The Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance and The Inn at Ohio Northern University recently joined more than 200 representatives from museums, attractions, hotels, and visitors bureaus from throughout the Midwest at Heartland Travel Showcase in Toledo.

Heartland Travel Showcase is the Midwest’s largest motor coach marketplace and features the region’s top destinations and attractions for group tours.

Joining forces with other states and provinces attracts more tour operators and offers selling opportunities difficult to develop without a collective effort. States and provinces represented at this year’s marketplace at the SeaGate Convention Centre included Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ontario, Canada.

Tourism representatives met one-on-one with tour operators who book packaged travel. The tour operators are looking for itinerary ideas that they can incorporate
into future motorcoach tours they offer to their clients.

According to a recent study by the American Bus Association, groups traveling by bus spent $13.6 billion in 2012, and another study says that number is likely to grow. Ninety-two percent of tour operators reported having more customers in 2013, said U.S. Tour Operators Association in a study released in December. When a motorcoach rolls into town, it generates revenue for restaurants, hotels, museums, attractions, shops, and more.

A recent study by Group Tour Magazine says one motorcoach generates at least 23 hotel rooms booked, 46 tickets sold, and 46 meals served. The Alliance hopes to attract more groups to Hardin County promoting local business.

This article is from the current Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance newsletter. The entire newsletter is an attachment at the bottom of this story.