At the recent Travel South International Showcase 2024, Karryon sat down with new Travel South USA Chair Stephen Foutes to learn how the organisation works with the international travel trade to connect travellers to authentic Southern culture and why he’s touched by Australians visiting his home state.
Stephen Foutes’ enthusiasm for his home state of Missouri and the US South is obvious. And as a former journalist, he knows the power of storytelling.
With just over 13 years at the Missouri Division of Tourism, including his current role as Director, he’s well placed to highlight the South’s unparalleled experiences as the newly installed Travel South USA Chair.
Born in Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Foutes has lived in Missouri all his life, growing up in rural Bowling Green in Pike County and attending college in the equally small university town of Fayette.
He was a reporter with the local Jefferson City newspaper in Missouri’s capital before joining the Missouri Division of Tourism in 2009.
A framed map of Missouri on his bedside table is the last thing he sees at night and the first thing that starts his day each morning.
“I love our state, and I love that we’ve had the opportunity to join Travel South USA. We’ve been a member for about 10 years, and there are so many similarities between our cultures across the South – our food, our music, our history,” he said.
“While we’re very cooperative, we’re also very competitive,” he added of the 12 individual states that make up Travel South USA.
“The South offers music, history, culture and civil rights, so for anybody who wants to experience authentic American history and culture, the South is the place to go.”
Stephen Foutes, Travel South USA Chair
Amplifying the regions
Foutes said travel advisors and trade representation in international markets are pivotal in showcasing the diverse offerings available in the US South, particularly the small towns and regional experiences.
“When we have voices in those international markets who can amplify what we’re trying to do, you can’t overestimate how important that is to us,” he said.
“It can be very difficult for states or cities within our states to have contracted representation in many international markets.
“It’s a blessing to be involved with an organisation like Travel South USA professionally and be able to work collectively with those trade partners, operators and reps.”
Travel South USA launched a new Tourism Exchange platform to surface new and niche products across the South, linking live inventory and rates between suppliers and distributors and bringing offline businesses online.
“Connectivity matters, and making those connections, however small, can have a huge impact,” Foutes said.
“We also need to understand how consumers will use AI in their travel planning and how we as travel marketers can use emerging technology to reach consumers in different ways.”
Travel South USA’s $10 million goalpost
During his one-year term as Travel South USA Chair, Foutes is tasked with continuing the tourism recovery momentum to realise the 12-state collective’s ambitious target of USD$10 billion (around AUD$16 billion) in visitor spending by the end of 2025.
Australian spending in the Travel South USA region is projected to reach USD$351 million in 2025, up from $157 million in 2022.
“Before I even came on board, Travel South USA established a lofty goal of achieving $10 billion in international spending by the end of next year, so that is our driving goal. We’re now in that last 12-month stretch to try to make that happen,” he said.
What travellers want to experience in the South
Foutes’ other main focus is meeting the shifts in consumer demands and market dynamics by adapting to the current travel landscape and technology and highlighting the unique experiences available across the US South.
“The South offers an unparalleled level of variety for travellers,” Foutes said, checking off his list. “If you want beaches, check; you want mountains, check; you want outdoor experiences, check; you want major metropolitan areas and fine dining; check.”
“The South offers music, history, culture and civil rights, so for anybody who wants to experience authentic American history and culture, the South is the place to go.”
Foutes said the annual Travel South International Showcase, which connects international travel partners with destination marketing organisations and suppliers, facilitates a regional approach to navigating changing consumer demands.
“Travellers don’t see the borders like we do. When a traveller goes from Arkansas into Missouri, they may see a sign that they’re entering a new state, but that really doesn’t matter to them,” he said.
“A regional partnership like Travel South USA shows consumers how they can have a unique and authentic experience in the American South, regardless of which states they visit.”
Road trips, such as the Road Trips USA self-drive itineraries, highlight this style of borderless travel, connecting cities, themes and experiences across state lines.
“If you try and give consumers something they don’t want, they will find it elsewhere. Rhythms of the South, connecting Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans, recognises that people who travel for music are going to make that loop, right?”
“Travel South offers a great opportunity to make those kinds of easy connections for travellers to find.”
With sports tourism also a burgeoning area, Foutes said several Travel South states are poised to leverage their involvement when the USA hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Other upcoming opportunities include the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026.
“In Missouri, we’re a little bit unique in that we have a section of Route 66, so 2026 is a big opportunity for a lot of our states, whether they have Route 66 or are getting a World Cup match,” Foutes said.
“It’s an opportunity to inspire travel to these locations because people are coming to the Southern region for those events. If they’ve got a 10- or 15-day holiday, travellers have an opportunity to explore beyond the gateways.”
Why the US South loves Aussies
With Missouri hosting Travel South International Showcase 2025 in Kansas City next December, Foutes looks forward to showing off the ‘Show Me’ state to international buyers, including Australia.
“If an international visitor from Australia is coming to Missouri, they’ve made a significant journey to make that trip, right? Just the notion that this faraway continent of people has an interest in our state is maybe cheesy, but it’s heartwarming for somebody who loves the state,” he said.
“Thinking about folks who are a 23-hour flight away would be interested in coming to see us is pretty awesome and a great opportunity for us to have them stay longer in our market, to spend more money, to have more experiences.
“We just want to make sure that no matter where people are from, they feel welcome and that feel like they know they’re going to have an authentic experience.”
Read more about a Missouri travel experience firsthand with Infinity Holidays’ Kevin Looney here.
Find out more at travelsouthusa.com
