Regional Partnership to Promote Air Service
A tri-county collaboration including Visit Santa Cruz County, the Monterey County CVB and Team San Jose has been established to coincide with British Airways’ new nonstop transatlantic service from London to San Jose. Utilizing the newest aircraft in its fleet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the nonstop service started with an inaugural flight on May 4, 2016, from London Heathrow International Airport to Mineta San Jose International Airport, bringing in a potential 216 passengers from the UK daily. The collaboration involved an initial three-month marketing program utilizing Expedia.com in partnership with Brand USA’s Affinity Program to reach nearly 15 million internet users abroad. A “San Jose and Monterey Bay” landing page features destination information on what to see and do in San Jose, Santa Cruz County, and Monterey County. Banner ads on Expedia in addition to Hotels.com, and Venere – both OTAs and Expedia brands – target Internet users researching their California vacation and travel information in the gateway cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. Expedia.com is the most widely utilized online travel agent (OTA) in the UK. The Affinity Program is a series of cooperative programs that Brand USA has developed with the media, online travel agencies, and other travel-related publishers.