The Destinations Holiday & Travel Show at EventCity (15-18 January) has a dedicated VISIT USA Pavilion for the first time and with an 8% increase in passengers travelling from Manchester Airport to the USA in 2014 - demand is soaring for USA holidays from the North West.

In 2014 over 936,000 passengers departed from Manchester Airport to travel to North America and for those especially interested in the USA, the VISIT USA Pavilion at Destinations (stand USA1) in the heart of the North America section will offer the largest ever selection of North American tourist boards and tour operators, enabling visitors to discover the best of the USA.

Chris Bradford, Product & Commercial Manager for My America Holiday, exhibiting at Destinations 2015, revealed that the company's bookings with a Manchester departure have grown by 23% in the last six months. He said: “We've noticed a large increase in bookings from Manchester, which is predominately due to the increase in capacity on the direct routes from Manchester to America. You can now fly direct from Manchester to Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia and we are sure that the VISIT USA Pavilion will prove very popular.”

Manchester Airport has approximately 45 flights a week to the USA including New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington depending on the time of year. From March next year, capacity on the Manchester to Atlanta service will increase as Virgin Atlantic take over the route and Delta will be serving a new route to New York. 2015 will also see Manchester being the only airport outside of London to have a direct flight to Miami.

Kuoni, one of the UK's best known tour operators, revealed that from the North West the USA is the fifth most popular destination after Mauritius, Thailand, The Maldives and United Arab Emirates. Sam North, Clarion show director, said: “We are very excited about the new VISIT USA Pavilion and are responding directly to a definite trend in the market and a real demand for USA holidays and information in the North West. Of course the show offers much more than USA exhibitors but we have seen a definite growing interest from Manchester and surrounding areas in this part of the world.”

USA Exhibitors confirmed to participate in Destinations 2015 include Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Deep South USA, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, North America Travel Service, My America Holidays, Kentucky Travel and United Airlines.

In addition to the exhibitors showcasing destinations from all over the world there is a line-up of celebrity appearances including TV presenter Simon Reeve, travel adventurer and TV Presenter Charley Boorman, and author, cook and TV Presenter Martin Dorey.

The show promises to be a great day out and a source of inspiration for all passionate travellers and will also take place in London from 29 January – 1 February 2015. Advance day tickets cost just £8 in advance and kids go free (aged under 16). Tickets can be booked online at http://www.destinationsshow.com or on 0871 230 7141 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras). Visitors can also follow show news on Twitter at @DestinationShow

The show will run alongside the co-located Caravan & Motorhome Show, showcasing the latest caravans, motorhomes and accessories from over 200 exhibitors.

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For further media information or images contact: Destinations PR at Four bgb: +44 (0)20 3697 4200 destinations@fourcommunications.com 

Notes to editors
Show Venue: EventCity, Phoenix Way, off Barton Dock Road, Urmston, Manchester, M17 8AS

Show Opening Times:
10:00am – 6:00pm Thursday
10:00am – 6:00pm Friday
10:00am – 6:00pm Saturday
10:00am - 5:30pm Sunday

Press passes: If you are a member of the press and would like to apply for a Press Pass to attend the show simply email destinations@fourcommunications.com with your name, company name, email and phone number and you will then be sent your passes or you can collect them from the Press Office at the show.