June 20, 2018

Letter from the President & CEO of Brand USA

The results are in! The fifth annual study by Oxford Economics demonstrates that for the fifth straight year, in collaboration with our more than 800 partners, Brand USA is achieving its mission to fuel the nationÕs economy through the power of travel.
According to the study, in total over the past five years, Brand USA generated:

  • 5.4 million incremental visitors
  • $17.7 billion in incremental spend
  • $5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes
  • $38.4 billion in total economic impact
Nearly 51,000 incremental jobs supported, on average, each year For Fiscal Year 2017 alone, Brand USAÕs marketing strategies helped generate 1.16 million incremental international visitors to the United States, which generated $3.9 million in incremental spending to the USA (representing 2.2 percent of all international travel spending) and $8.5 billion in total economic impact, which supported 54,000 incremental jobs. The benefits were broadly distributed across the U.S. economy, with spending in the transportation, retail, lodging, restaurant, and recreation sectors.

WeÕre proud of these results, which were driven by the successful combination of our USA consumer campaigns, global trade outreach, and partner programs. Together, these initiatives created broad-based awareness and inspired travel to the United States through compelling storytelling and content that travelers were able to access and engage in from mobile devices to the giant screen and everything in between.

Over the past few months, our second giant screen film, ÒAmericaÕs Musical Journey,Ó has premiered in Paris, Mexico City, and Toronto. This film serves as the centerpiece of our music platform and drives the momentum of other music-based content, including our latest campaign, ÒHear the Music, Experience the USA.Ó In this campaign, we present global audiences with five customized renditions of a classic American song in ways that reflect the unique culture of their city and how their city inspires their music. Digital display and social media drives traffic to the ÒHear the Music, Experience the USAÓ landing pages on VisitTheUSA.com. Through this multi-platform campaign, we are able to engage with international travelers with rich content that connects music, culture, and travel opportunities available in the USA. To enhance the power of the campaign, we partnered with Spotify and customized U.S. city playlists that inspire travelers to explore each city via their favorite songs.

Coming into this issue of our industry newsletter, we are fresh off the heels of another successful IPW. Presented by the U.S. Travel Association, Brand USA was delighted to again be the premier sponsor for this yearÕs event in Denver, Colorado. IPW typically generates in excess of $4.7 billion in future travel to the United States. The hospitality provided by the city of Denver and the state of Colorado was truly exceptional. Volunteers greeted us at the airport and in host hotels, and were available to answer questions and provide guidance when needed.

The magnitude of this show is always impressive. Over the course of three days, more than 6,000 buyers and suppliers, along with 500-plus international media representatives, came together for 100,000 pre-scheduled appointments. Brand USA, itself, hosted 450 pre-scheduled appointments and 50 walk-up appointments at the Brand USA Pavilion. WeÕre already counting down the days until IPW 2019 in Anaheim, California!

In conjunction with the exciting whirlwind that is IPW, Brand USA has been offering our partners innovative marketing opportunities. These opportunities feature music and culinary themes to promote U.S.-bound travel and extend their advertising reach into specific global markets. In addition to these, weÕve launched ÒAsk A Local,Ó the next evolution of our ÒOne Big WelcomeÓ marketing program, which uses videos to highlight first-person perspectives of local attractions. As we know, the best people to offer that warm welcome to international visitors are the Americans who have immense pride in their hometowns.

Alongside these marketing opportunities, Brand USA is preparing for our upcoming sales missions and MegaFams. In July, the Japan and South Korea Sales Mission will explore Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea, followed by the India Sales Mission this September. In India, participants will travel to Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bengaluru. Additionally, in partnership with Air New Zealand, we will host a MegaFam to the United States for 60 travel professionals from Australia and New Zealand. These agents will experience seven remarkable nights in the USA Ñ to, through, and beyond our gateways.

We invite you to learn more about exciting new marketing opportunities for partners in 2019 in our upcoming webinar. The presentation will feature music-themed programs that align with the global roll-out of our giant screen film, ÒAmericaÕs Musical JourneyÓ as well as new opportunities for partners to grow their global presence through VisitTheUSA.com and Brand USAÕs new connected TV channel, GoUSA.

Through our on-going and past efforts, we have continued to drive results. Our first giant screen film, ÒNational Parks AdventureÓ continues to engage international audiences. As shared during Brand USAÕs last board of directors meeting, in-theater research shows that 20 percent of international viewers plan to visit the USA in the future after viewing the film. Additionally, ÒNational Parks AdventureÓ is being brought to DVD and digital copy sets this July. We are proud to create initiatives, like these, which continuously drive international visitation, spend, and market share to the United States, long after the campaigns have ended.

None of this would be possible without the hard work and support of our staff, board of directors, global representation offices, and over 800 partners.

Together, we are marketing the USA!

Christopher L. Thompson

President & CEO

Brand USA


Copyright 2018 Brand USA. All rights reserved. From http://www.VisitTheUSA.com. By Christopher L. Thompson.

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