Travel South USA (TSUSA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with AmericanTours International (ATI) drive increased domestic and international travel to the South.
ATI is North America’s leading accommodation and service provider, offering preferred rates at more than 25,000 properties. Their team of experienced buyers negotiates exclusive rates in North America’s most popular destinations, and in areas where availability is typically scarce, such as National Parks, National Seashores and smaller communities. ATI also offers discounted and commissionable rates at a broad array of specialty lodgings, including short-term stay apartments, vacation rentals, houseboats, ranches and luxury camping accommodations. More than a bed bank, ATI provides clients with the lowest rates while supporting the global agent community as a full-service tour operator.
Travel South’s new campaign will harness ATI’s proprietary DriveAmerica platform to drive inbound tourism to the southern states by targeting ATI’s extensive base of commercial travel partners in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the EU. The campaign centers on new road trip itineraries that will highlight contracted hotels, restaurants, attractions and guided experiences in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. ATI’s flexible booking system allows travel professionals to customize a road trip from scratch, or to utilize and make desired changes to one of the many recommended DriveAmerica itineraries.
“We are thrilled to partner with Travel South USA,” said Nick Henchel, Chief Operating Officer of ATI. “DriveAmerica™ is our newest technology platform, a game changer that delivers inspired itineraries, door-to-door driving instructions with local attractions and activities along the route, and guaranteed hotel accommodations for an entire trip.”
“Partnering with ATI and the DriveAmerica platform is a wonderful opportunity to showcase and deliver bookings to the destinations, hotels, attractions and guided experiences across the South,” said Liz Bittner, President and CEO of Travel South USA. “We know that consumers are interested in the authenticity of the South, but in the past have struggled with being able to offer a booking platform for small businesses to tap into the global travel agency marketplace. ATI’s DriveAmerica is a key connector for the travel trade to access flexible road trip planning with thousands of commissionable bookings available.”
Travel South’s product development team is working with ATI to secure great offers for agents to share with their customers. Over the coming months, there will be more partners, more hotel and attraction deals, and more outreach to the travel trade around the globe.
“The ROI is a win-win for our trade clients, valued customers and destination partners,” added Bittner. “We love sharing stories that inspire visitation to the authentic South and backing them up with an e-commerce platform that empowers our tour operators and travel trade customers.”
The campaign launched on December 1, 2022, and will run throughout 2023, with a four-month media advertising campaign designed to capture bookings from December through March.
