Brand USA Holds USA Training Day for Canadian Travel Agents (June 23, 2021)
TORONTO (June 9, 2021)—Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, will host a USA Training Day for Canadian travel agents on Wednesday, June 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. The event will take place on Brand USA Global Marketplace, an always-on platform that provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions, and points of interest for the international travel industry.
“There is a renewed sense of optimism for inbound tourism from Canada as both countries’ vaccination rates head towards herd immunity and COVID-19 restrictions are eased, with more and more U.S. destinations reopening,” says Chris Thompson, CEO and president of Brand USA. “We know that travel agents will be an integral part of our industry’s recovery. Preparing Canadian travel agents with the most up to date information about the USA will be instrumental in helping them promote the USA with confidence, building trusted connections with consumers as they book travel to the United States.”
In anticipation of the U.S.-Canada border reopening, Brand USA will provide the Canadian travel trade with the latest products, protocols, and information on what’s new in the U.S. travel and hospitality industry.Travel agents will be equipped with the tools necessary to promote the USA to, through, and beyond the gateway. All pre-recorded content will also be translated into French Canadian.
- Brand USA Travel Trade Resources: Brand USA offers a wide variety of tools for the global travel trade industry. Suzy Shepard, senior manager of global markets at Brand USA will detail the resources it has created for travel agents to promote the USA to their customers. The presentation will also feature Brand USA’s Global Marketplace, travel trade website, USA Discovery Program, Insider Guides, and GoUSA TV.
- Keynote on U.S. National Parks: The surge in demand for travel and outdoor recreation is generating significant increases in visitation to many U.S. national park units and affiliated sites like national trails, wild and scenic rivers, and heritage areas. Donald Leadbetter, tourism program manager at the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) will update the market on how NPS is welcoming visitors to national parks and encouraging visitors to Plan Like a Park Ranger. In addition to new protocols and tools like the new NPS App that will engage visitors in their trip planning, Leadbetter will spotlight lesser-visited sites and destinations, hidden gems, and travel alternatives, including other public lands and waters, Tribal tourism experiences, and state and local parks.
- Live Training Component: Focusing on different regions of the USA, travel agents are invited to join a series of 15-minute sessions to learn how to promote featured destinations and experiences in the USA. U.S. destination partners, receptive tour operators and Brand USA representatives will be available to answer any further questions.
In addition, travel agents will be encouraged to join a networking session during which featured U.S. partners, attractions, and products will be available to answer questions and to connect directly with the travel agents. The full session will end, with a Kahoot! trivia quiz, testing travel agents on their knowledge of the USA and providing the opportunity to win highly coveted prizes, including Air Canada tickets to Las Vegas or Chicago.
###
About Brand USA
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation’s first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization’s mission is to increase international visitation to the United States in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past ten years Brand USA's marketing initiatives have helped welcome 8 million incremental visitors to the United States, benefiting the U.S. economy with more than $58 billion in total economic impact and supporting, on average, more than 37,000 incremental jobs a year.
For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. To discover more about the USA and the boundless diversity of American travel experiences and authentic, rich culture, please visit Brand USA's consumer website VisitTheUSA.com; follow Visit The USA on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram; and watch travel shows on GoUSATV.