By Angela Green, Content Executive, H&C News: Santa Monica and Brighton celebrate mutual tourism marketing pact.
Santa Monica, California and Brighton have joined forces as part of a new Friendship City Pact to boost tourism to both cities. The partnership will kick off this July when Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) will host a series of Santa Monica-inspired events and experiences at key locations around Brighton throughout July.
The pact aims to deepen the relationship between the two cities promoting cultural understanding between their people, as well as offering an exchange of ideas and activities through school curriculums, events, and tourism experiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
The partnership marks a new chapter for the tourism industries of Brighton and Santa Monica as they partner to celebrate the parallels between the culture, history, food scenes and creative communities of the two cities, and of course their iconic piers, both over 100 years old, which opened a decade apart in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
As part of the events programme, SMTT representatives will also take part in several key trade events including the Visit USA Summer Affair in London on 6th July as well as hosting a private event for industry partners, trade and media in Brighton’s Shelter Hall on 14th July.
Shelter Hall will be a key partner in the collaboration throughout July with a Santa Monica-inspired menu launching on the 7th as part of a collaboration between Shelter Hall Kitchen’s chef, Mark Rush, who travelled out to Santa Monica in May, and acclaimed Santa Monica chefs and restaurateurs, two-Michelin starred Josiah Citrin, and Govind Armstrong who will be visiting Brighton in July.
Misti Kerns, President & CEO, SMTT said of the partnership: “We are proud to stand side by side with Brighton as our partner city in the UK. The desire to collaborate, support each other and exchange ideas between our pier cities and their citizens is really what drives this synergy. The two cities share iconic piers, beautiful coastlines, rich cultures and vibrant communities and so the partnership was a natural fit for us.
“By showcasing some of the best of what Santa Monica has to offer and creating memorable experiences for the public throughout July we therefore hope to give locals and visitors a true taste of Santa Monica in Brighton to inspire them to visit our city.”
Howard Barden, Head of VisitBrighton commented: “We look forward to welcoming the Santa Monica Travel & Tourism team to our shores and supporting this fully immersive cultural experience for our residents and visitors throughout July. It is a sign of the exciting times that lie ahead for both destinations and we look forward to collaborating on further activations as part of our Friendship City partnership.”
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