ABA releases 2012 Top 100 Events in North America list

The National Cherry Blossom Festival & Centennial Celebration in Washington, D.C. was named the top event in the U.S. by the American Bus Association in its annual list of the Top 100 Events in North America, released on Wednesday.

The Jefferson Memorial peeks through the blossoming cherry blossom trees that surround the Tidal Basin. The gift of 3,000 trees by the Japanese government began in 1912 to commemorate the bonds between the two countries.

Now in its 30th year, “The Top 100 Events in North America” is published as a guide for travel professionals and the general public to use when planning group tours and vacations.

The list named the Niagara 1812 Bicentennial in Thorold, Ontario as the best event in Canada.

Each spring, the Top 100 Selection Committee, which is comprised of group travel professionals, selects the winners from hundreds of nominated fairs, festivals, parades, exhibits, theaters and shows based on their broad appeal, accessibility to large groups arriving by motorcoach, and other criteria.

Although the ABA does not rank the events, it does give special recognition to “Annual Events.” Annual Events receive separate recognition because they have been consistently selected as a Top 100 Event in North America, continually attract group and motorcoach business and offer international appeal.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival & Centennial Celebration of the Gift of Cherry Blossom Trees will be held March 20 through April 27 in Washington, D.C. To honor the 100th anniversary, the festival is planning an unprecedented five week tribute.

“The events included in the 2012 Top 100 represent the best of the diverse array of group travel attractions available to motorcoach groups throughout the continent,” said ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso.