Visit OKC embarks on European trip to help boost tourism

As Oklahoma City’s population continues its phenomenal growth – now the nation’s 20th largest city – the number of things to do and see across the metro has also steadily grown. And more are on the way.

Oklahoma City has already seen a steady stream of new openings of various new attractions and businesses in recent years, including the First Americans Museum, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine and, most recently, Ramsay’s Kitchen by chef Gordon Ramsay. Other top-notch attractions and developments will be opening soon. The Chickasaw Nation’s OKANA Resort, Andretti Indoor Karting and Games, and the new OKC Fairgrounds Coliseum are just a few examples.

As it always does, the Chamber’s very own Visit OKC gears up to market and promote Oklahoma City as a travel destination for not only U.S. residents, but also international visitors.

Sandy Price, vice president of tourism for Visit OKC, and Angel Green of the Chickasaw Nation recently attended the Brand USA Travel Week Europe trade show in London.  

Price met with 38 tour operators, mostly from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and France, marketing Oklahoma City attractions, such as the First Americans Museum, OKANA Resort, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City Stockyards and Route 66, which goes right through Oklahoma City.

“2026 is the 100th anniversary of Route 66, and so there is a lot of interest there,” Price said.

Price described two groups of people that typically drive Route 66 – those that are purists and those that are hobbyists. The latter group is the most desirable group to court.

“A hobbyist tends to want to experience what’s on Route 66 and experience the people on Route 66. Therefore, they want to spend more time at each destination,” she said.

The Grapevine (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau was also a partner during the UK trip. Price said it made sense to travel with someone from Grapevine since Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport is an international inbound airport.

“I think partnering with Grapevine was really good because you can land at DFW and be in Oklahoma in an hour and 10 minutes, and you can be in Oklahoma City in two and a half hours,” Price said.

While in the UK, Visit OKC also partnered with the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, as well as the Grapevine and Duncan (Oklahoma) CVBs on a sales mission to Leeds, England; Glasgow, Scotland; and Dublin, Ireland. The group met with tour operators in their own offices where they conducted in-office training.

“That makes a big difference to people when you make the effort to go over there and visit them in their office. First of all, it makes them feel like you’ve bought in and you’re there for the long haul, and you’re going to be a partner for a while because you’re invested,” Price said.

Last year was the first time Price attended Brand USA Travel Week Europe, which was held in Frankfurt, Germany. She also regularly attends IPW, the largest international buyers show in the U.S.