Brand USA Newsletter - September 2019

Agent Training and Familiarization Tours are Key Focus Brand USA Australia & New Zealand

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Brand USA Australia/New Zealand has been concentrating on travel agent training and familiarization tours in its quest to encourage international travelers to pick the United States as their next travel destination.

Partnering with Hawaiian Airlines, Brand USA has unveiled its Big Badge Bonanza initiative through the USA Discovery Program, an award-winning online travel agent training program that equips travel agents with the invaluable knowledge and skills to effectively book trips to the USA.

The Big Badge Bonanza – which runs from August 15 to September 30 – allows travel agents to complete modules and be rewarded with a specialist badge upon completion of each module. To participate in the incentive, agents must register and complete any four badges to gain entry.  Agents from New Zealand are competing for a trip for two to anywhere in the USA via Hawaiian Airlines. Agents from Australia are competing for a trip for two to anywhere in the USA. To find out more about the USA Discovery Program, visit USADiscoveryProgram.com.au or USADiscoveryProgram.co.nz

Meanwhile, over 120 travel agents in Australia in July attended Brand USA’s Best of USA Experience Day, a training day designed to enhance selling skills for Qantas in partnership with destinations across the United States.   

Agents were given the opportunity to walk through a Qantas A380 aircraft to learn about its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and to speak with Qantas engineers about the aircraft and future innovation. 

The training then shifted to Qantas’ Centre of Service Excellence where 15-minute sessions were held, educating them on how to sell the unique offerings of Brand USA’s destination partners: Visit California, Texas Travel, LA Tourism, San Francisco Travel, Colorado Tourism, and Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority. 

Liz Glover, Brand USA’s new director in Australia and New Zealand, meanwhile, attended the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW event in Anaheim, CA from June 1-6.  IPW is the leading international travel trade show which focuses on driving travel to the United States.  Visit USA kicked off the event with a party for Australian and Kiwi delegates and Visit California celebrated with a street full of entertainment.

Celebrations continued the next month when Wayne Mitcham, Brand USA New Zealand manager, attended the U.S. Consulate and U.S. Embassy’s Independence Celebrations in Wellington Auckland, New Zealand.  The event celebrating the Fourth of July included live music, an extravagant display of vintage American cars, and a taste of local American cuisines.

Encouraging international travelers to visit the U.S. was the focus of Brand USA’s familiarization tours for travel representatives from Australia and New Zealand.

Brand USA, in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, hosted five top product managers from the two countries to experience the Napa and Sonoma regions of California, Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona and Maui, Hawaii from August 21-31.  The familiarization tour is to learn more about U.S. destinations, so they can encourage their clients to visit the U.S.

Earlier in the year, six representatives of Australia and New Zealand’s leading media titles joined Brand USA and partner Expedia in April on a nine-day, music-themed trip to New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia to discover the authentic sounds, flavors, and sights of the USA’s south.

Their destinations included the French Quarter in New Orleans, Little Havana in Miami and Atlanta, a big city known for its vibrant hip-hop scene. Brand USA partners participating in the tour included:  New Orleans & Company, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

Brand USA also released its new, Visit the USA – Explore Amazing Destinations and Experiences 2019, a comprehensive guide to traveling around the USA with editorial content and breath-taking imagery. The guide has almost 200 pages covering a range of travel topics and ideas - iconic travel landmarks, unforgettable road trips, outdoor adventures, local hidden gems, cultural highlights, and exciting family vacations. Order the guides at Tifs.com.au (Australia) and Brochurenet.co.nz/ (New Zealand).