Travel Landing - Sullivan Catskills

Sullivan Catskills Visitor Association is excited to invite our tourism partners to join us for three travel trade sessions made possible through the Empire State Development Market New York Project #134852.

These sessions will provide you with the opportunity to grow your tourism business via long term business partners, the travel trade. In addition to receiving and creating resources to assist maximizing your tourism marketing efforts, you will participate in a buyer panel workshop during the last session where you can begin activating you travel trade working relationships!


Jennifer Ackerson has created leading programs nationally to help businesses like yours thrive with the travel trade market and will guide you through how to walk away with set guidelines and resources to enhance your ability to work effectively and efficiently with B2B travel trade such as:

  • Create the perfect pitch points (“your elevator speech”) to develop B2B working relationships.
  • Price your products (experiences, rooms, meals)for the travel industry market.
  • Work successfully with 3rd party travel resellers.
  • Develop operational procedures to make your business run smoothly.
Your Business Why Work with the Travel Trade?
Attraction/Activity/Local Tour Guides/Brewery/Winery You are the reason visitors want to visit! Learn how to secure a baseline of business booked in advance!
Arts & Cultural Institution/ Museum/Historic Place/ Performing Arts You are the essence of your destination showcasing your destination’s culture, history, and uniqueness! Working with the travel trade is the way to add visitation, increase global awareness, and attract key markets.
Accommodation Utilize the inbound market to increase your occupancy rates by bringing in business during your off-peak periods and key need periods.
Dining Every visitor must eat! Travel trade can bring you, visitors, for all 3 meals and during your off-peak periods. Access both individuals and groups to fill your seats.
Retail/Service Shopping is the #1 activity for visitors globally. Learn ways to drive visitors to your retail space as a premade decision before they arrive while creating interesting and fun partner programs.
Transportation Visitors travel by all modes. Teach them how to include your services.
Parks & Recreation Visitors who arrive from travel trade companies make pre-determined choices on where they will visit. If you are interested in pushing visitors into year-round periods and changing their visitor habits, then this session is for you.
Sports You can see more bookings in advance and be able to push seats that are harder to sell or time periods when you want to increase your ticket sales!
Event/Festival Promote your event and festival in advance with partners who give you more visibility and reach and become the reason people visit your destination.
Tourism Council/Chamber/ CVB/DMO Help your stakeholder tourism businesses achieve success because you understand what is important for them to be doing. Producing products and services for the travel trade will result in economic impact.
What are the benefits of working with the travel trade?
  • Tourism business is relational, once you build a solid foundation you secure long term business with the trave industry’s most valuable players!
  • Travel trade client’s book in advance allowing you to build a base line to better forecast demand and minimiz operational costs to help strengthen your bottom line.
  • Manage your seasonality and business during peak and off-peak periods by positioning your products to trav trade only when you need them most!
  • The travel trade are trusted sources in their key markets. Activate an accessible worldwide network which affords you visibility and reach that you would not otherwise have on your own.
  • Save your marketing dollars on international campaigns and guarantee increased global exposure at no cost you until revenue is generated.
  • The trave trade become an extension of your team and salesforce.
  • Tackle international business easily without even leaving the country! International inbound receptive operators and domestic group tour operators are accessible and right here in the USA.
  • Place your marketing eggs in different baskets and expand your portfolio by activating FIT, Group and MICE business with companies that have specialties in all different market types, regions around the world and visitors throughout the year


Your attendance will be time well spent and we look forward to collaborating with you to promote the Sullivan Catskill region as a desired destination for the rebound of travel!

This project is supported by a grant awarded to NYSTIA by New York State’s Empire State Development and the I LOVE NY Division of Tourism under Governor Kathy Hochul’s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. ALON Marketing Group, in partnership with New York State Tourism Industry Association, offers this valuable opportunity as part of the Market New York Grant Project #134852.

JENNIFER ACKERSON

Jennifer Ackerson, President of ALON Marketing Group, is a 25+ year veteran of the travel industry with experience in working with all supplier business verticals, destinations, and the travel trade. She is well recognized in the industry and has a remarkable reputation, receiving awards by prestigious industry organizations for tourism marketing, travel professionalism, and exuding great leadership.

Jennifer founded ALON Marketing Group, a tourism marketing, sales, and business development consultancy, and cultivates businesses and destinations to succeed at their tourism goals.

Most notably, ALON spearheads the nationwide ‘Steps to Success’ program in partnership with International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) and the ongoing ‘Tourism Ready’ program for NYC & Company, the official DMO of New York City. ALON specializes in delivering custom tourism activation programs assisting destinations and tourism businesses to streamline their travel trade partnerships and maximizing ROI.