Media Relations & Tourism Sales Department of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Larry Meehan, Vice President of Media Relations & Tourism Sales, lmeehan@bostonusa.com, 617-867-8231; Stacy Shreffler, Media Relations & Tourism Sales Coordinator, sshreffler@bostonusa.com,  617-867-8203.

December 2007 Edition

Available for media: High-resolution images of Boston contact Stacy Shreffler sshreffler@bostonusa.com 

Boston Gears Up for arrival of 'Dice K'

and thousands of Japanese visitors this year

Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau,

Boston Red Sox, hotels, attractions reach out to Japanese media and tour companies to grow Japanese tourism this year

BOSTON- The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) , the Boston Red Sox, and the Cambridge Office for Tourism recently had a briefing and reception for the Japanese media that is part of the GBCVB marketing plan to capitalize upon Japanese interest in visiting Boston as a result of the Red Sox signing 'Dice K' Matsuzaka. The GBCVB tracked about 31,000 visitors from Japan last year and is projecting at least 40,000 this year, which  would add $14 million flowing into the local visitor economy.

For the Ft. Myers opportunity the GBCVB  developed a new GBCVB Japanese language DVD that showcases film footage for Japanese broadcast media, and images for print media so that travel features can be easily produced while covering ‘Dice K’ this year. The coverage in Japan about Dice K and the Boston Red Sox has been broadcast and printed almost daily. There is already a Japanese fan web site www.Go-RedSox.com which provides features completely in Japanese.

One tour operator affiliated with the Japanese  airline , All Nippon Airways (ANA) , sold out 350 packages that included Sox tickets in three days. The going rate for the package is $3,000.

The Bureau is publicizing Boston and Cambridge hotels, restaurants and attractions that have translated web sites, brochures, menus in Japanese as well as Japanese -speaking staff to make Japanese visitors feel welcome. (see below) 

Boston & Cambridge  Japanese language fact sheets will be posted on the GBCVB web site www.BostonUSA.com  where a ‘Welcome To Boston! Dice K! “ in Japanese has already been posted..

The next phase of the GBCVB program with MOTT & Cambridge Office for Tourism will include sale calls in New York City, the location most Japanese media & tour companies USA offices. In April the GBCVB & MOTT will meet with Japanese tour operators from Japan at America’s most important inbound tourism convention- POW WOW 2007- in Anaheim.

The long-term plan says, Patrick B. Moscaritolo, president of the GBCVB is to win nonstop flights from Japan to Boston.