City welcomes British journalists

Halfway through the tour, the travel writers stopped at the Dough Hut in the West End.

Ben Strack/Herald

Cliff Skudin greeted Jenny Francis and the other United Kingdom residents on the boardwalk and talked about the surfing culture in Long Beach, including Skudin Surf’s camps and lessons.

Ben Strack/Herald

City Manager Jack Schnirman, front, and Deputy City Clerk Gina Guma, back, told Pippa Evans, left, Jenny Francis and Ian Murray about the many events and activities in Long Beach from the roof of the Allegria Hotel.

Ben Strack/Herald

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City officials welcomed British journalists to Long Beach last week in an effort to promote the community as a destination worth visiting while “on holiday” in Manhattan.

The visit was part of a promotion by British Airways to highlight their new flight from Gatwick Airport in England to John F. Kennedy International Airport, said Pippa Evans, director of WixHill, which handles public relations and marketing for Simon Shopping Destinations in Europe. Travel writers from the United Kingdom, along with Evans, were invited to visit Roosevelt Field and other parts of Long Island — including Long Beach — as a way of experiencing the surrounding areas of New York City, a popular destination for many Brits each year.

“We’re going to be kind of persuading Brits who go to New York for shopping or for general entertainment and stuff to say ‘Look, get on a train from Manhattan for 50 minutes and spend a weekend by the beach,’” said Jenny Francis, who writes travel features for The Sun, a newspaper in the U.K. “The passion of the people that were showing us around is evident. Everybody is really into their community spirit and it has just opened our eyes.”

The day allowed City Manager Jack Schnirman, City Council President Len Torres, Deputy City Clerk Gina Guma and other community members the unique opportunity to showcase the city’s offerings to an international audience on its open-air trolley, which carried the out-of-towners through Long Beach and made stops along the way.

The tour kicked off at the Recreation Center and made its way to the West End and back, highlighting the local shops, restaurants and other hotspots in town. The visitors were treated to doughnuts at The Dough Hut, walked along the boardwalk and took the “lift” to the top floor of the Allegria Hotel for a panoramic view of the Atlantic.

“The secret of what makes the Long Beach life so great is out there,” Schnirman said. “We have great restaurants, an incredible boardwalk, shops and a wonderful downtown, and with summer on the way, people from all over the world are interested in coming for a visit.”

Patricia Bourne, the city’s director of economic development, along with Cliff Skudin, co-owner of Skudin Surf, and lifeguard Chief Paul Gillespie, met the visitors on the boardwalk to give further insight into beach activities, touting the surf-friendly waves and sandy shores enjoyed by locals and tourists throughout the year.

“I didn’t know what to expect from Long Beach,” said Ian Murray, editor-in-chief of the Southern Daily Echo newspaper in South Hampton, England. “I didn’t realize how brilliant it was actually going to be, so I’m going to come back and try the surf school and the fantastic new surf center.”