Convention brings 3500 tour experts to Cleveland

BRANSON MO NEWS:

This weekend the American Bus Association’s annual convention rolls into downtown Cleveland, marking the city’s largest convention since the RNC.It’s geared toward the bus tourism industry. Who is that? Bus manufacturers, bus drivers, tour companies, tour guides and representatives from different cities and states that want to attract bus tours.

The event brought 3,500 people to Cleveland, all staying in hotels, eating at restaurants and seeing the sights.“I think the setup is very nice. It’s easy to walk around downtown and feel comfortable,” Brian Hanna told us. He’s from Louisville, Kentucky.“We find everything easy to get to around the convention center and the hotels,” said Kevin Keith from Orlando.Locking down the ABA’s annual convention was a big deal. The city spent five years trying to land this convention. The economic impact reaches far past this weekend.“If we can sell them that this is a great place in January, it’s going to be pretty easy to convince them that this is a place to bring tours in the warmer months,” said Mike Burns with Destination Cleveland.What better group to fall in love with your city than the people who …