Continental Airlines, Cleveland Mayor Jane L.
Campbell, Council Majority Leader Martin Sweeney, the Greater Cleveland
Growth Association and the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland
this evening will launch a three-day investment and tourism mission to
London with an eye toward increasing trade and tourism between Greater
Cleveland and the United Kingdom.
Mayor Campbell, Council Majority Leader Sweeney and Nene
Foxhall, Continental Airlines vice president of state & civic affairs, will be joined
by several local business leaders including Growth Association President and
Chief Executive Officer Dennis E. Eckart, CVB President and Chief Executive
Officer Dave Nolan, and Cleveland marketing, sales and tourism consultant
Terry Uhl.
Also joining the mission are John Slater, Continental's senior sales
director - Midwest region, Shirley D. Stineman, director of community
affairs for The Plain Dealer, Constance Harper, executive vice president of
The Call and Post Newspapers, and Richard Johnson, president and chief
executive officer of Kaleidoscope Magazine Publishing. The three-day
investment and tourism mission includes:
* A working breakfast with executives of the
British Airports Authority, which manages London's Gatwick Airport;
* A meeting with the U.S. ambassador to the
United Kingdom, His Excellency William S. Farish;
* A working lunch at the U.S. Embassy with
VisitUSA, a U.K.-based tourism group that encourages tourism between the
U.K. and the United States. Mayor Campbell will deliver the keynote address
at the organization's luncheon, where Dave Nolan also will speak;
* A working breakfast with Joseph Bauer, vice
president and general counsel of Lubrizol, which has significant operations
in Greater Cleveland and in the U.K., and U.K.-based officials of Lubrizol;
* A meeting with U.K. Tourism Minister Dr. Kim
Howells;
* A session with executives at St. Ives, a
printing company with operations in northeast Ohio and the U.K.;
* A dinner reception with the law firms
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey and Jones Day.
Many of the events will be attended by political, economic development and
tourism officials from throughout the U.K. The mission begins this evening at
7:25 p.m. with the resumption of Continental Airlines' nonstop service between
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Continental's third-largest hub, and
London's Gatwick Airport. The flight, which was temporarily suspended after
Sept. 11, is Cleveland's only nonstop link to Europe.
"Continental's nonstop flight between Cleveland and London is vital to
Cleveland's ability to compete for investment and tourism dollars in the
United Kingdom and throughout Europe," said Continental Airlines Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Bethune. "Continental's success in this
important market and Cleveland's ability to attract global investment hinges
on the support of this service by the business and tourism community on both
sides of the Atlantic. We are grateful to Mayor Campbell and the other key
civic and business leaders for drawing attention to the region and to this
service."
"I want to thank Continental Airlines for their continued investment in the
City of Cleveland," said Mayor Campbell. "By resuming the nonstop flight
between Cleveland and London, we are given the opportunity to strengthen our
relationship with businesses in the U.K. I am looking forward to meeting
with civic and business leaders during my stay and furthering those
relationships."
"The direct link to London speaks volumes about the importance of Greater
Cleveland and, for that matter, of Hopkins International Airport, in the
global economy," said Council Majority Leader Sweeney. "Continental's
nonstop service gives our region a tremendous opportunity to attract new
investment and to encourage leisure travelers to take a second look at
Cleveland and northeast Ohio."
Continental Airlines flight 66 departs Cleveland daily at 7:25 p.m.,
arriving in London at 7:45 a.m. the next morning. Beginning tomorrow,
Continental flight 67 will depart London daily at 11:55 a.m. and will arrive
in Cleveland at 3:30 p.m. the same day. The service is flown by Boeing
757-200 aircraft, configured with 16 seats in Continental's award-winning
BusinessFirst class and 156 seats in coach.
According to an economic impact analysis completed in 2000, visitors to
Cleveland who flew on Continental's nonstop flight from London added $78
million to the local economy in the first year the flight operated,
including the money they spent in local hotels, restaurants and retail and
other establishments. One goal of this week's mission is to drum up further
interest, investment and tourism in the region.
The Greater Cleveland Growth Association is the nation's largest
metropolitan chamber of commerce with nearly 16,800 members. Its mission is
to serve as a catalyst for economic growth and jobs creation in Northeast
Ohio. The Growth Association is committed to enhancing Greater Cleveland's
competitive advantage through leadership, collaboration and innovation.
The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland is a non-profit
organization working diligently to bring conventions and tourism visitors to
Cleveland. Through the efforts of the CVB, more than 8.1 million convention
and tourism visitors brought $2.34 billion into the local economy. Continental
Airlines offers more than 220 daily flights from Cleveland Hopkins International
Airport to more than 60 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean
and to London. Service includes frequent daily departures to major business
centers, including Chicago, New York and Houston, and top leisure destinations
like Las Vegas, Orlando and Miami.
More than 3,500 Continental employees are based at Hopkins.
Continental Airlines is the fifth-largest airline in the U.S., offering more
than 2,100 departures daily to 120 domestic and 91 international
destinations. Operating hubs in New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam,
Continental serves more international cities than any other U.S. carrier,
including extensive service throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
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