Gilroy Today 2014 03 Spring | Page 48

Gilroy Welcomes The World !

Oneof the things I love most about

my job at the Gilroy Welcome Center is getting to meet visitors from all over the world . In 2013 , we welcomed 40,988 visitors representing over 50 countries , including Morocco , Bulgaria , Bosnia and Romania , to name just a few !
It might seem a little funny to think of Gilroy as an international tourist destination , but thanks to the Internet , great shopping , and ( of course ) garlic , we are definitely on the map . In today ’ s article , I ’ ll focus on our three largest international markets — and what we ’ re doing to attract even more global visitors to our community .
G ’ Day , Mates !
In January , we were visited by a family from Sydney , Australia whose last name is Gilroy . They were so excited to visit their “ namesake ” city and stopped by the Welcome Center to stock up on souvenirs to take back home . But the Gilroy family is not alone . In fact , Australian tourists represent California ’ s third largest overseas market , and their numbers have been increasing at a steady rate . And all those visitors translate into lots of income for our communities ; in 2012 , 563,000 Aussie visitors spent $ 731 million in California .
At the Gilroy Welcome Center , we are actively working in conjunction with the Central Coast Tourism Council ( CCTC ) to attract even more Australian travelers . In October , Nick Etchells , a popular reporter for the Australian morning TV show “ Sunrise ,” filmed a special “ Road Trip America ” segment focusing on the central California coast – and he began his trip right here in Gilroy . We had a fun day showing Nick and his crew around the “ Garlic Capital of the World .” He spent time interviewing the Bonino family at LJB Farms , talked to Joann Kessler at the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association , shot some footage downtown , and even tried the garlic ice cream at Garlic City Café ! The segment aired in December and generated a lot of buzz “ down under ” for Gilroy and the Central Coast area . Visit www . gilroywelcomecenter . org if you want to check it out for yourself !
O , Canada
Our neighbors to the north provide the second largest international market for California tourism . In the last year ,
California welcomed over 1.5 billion Canadian visitors , who spent over $ 2 billion . That ’ s a lot – and , according to Visit California , we can expect those numbers to grow by as much as 15 % or more through 2015 .
The Gilroy Welcome Center , again working in partnership with the CCTC , is tapping into this growing market by placing print ads in Canadian Traveler Magazine to promote Gilroy as the ideal “ home base ” for a California getaway vacation . After all , we ’ re within easy driving distance of major golden state attractions like San Francisco , Silicon Valley , and the Central Coast – and we offer affordable hotels , great restaurants , award-winning wineries , worldclass shopping , and lots of fun things to do right here in Gilroy . We are using unique URL codes to track the amount of interest generated by these ad campaigns , so we know how much bang we ’ re getting for our advertising bucks .
China is # 1
Chinese tourists represent California ’ s largest overseas market and also top the Gilroy Welcome Center ’ s list of international visitors . Chinese tour groups regularly bring busloads of eager shoppers to Gilroy Premium Outlets . And the numbers keep going up : in 2012 , California welcomed 717,000 visitors from China , an increase of 39 % from the previous year . Chinese visitors are a huge benefit to California ’ s economy , as they stay an average of 10.6 days . In 2012 , they spent more than $ 2.1 billion – that ’ s more than $ 2,900 per visitor per trip ! By 2015 , more than 100 million Chinese are expected to travel internationally , making China the world ’ s fastest-growing outbound travel market .
As we look ahead to 2014 and beyond , the Gilroy Welcome Center will continue to explore new ways of spreading the word and encouraging international travelers to include us in their California adventures . This spring , for example , Gilroy will be the first stop for a group of travel agents from the United Kingdom , who will be visiting the Central Coast and learning more about the region . We ’ ll be sure they have a great time in Gilroy so they share the news with their clients back across the pond !
In closing , please remember that everyone who lives and works here is an ambassador for Gilroy . We hope you will support our efforts by warmly welcoming visitors from around the world !
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