This has been an incredibly important week for our visitor industry in Boston and the United States. Finally, our borders re-opened on Monday, November 8. The disappearance of international visitors between March of 2020 and October of 2021 left a crater in our visitor economy – nearly $300 billion in losses and 1 million American jobs wiped out. We felt this acutely in Boston, and as the gateway to New England we are thrilled that the entire region is once again open to the world. This week we’ve been posting videos to our IG account in various languages, underscoring our cultural connections across the world and how impactful the return of our global guests will be on our industry.
Now that we are open for business, the timing couldn’t have been better for IMEX America to return. I was so proud to be there this week with Beth Stehley and our GBCVB Sales Team, and of course our exhibiting partners. Over 3,000 buyers were on hand, plus 2,200 exhibiting companies, representing 200-plus countries. Our team held more than 400 appointments over three days.
