It was a short, but incredibly sweet 24 hours in Hershey as VHH hosted a media FAM for three travel writers from India September 28 and 29. The effort was in collaboration with Brand USA and an effort to showcase the variety of destinations easily accessible from Philadelphia including Baltimore, The Countryside of Philadelphia, and The Keystone Crossroads Region. Qatar Airlines recently relaunched its Doha to PHL route, giving international travelers another connection to the United States and another opportunity for our destination to benefit from visitors looking to make the most of their overseas trip.
VHH Director of Sales Audrey Bialas works with tour operators across India (and many other international markets) to elevate awareness of itinerary possibilities in the Hershey Harrisburg Region. Collaborations with Brand USA, Visit PA, and our regional destinations allow us to reach more journalists, solo travelers, and international tour operators.
The group arrived for lunch on Monday to enjoy a meal at Hershey Spice Restaurant, followed by a trip to Hershey’s Chocolate World for Create Your Own Candy Bar, retail, and free tour ride experiences. Our guests toured the town and learned about the life and times of Milton Hershey on a Trolley Works tour before checking in at The Villas at Hotel Hershey and enjoying a lovely dinner at 1933.
Tuesday began with breakfast at The Villas, then a visit to the Hershey Story Museum complete with a tasting experience for warm drinking chocolates from around the world.
A few doors away on Chocolate Avenue, we gathered at Iron Hill Brewery for a video call with co-owner Teha Chekuri. Chekuri and co-owner Sree Harsha Vadlamudi reopened several Iron Hill locations including the Hershey restaurant after acquiring the store out of bankruptcy. Chekuri operates several Iron Hill locations in India (separate branding), and explained on the call that he developed a love for Iron Hill during his time in the U.S. When the opportunity to acquire the restaurants arose, he acted quickly. We’re glad he did! The restaurant is a great space to gather in Downtown Hershey.
Our final stop was Troegs Independent Brewing for lunch and a behind the scenes brewery tour. The visits to Iron Hill and Troegs showcased two very different brewery stories, each with a shared passion for serving great craft beer to locals and guests.
Thank you to our friends at Hershey’s Chocolate World, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts & Hotel Hershey, The Hershey Story Museum, Iron Hill Brewing, and Troegs for being gracious hosts and partners in tourism.
We were proud to host:
Ms. Lachmi Deb Roy (CNBC-TV18 – A leading business news television channel with a strong digital presence, operated by TV18 (Network18 Group) in partnership with CNBC.
Mr. Paul Mathures (The Telegraph – The largest-read English daily in Eastern India, published by the ABP Group. It is known for its comprehensive news coverage and features T2, a weekly supplement covering food, travel, lifestyle, art and culture, architecture, and entertainment.)
Mr. Santhosh George Jacob (Manorama Online, a digital news platform with 700 million monthly views and the online arm of the Malayala Manorama media group based in Kottayam, Kerala, India.)
Ms. Arpita Sinha (Sartha Global Marketing for Brand USA)
