Brand USA gives mva boost at Jata world travel fair
As the closest U.S. destination to Japan, the Northern Mariana Islands joined forces with Brand USA at last month’s Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) World Travel Fair 2012 in Tokyo.
The Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), which participates annually in the travel fair, joined other U.S. destinations under the Brand USA umbrella on Sept. 21-23, 2012, with positive results.
“By having our booth physically situated with Brand USA this year and by coordinating with them, the MVA’s overall impact and outreach to travel fair attendees was greater,” said MVA Managing Director Perry Tenorio. “We look forward to the new promotional opportunities this partnership has opened up.”
The MVA joined the Brand USA signing ceremony launching “Japan-US Tourism Exchange Year,” aimed at stimulating general travel demand from Japan to the United States with activities scheduled from September 2012 to August 2013, involving major Japanese travel wholesalers and agents with major airlines flying in and out of Japan to the U.S. The MVA has formally endorsed the proposed activities.
The Northern Marianas also garnered stage time on the Brand USA stage by featuring a magic show by SandCastle Saipan and providing Saipan-da! backpacks for a charitable auction. Other activities organized by Brand USA were a VIP reception at the U.S. Embassy on Sept. 20 and a happy hour reception for 200 travel trade and media representatives on Sept. 21. Brand USA has spent over $5 million in the last three months advertising the launch of new programs to increase travel between Japan and the U.S.
The JATA World Travel Fair is the largest annual travel fair in Asia, attracting 125,989 attendees this year, a 7 percent increase over last year.
About the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are a chain of idyllic islands in the West Pacific, offering a friendly, fun and exciting vacation in paradise. They are an excellent destination for families, adventure and sports-minded travelers, as well as business people looking for a tropical haven. Adventurous travelers from Asia, Australia, Europe and elsewhere looking for new travel discoveries will find them in the Mariana Islands, just three hours travel from most cities in Japan, and four from Asia and Australia. The Northern Marianas are served from Tokyo and Osaka in Japan by Delta Air Lines and Asiana Airlines. From Korea, Asiana provides direct flights from Seoul and Busan. China is served from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. For more information visit www.mymarianas.com.
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About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.
Over the past 13 years Brand USA has driven 11.3 million additional international visitors who spent $38.1 billion in the United States, leading to $82.9 billion in total economic impact and sustaining an average of more than 40,000 jobs each year. These efforts have generated nearly $11 billion in attributable tax receipts at the federal, state, and local levels.