Beautiful Destinations Boosts Visit The USA Social Media
After descending into the depths of Lower Antelope Canyon – located in northern Arizona's Navajo Nation land – visitors look upward and see majestic swirls of sun-drenched orange and red sandstone that tower 120 feet above, with an opening that frames an extended sliver of blue sky and translucent, white clouds.
Brand USA's consumer Instagram account, VisitTheUSA, features a cinemagraph of the Lower Antelope Canyon, which continues to be one of its highest viewed posts. (A cinemagraph is a still photo with slight, repeated movement. In this instance, the passing clouds supply the movement.)
Beautiful Destinations, a global creative agency that specializes in photo and video content for social media campaigns, created the cinemagraph as part of its support of Brand USA's social media channels. The agency sustains the stream of "always-on" content inherent in Brand USA's social-media efforts. This is content that runs throughout the year without any connection to specific marketing campaigns. It consistently promotes the boundless multitude of U.S. travel destinations and experiences.
Brand USA recently began its alliance with Beautiful Destinations to further tap into the expanding range of opportunities that exist in using digital channels (specifically mobile) to market the United States as a premier travel destination for international travelers.
"In just several months, we've greatly enhanced our presence on Instagram – a social-media platform with powerful 'mobile-first' impact," said Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO. "The vivid, compelling imagery that Beautiful Destinations has posted continues to inspire travelers around the world with a diverse, abundant reservoir of USA trip ideas."
Travelers and potential travelers have increasingly been using social media to share travel experiences and seek inspiration for their trips. Recent surveys, commissioned by Facebook, document this trend. An October 2016 study, for instance, looked at the social-media behaviors of more than 1,600 Instagram users in the United States, ages 18 to 65. It reveals the following:
- Seventy percent of the users share their travel photos on Instagram.
- Sixty-seven percent say they use Instagram as inspiration for finding new places to visit.
- Sixty-two percent use Instagram to research possible destinations. They look for "local gems and hangouts," where they can experience the best of what these new places offer.
- Fifty-three percent save, or bookmark, destination posts that they come across on Instagram.
Beautiful Destinations generates social-media content on a worldwide basis for numerous travel brands, charitable organizations and governmental entities. Its campaigns reach 13.5 million people in 180 countries.
To discover more about America's diversity of experiences and rich culture, please visit Brand USA’s consumer website VisitTheUSA.com and follow Visit The USA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.