HUDSON/CHAMPLAIN 400TH ANNIVERSARIES & NOVA SCOTIA TALL SHIPS LEAD AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION TOP 100 EVENTS FOR 2009

For Immediate Release
Contact: Eron Shosteck
Phone: 202-218-7220

WASHINGTON-- The American Bus Association today announced that the “Hudson 400th Celebration of Discovery” & “Vermont Celebrates Champlain,” and the “Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009,” are the winning U.S. and Canadian events, respectively, as ABA released its 2009 list of the “Top 100 Events in North America.”

The annual guide for professional travel planners and the general public, now in its 27th year, highlights the top fairs, festivals, parades and shows across North America. While the Top 100 are not ranked, ABA highlights the top U.S. and Canadian events for 2009.

The top American event is the Albany-based Hudson River 400th anniversary “Celebration of Discovery,” which features events all year. It earned top U.S. honors in conjunction with the Montpelier, Vermont celebration of Lake Champlain’s 400th anniversary, slated to run from Dec. 31, 2008-Oct. 31, 2009. For Canada, Halifax’s “Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009” slated to take place July 16-20 earned highest honors.

"With the rich history and beautiful landscape in both upstate New York and neighboring Vermont, the nautical traditions to be celebrated in Nova Scotia, and the motorcoach-friendly aspects of both, these events are great examples of the wonderful group travel destinations North America has to offer,” said ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso.

The Top 100 list is chosen from among 524 events nominated by state and provincial tourism officials and CVBs. A 14-member Selection Committee of tour operators bases its picks on the events' broad appeal, their accessibility to groups arriving by motorcoach, and other criteria. The full list of 2009 winners is on www.buses.org/2009Top100 [1].

ABA also announced additions to its list of Top Internationally Known Events (IKE), which consists of 32 perennial favorites. For 2009, ABA added three new IKEs:

• Christmas at Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC, November 6, 2008-January 3, 2009
• The Holland Tulip Time Festival, Holland, Michigan, May 2-9, 2009
• The 28th Boston Harborfest, Boston, Massachusetts, July 1-5, 2009

“This elite status is awarded to these distinguished events because of their tremendous popularity, quality and international appeal,” Pantuso added. The Top 100 list is published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations.

For the 2009 Top 100 edition, ABA has partnered with Group Leaders of America (GLAMER) for special promotions. These promotions will result in leads for the winning destinations and events. The leads will be distributed to the nominating member and the winning festival/event.

The American Bus Association is the trade organization of the intercity bus industry with more than 1000 motorcoach owner and tour company members in the United States and Canada. Its members operate charter, tour, regular route, airport express, special operations and contract services. Another 2,800 members are travel and tourism organizations and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry.