Bermuda Tourism Authority Named Official Tourism Partner of the US Open Tennis Championships with New Multi-Year Agreement

HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bermuda Tourism Authority, the official destination marketing organization for the island, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), announced that Bermuda will be the exclusive tourism partner of the US Open Tennis Championships at a press event in Bermuda today.

The partnership kicks off with the 2019 US Open this summer in New York City, which is Bermuda's top source market for visitors, with the island being just a 90-minute flight from New York. Bermuda will have a significant presence at the US Open with on-court signage in Arthur Ashe Stadium, presence on US Open digital properties, social media channels and on-site activation space for consumer engagement. The Bermuda Tourism Authority is working in conjunction with the USTA, USTA Player Development and the USTA Foundation to create a new, multifaceted event to take place in Bermuda in 2020. The event will feature a Pro-Am as well as exhibitions with tennis legends and rising American players.

Specific benefits of the partnership include:

• Court signage will garner significant exposure during 100-plus hours of live coverage in each of Bermuda's top feeder countries – US, Canada & UK – in addition to 100 other countries.
• Over the course of US Open Fan Week and the two-week tournament, on-site activation space at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will enable engagement with more than 800,000 fans who align with Bermuda's visitor targets, 56% of whom are from the New York metro market.
• The multifaceted event to take place in Bermuda in 2020 will bring additional visitor spending and exposure for Bermuda as a premier luxury and sports destination.

Tennis has important historical roots in Bermuda.  Credited by the International Tennis Hall of Fame as the "Mother of American Tennis," Mary Ewing Outerbridge (born in America to Bermudian parents) first came across the game while visiting her family's home on the island in 1874, learning tennis from British officers stationed in Bermuda. She later brought tennis equipment back to New York, introducing the sport in her home borough of Staten Island.

"An exclusive tourism partnership with the US Open works for Bermuda on so many levels and helps set ourselves apart from our competition," said Kevin Dallas, CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. "The brand story of Bermuda introducing the sport of tennis to the United States is just one example of how we punch above our weight as a small island out in the middle of the Atlantic. The collaboration also puts Bermuda in the cultural conversation at one of the must-see events in New York City. As summer comes to a close in the city, we will leverage this platform to invite New Yorkers to extend their summer season with active adventure out here in Bermuda," Dallas added. "The addition of a custom event to take place in Bermuda that will create direct spending and provide kids clinics for developing and exposing Bermuda's youth to tennis greatness and opportunity is icing on the cake."

"The Bermuda Tourism Authority is introducing the island to a new generation of travelers who match up perfectly with our regional, national and global US Open fan base," said Gordon Smith, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, USTA. "We look forward to helping increase Bermuda's exposure as a leading luxury travel destination through this exciting new partnership."

The 2019 US Open takes place from August 26 to September 8 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The tournament's recently-completed five-year $600 million strategic transformation provides visitors and partners more room, experiences and activations than ever before. The venue welcomed a record 828,798 attendees in 2018 over the course of the event.

About USTA:  The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA's philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat

About Bermuda:  Out here is closer than you think. Located in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina's coast, the island of Bermuda is just a two-hour nonstop flight from most eastern U.S. airports. Attracting adventure seekers, explorers, romantic and originals, Bermuda is where people, cultures and an alluring mystique swirl together, connecting visitors to a place far from everyday life. The island's legendary pink-sand beaches, frozen in time historic towns and pastel-colored buildings stand out at first. But it's Bermuda's original, ever evolving take on island life that brings travelers out here again and again. The Bermuda experience is elegant, relaxed and genuinely warm, celebrating cultures, reveling in nature and staying open to whatever is around the bend.  Recently, the 35^th America's Cup, held in Bermuda May and June of 2017, brought a fresh energy to the destination with new and redeveloped hotels, must-visit attractions and restaurants adding to the island spirt. Visit  www.gotobermuda.com, www.facebook.com/bermudatourism, and www.twitter.com/bermuda.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tiffani Cailor Torrence, BTA
(212) 916-3139
tcailor@bermudatourism.com
Chris Widmaier, USTA
(914) 696-7284
widmaier@usta.com

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SOURCE Bermuda Tourism Authority