With 450 miles of Route 66, 23 pueblos, tribes and nations, breathtaking national parks, historic cities and one of the world’s most spectacular balloon fiestas, the U.S’s fifth largest state has plenty to offer visitors, Mark Meredith, of New Mexico’s UK office, tells Steve Hartridge
How do you benefit from your membership of Visit USA UK?
We don’t just see Visit USA UK in terms of “membership”. It’s a community and it is important for New Mexico to be a part of that.
Yes, there will be some incredible opportunities to come out of it (we’re already planning to be at Destinations Manchester and London), but mostly we’re looking forward to rubbing shoulders with neighbouring states, fellow travel industry professionals and sharing insights, knowledge and ideas to help increase awareness of New Mexico – and visitation to the U.S. – from the UK.
New Mexico is perhaps, undeservedly, one of the “least known’ of U.S. states. Is your brief to change that among UK trade and travel agents?
Very much so! New Mexico has been without international representation for several years now, so you could say it’s lost pace against some of its neighbouring southwestern states.
Our appointment is a show of intention to change that and ensure that the UK and Irish travel trades are well-equipped to confidently promote the destination and convert enquiries effectively.
How appropriate is New Mexico’s nickname, “Land of Enchantment”?
It couldn’t be more appropriate!
New Mexico is home to 23 pueblos, tribes and nations – some of which date back over a thousand years – so native American culture runs deep. It’s also Billy The Kid’s old stomping ground.
But when you throw in world-renowned events such as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, historic cities like Santa Fe (the highest and oldest state capital in America), unique lodging product, breathtaking national parks (White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns) and otherworldly landscapes (Shiprock, Kasha Katwe Tent Rocks National Monument), you start to understand how this very special place came to be known as that.
How does New Mexico fit into a touring itinerary of the American Southwest?
Over 450 miles of Route 66, the Mother Road, travels east to west through the Land of Enchantment, taking in the iconic towns and cities of Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Albuquerque and Gallup.
The original Route 66 included Sante Fe to the north, and we’d strongly recommend travellers detour to experience one of the world’s great art cities and what readers of Travel + Leisure recently voted as their favourite city in America.
Other popular ways to experience New Mexico would be to combine it with any of the neighbouring states, including Texas, Colorado, Arizona or even Utah.
In truth, however, this is the fifth largest state in the U.S., so visitors who might have already ticked off any of those states will find plenty to keep them intrigued and occupied on a dedicated itinerary.
If readers want to know more, who should they contact?
I’m the lead on New Mexico here in the UK & Ireland, so agents and advisors can contact me as the first port of call. But if you’re in touch with Brendan Croft or Holly Pattison, they’ll also be able to help. Those who are already familiar with Rocket will know we’re extremely active on Instagram (@rocket.london), so drop us a DM there and one of us will respond ASAP.
Do you have any trade initiatives – training, agency collateral, webinars, fam trips, etc, planned?
We will host our first product Fam trip in early October, which will see a handful of very lucky tour operators experience the Balloon Fiesta first hand. It is the largest ballooning festival in the world, so we’re super excited for that.
For those not lucky enough to be joining this time, but still keen to learn more about the state, there’s a dedicated New Mexico module on Brand USA’s Discovery Program. We are also now on Hablo, so do connect with us there.
