Travel South delivers a welcome message to the world at 2025 Showcase

The cloud of constricted international arrivals that now hangs over the United States has a silver lining for travel professionals in the south-eastern and south-central portions of the nation.

Some of those people, representing 12 states in the Travel South USA collective, heard those notes of optimism while attending a conference and trade show in Kansas City, Missouri this week.

The Travel South USA International Showcase drew 350 travel product suppliers and buyers to the city, who met to discuss potential and ongoing partnerships in hundreds of meetings over the course of two very busy days.

But before those got underway, they heard an opening day presentation by the group’s chairman of the board that addressed the ongoing challenges facing tourism operators in those 12 states.

“Let’s acknowledge the truth,” said chairman Mark Ezell. “We recognize that we are working to increase international travel and spending in a year that has had a lot of challenges.” He listed visa delays, inflationary pressures, inconsistent air lift and geopolitical headwinds amongst those challenges.

“Long haul travel has not had an easy time of it,” he said, noting that statistics gathered from across the United States reflect this reality, with international arrivals down about 6% for the year as compared to 2024.

“But here is where the story changes,” said Ezell, emphasizing that the U.S. South has done much better than the national average, with a decline of just 3%.

Building on that, 2026 is emerging as a year of renewed momentum for the American South for international travel. The region is projected to draw over 6 million visitors next year – a 3% increase, “aligning us with national growth patterns,” he said. And visitor spending is expected to grow by 6% in the same period.

“Travellers are staying longer, spending more and seeking those deeper experiences in our region,” he said.

The strongest growth opportunities are coming from places like India, Brazil, the UK, Ireland and Japan – all of which are showing a renewed long-haul momentum, he said.

“But our friends in Canada, which represent a 14% market share, will take a little longer to recover,” he said. “But these travellers are critically important, and we need them to return.”

Travel South USA president Liz Bittner echoed some of those sentiments, but also described some new marketing initiatives – including pairing a new tagline with a new logo for the organization. The new tagline is “Travel South USA: All Y’All Are Welcome.”

Bittner said that “at a time when the world feels more divided and complicated, the South stands for openness, for warmth, for community and hospitality.”

That tagline captures the sentiments of what international travellers say they value most about the South, she said. “That is, the feeling of truly being seen, being embraced and being appreciated.”

In the Photos

TOP 

Karly Melo of Reach Global Marketing (2nd left) provided support to Canadian travel product buyers at the Showcase trade show, including (l. to r.) Dan Sombach of AMA Travel in Edmonton, Terry Kaszas of CAA Saskatchewan, Chantal Ouyang of Vacances Dragon in Montreal and Kane Fong of Voyage Vasco in Montreal.

MIDDLE 

Travel South USA president Liz Bittner with the group’s chairman of the board Mark Ezell.

BOTTOM 

Busy times on the trade floor at the International Showcase by Travel South USA.