After tree years of absence, the DNE Summit returned. The 2023 edition was hosted in Boston, at the Marriott Copley Palace. This years summit was hosted by Discover New England and Visit Massachusetts. Target Travel Marketing once again had the honor to bring a Dutch and Belgian delegation.
On March 25 the delegation, under the guidance of our colleague Rianne, departed for Boston, Massachusetts. But, the first stop on this journey was Reykjavik, Iceland. In collaboration with Icelandair and local DMO Iceland Travel, the Dutch delegation got a small taste of the stop-over options that Icelandair provides. During the 24 hours in Reykjavik the delegation visited the Sky Lagoon, Flyover Iceland, the Lava Show and drove into the night looking for the Northern Lights.
When flying to the United States, from one of 31 cities in Europe, all flights with Icelandair fly via Reykjavik. The airline offers customers the possibility to move their connecting flight up to 7 days, free of charge, providing the opportunity to explore a bit of Iceland before traveling around the United States. Whether you decide to stay just one day, or up to 3 or 4 days, local DMO Iceland Travel offers various package deals to make the most of your short stay in Iceland. These include, tours around Reykjavik or multi-daytrips to the Golden Circle.
After 24 hours on Iceland the delegation continued their journey to Boston, starting with a 3-day pre-FAM to the south of Boston/Cape Cod region. The FAM trip included a variety of hotel site visits, museums and a feel of the local nature. From March 29-31 all touroperators attended the DNE Summit and Marketplace. During these days all the touroperators met with more than 40 local suppliers, gathering a lot of information about all that the Discover New England region has to offer.
The summit was concluded with a 3-day post-FAM to Connecticut & Rhode Island (the smallest American state). The delegation visited the city of Mystic, New Haven and Newport. And of course a tour of Yale University was included in the program. The states also offered the group a taste of their local cuisine. On April 4 the delegation arrived home safely and they are looking back at a very informative and successful trip!
In 2024 the Summit will take place in New Hampshire, from April 9-11. Are you a touroperator/travel agent and interested in visiting next year’s DNE summit, or if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
