Letter from the President & CEO
Dear Friends and Partners,
At Brand USA, we are celebrating our latest performance numbers and the ongoing success of our domestic and international partnerships, but we are not resting on our laurels. Instead, we are working hard to introduce innovative marketing initiatives, websites, and expanded programming on our GoUSA TV as well as staging international events with a single goal in mind – to increase the number of international travelers coming to visit the USA.
We have accomplished a great deal – which is evident in the study by Oxford Economics that Brand USA, in collaboration with over 800 partners, is fulfilling its mission for the fifth straight year in fueling the nation’s economy – most recently with $34.8 billion in total economic impact. However, we are determined to continue driving up that total economic impact figure even more. We want international visitors worldwide to know about all the unique travel opportunities available from one corner of the United States to the other – in small towns to bustling cities and everywhere in between.
This newsletter expands on the initiatives that will help us continue to increase the number of visitors. View the latest episode of Inside Travel with Peter Greenberg: Special IPW Edition – that touches on Brand USA’s latest return on investment (ROI) numbers, the impact of our domestic and international partnerships, and a featured interview with Brand USA’s Chief Strategy and Communications Officer, Anne Madison.
More recently, we have launched a new website in China, GoUSA.cn. This site leverages the award-winning design, structure, and technology of VisitTheUSA.com and offers over 500 new experience and city pages for Chinese travelers and travel representatives to view.
We are also expanding our programing available for GoUSA TV, our state-of-the-art TV network which features licensed video content offering stories about travel experiences in the USA. Travelers are interested in high-quality video content that shows them firsthand what awaits them when they travel to the United States.
We are so encouraged with our initial phase of Brand USA’s digital tour operator campaign that we are expanding the program. Phase one in the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in such impressive increases in room nights and passenger bookings that we plan to kick off packages in Brazil, France, and Germany as well as additional ones in the UK in January.
Worldwide, Brand USA is staging networking events to inspire international visitors to travel to the United States. For instance, in the UK, we designed USA-themed gardens, sponsored elegant balls, and organized a golf tournament – all of which allowed consumers, the travel trade, and the media to learn more about U.S. travel destinations.
With the help of our partners, Brand USA commemorated the Fourth of July in style with red-white-and-blue themed festivities – offering everything from a country fair and the American Wild West, to a Broadway celebration and Parisian river cruise to celebrate.
Our second giant-screen film – “America’s Musical Journey” – is opening to audiences worldwide, most recently premiering at the Spain campus of the American music school, Berklee College of Music in Valencia. The film, which follows Grammy award-nominated Aloe Blacc as he traces the musical heritage of the USA in visiting iconic music cities, has continued to receive warm reception from critics and audiences around the world at premiers in the USA, Mexico, France, and Canada.
We remain focused on welcoming international visitors to the United States through original marketing initiatives, such as these, to meet that mission. I applaud our Brand USA staff as well as our partners for creating programs that utilize captivating storytelling and content that travelers easily access on everything from mobile devices to giant screen films, sparking their interest in visiting the USA. We welcome them to experience the cultural diversity, majestic landscapes, and distinctive travel adventures that make up our country.
Together, we are marketing the USA!
________________________
Christopher L. Thompson
President & CEO
Brand USA