NEW ORLEANS —Makalah Brown, representing Monmouth Historic Inn and Natchez and Lynsey Smith, representing Natchez via the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau recently joined an estimated 6,000 tourism and travel specialists in New Orleans for the world’s largest and most prestigious conference partnering category experts in the United States with 5,000 delegates representing 73 countries from around the globe—the IPW.

Singlehandedly, this conference fuels the tourism industry in the U.S. to the tune of $2.1 trillion dollars generating the largest, concentrated volume of travel scheduling to the United States during the five-day show alone.

Pre-arranged meetings and a host of social functions provided the perfect setting to promote the magic of Natchez to those travel and tourism specialists looking for the unique, compelling and unforgettable places that are not to be missed.

The Deep South is a destination of choice for travel and tour operators selling the United States to international travelers, and Natchez is a major calling card when looking for what the international traveler of today seeks —  authenticity, history, culture, spectacular, unique architecture, southern hospitality, and the beauty of landscapes and streetscapes. It is a walkable, livable community on an imposing bluff 200 feet above the Mighty Mississippi River.

“I met with people from all over the world whose companies are looking for unique experiences for their travelers,” Brown said, adding that she was excited to able to meet and talk with such receptive travel and tour operators. “Many were not familiar with Natchez and what we offer.”

The recent introduction of Qantas Airlines with a direct flight from Brisbane, Australia, to Dallas in addition to the arrival of Air New Zealand providing direct service from Auckland to Houston, and Air China’s direct flight service from Beijing to Houston, easy accessibility to international travelers has already begun to be heightened.

And, with the arrival of a direct flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to New Orleans, beginning May 3, 2017—with affordable access to Frankfurt from more than 120 cities in the Eastern Hemisphere via airline partnerships—Natchez will be able to open its door more easily to the rest of the world.

Anticipating the expansion of this audience is nothing short of an economic enhancement the full community can benefit from, organizers said.

This year’s IPW Conference is estimated to result in bookings which will bring 8.8 million international visitors to the United States over the next three years.