appealing to both families and mature travelers. He said spring break and the end of the school year should provide a shot in the arm for Disney destinations, albeit impeded somewhat by the extension of the academic year in many places due to the large number of snow days.
Many people from the Worcester area have second homes near Naples, according to Jeannie Hebert, president and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, and JetBlue’s daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will allow Worcester to capture some of that snowbird travel.
JetBlue’s Worcester service attracted some 30,000 passengers in its first four months, exceeding Massachusetts Port Authority expectations of 20,000, said Tim Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, at an event last month.
In the coming months, Sunshine State residents looking to escape their hot summers will bolster traffic at Worcester’s cultural and tourism institutions, said Charlie Rowell, program manager for the WOO Card.
Some of that traffic could flow into Boston, where 22 Norwegian Cruise Line trips and 20 Holland America cruises will embark this summer, according to Lisa Wieland, chief administrative officer in Massport’s Maritime Division. Cruiseport Boston has seen its traffic increase from 234,000 travelers in 2007 to 382,000 travelers in 2013, Wieland said.
Travelers heading to or from Worcester airport should find it easier to get there, according to airport Director Andy Davis. The airport has installed 85 new standardized wayfinding signs over the past four years, directing travelers on the Mass Pike around the congested areas of Worcester, Davis said.
Davis said the installation of a state-of-the-art Category III landing system in Worcester by the end of 2016 will allow planes to land with virtually zero visibility. The airport currently has a Category I landing system, meaning flights have to be diverted when horizontal visibility at the foggy site is less than one-third of a mile.
Permitting and construction of the landing system is expected to cost $35 million, according to Massport officials.
With additional reporting by Sunny Zheng
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