We Will Survive, Brand USA Boss Says
Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson says he’s “pretty confident” that his organization will survive a Trump administration budget proposal that would eliminate government funding, reports Press Today’s Mike Dunbar from IPW 2017.
Thompson told IPW delegates in Washington DC:
“There’s many moving pieces in a $5 trillion budget. Brand USA was created with bipartisan approval in both houses of congress and we continue to have that approval, so we feel pretty confident. We’re not thinking about not being around and our board chair has told us not to take our foot off the pedal.”
And It’s Definitely Effective
PT’s Ted Davis reports that a study commissioned by Brand USA and presented during the IPW 2017 travel trade marketplace in Washington D.C. proves that investments by the organization are generating more international arrivals, more spending and a greater market share.
Using investments by over 700 partner organizations worldwide, Brand USA has generated 4.3 million incremental international visitors to the United States over the past four years, says a recent study by Oxford Economics.
That has in turn injected US$29.5 billion into the U.S. economy over that time, says the independent research firm based in Oxford, England.
The Brand USA public-private partnership leads a national effort to market the United States as a premier global travel destination, guided by a National Travel and Tourism Strategy established in 2012.
The goal of this initiative is to welcome at least 100 million international visitors to the U.S. every year, starting in 2021.
Currently, the number of international travelers who come from countries where Brand USA actively markets U.S. travel is growing faster than overall international visitations.
“We are seeing tangible results from our multi-dimensional approach to marketing the United States,” Brand USA’s Thompson said.
Visit Florida Funding Deal Fails
A political deal to restore Visit Florida’s funding has fallen apart at the 11th hour thanks to a clause that would have required member organizations to reveal sensitive financial information to Tallahassee lawmakers, reports Mike Dunbar.
According to a senior Visit Florida insider, the clause proved unacceptable to Florida’s major industry players including the state’s major theme park operators.
In the photos:
Christopher Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO, speaks at an event during IPW 2017 in Washington, D.C.
During IPW 2017, a flash mob recreated the opening dance sequence of the film La La Land during a splashy evening event sponsored by Visit California. It also included a performance by alt folk rock band X Ambassadors.
