From November 1-4, IGMPR co-organized the International Garden Tourism Conference in cooperation with the Canadian Garden Council and support of – amongst others – the American Public Gardens Association and City of Victoria. Over 90 delegates from 40 gardens and 12 countries gathered in Victoria, BC to Seize the Moment. These gardens alone host already more than 17 million visitors a year and truly are a destination category on its own. We look forward to next conference in 2025.
On 16 March 2021, our founder Mr. Ibo Gülsen will be presenting during the AIPH Expo Conference. Creating compelling storylines and themes are a necessity to activate and attract visitors to any leisure destination including Expos. Based on his experience in the international flower and garden tourism industry, Mr Gülsen will highlight how (Flower) Culture can enhance the visitor experience of horticultural expo’s and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and more.
Update: our presentation can be viewed here.
On March 2, Mr. Ibo Gülsen joined the Spring Meeting of AIPH in Miami to present on the benefits and lessons learned of Garden Tourism for horticultural expo’s. In his presentation he highlighted the history of gardens, the economic impact of the garden tourism industry, which attracts 100’s millions of visitors each year and the potential synergies between one-off expo’s and garden destinations as permanent visitor attractions.
The full programme of the conference can be viewed here and Mr. Gülsen’s presentation is available upon request
