Brand USA Newsletter - November 2016

The China National Tourism Administration hosted the 2016 U.S.-China Tourism Year Closing Ceremony on Sunday, November 20 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

The Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS), a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) online system to facilitate travel from Chinese nationals to the United States, will go live on November 29, 2016.

Brand USA unveiled its revamped consumer website, enhanced online training and an incentive program for agents in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland and expansion of the MegaFam program at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London earlier this month.

Brand USA has launched a new, enhanced version of VisitTheUSA.com, its website for international travelers.

Fifty international travel agents took part in Brand USA’s first-ever mega familiarization tour (MegaFam) from China, giving them a firsthand view of travel destinations in the United States. The MegaFam, which took place October 19-27, 2016, was a joint partnership between Brand USA and United

Brand USA's Fifth Annual India Mission, attracting the largest United States delegation ever to engage with the India travel trade, received an enthusiastic response from both U.S. travel partners and the India travel representatives. The U.S. delegation – comprised of 52 delegates and 37 U.S

Brand USA staged substantial exhibitions at two leading travel trade shows in an effort to increase the number of international travelers from the Asian market to the United States. Hosting an exhibition space for the fourth year at ITB Asia, Brand USA joined 846 exhibitors from 110 countries from

Tom Klein has been elected as chairman of the Brand USA board of directors, replacing Arne Sorenson who will remain as a board member for the destination marketing organization for the United States. “The Brand USA team has made tremendous progress getting industry and government resources all

The Southeast region of the United States is open for tourism business after fortunately being spared major damage when Hurricane Matthew unleashed torrential rains and howling winds along the eastern coast of the United States last month. While the news media focused on the hardest hit area, the

A total of 110 students traveled to the United States this past summer to learn about astronomy, biology, and robots – thanks to a thriving partnership between Brand USA and Business Weekly that promoted summer educational programs in the U.S. for youths from Taiwan. The partnership publicized the

Scripps Networks Interactive will partner with Brand USA to air two original series – Olly Smith: Ale Trails and Take Me Home – for its Travel Channel United Kingdom (UK). Television personality Olly Smith will document on the show, Olly Smith: Ale Trails, his travels across the United States in

The 75 th Commemoration of the attack on Pearl will be honored next month with eleven days of events and ceremonial tributes all geared towards “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the future.” The 75th Commemoration of Pearl Harbor Committee has planned an unprecedented series of events from December 1-11

Scenic fall coloring and the best autumn festivals, eateries, and outdoor adventures are the best reasons to travel to Missouri in the fall. That’s the message visitors are getting with the Missouri Division of Tourism’s new fall microsite. The tourism division and their agency, H&L Partners

Brand USA Korea hosted 30 U.S. travel specialists for a USA specialist familiarization tour, enabling the travel agents to experience parts of United States firsthand and use that knowledge to develop tour products. As part of the destination marketing organization’s USA Specialist Program, the

Brand USA Garners Award at the Third Annual JATA Expo Japan Brand USA was awarded second place in booth competition for the first time at the third Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Tourism Expo Japan 2016, the largest consumer/trade show in Japan. Brand USA competed against 1,181 other

A total of 80 travel agents from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland visited eight different itineraries in the United States during Brand USA’s third travel trade Mega Familiarization (Fam) Tour this fall, giving them firsthand experience to better enable them to promote the USA as a premier travel

This month, Brand USA New Zealand launched a USA campaign in partnership with NZME and House of Travel, which will feature high impact, mass market activity across online, print, and radio channels. ‘First Stop Freedom’ is the campaign brand – based around embracing the freedom of the road trip

BBC International and Brand USA Launch Another Video Series Brand USA and BBC International are once again collaborating on a global series of two-minute video vignettes about Music and Pop Culture, building on the success of the 2015 program “America Through Film,” and 2016’s “USA Through the Great

Congratulations to Brand USA Board Member and former Board Chair, Arne Sorenson, on being named Washington Business Journal’s 2016 CEO of the Year. Sorenson joined the board on October 1, 2012.

Congratulations to Brand USA Board Member Rossi Ralenkotter on being named Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure. Ralenkotter joined the board on November 30, 2015 as an official of a city convention and visitors bureau.

Congratulations to Vicki Varela of the Utah Office of Tourism, Film and Global Branding has been named national State Tourism Director of the Year for 2016.

The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT), a Diamond-level partner, is working hard with Brand USA to showcase the myriad of unique travel experiences their state has to offer international travelers – everything from historic cities and black water rivers to stunning golf courses and hundreds of miles of majestic and pristine beaches.