Latest news with #FredDixon
Travel Weekly
11 hours ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Brand USA's 'America the Beautiful' campaign aims to rekindle inbound travel
CHICAGO -- In an attempt to drive U.S. visitation amid a downturn in inbound travel, Brand USA will launch a tourism campaign this August called "America the Beautiful." Fred Dixon, CEO of Brand USA, said at U.S. Travel Association's annual IPW event being held here that with the campaign, "we're sending a clear message: the USA is open for business and ready to welcome legitimate international travelers. We're confident this effort will spark renewed interest and deepen connections with audiences around the world." The campaign was launched ahead of the upcoming decade of major U.S. events, including America's 250th anniversary, the 2026 World Cup, the Route 66 Centennial and Olympic Games in both 2028 and 2034. It will go live in markets around the world in August and be supported by a digital hub, which launched today. The campaign uses AI in partnership with Mindtrip to enable visitors to plan trips more easily and allow Brand USA to better understand what inspires global audiences. "In this environment, there are travelers that are on the fence about their destination choice, and we're using data and various other measurements to target folks who are leaning into travel, who are looking internationally, who would be in our target demo, to attract them to come to the U.S.," Dixon said. "They need to be encouraged across the fence. That's exactly what this campaign is designed to do." • Related: Tariff turmoil leads to worries about travel He said the campaign leans into U.S. destinations "and the emotional connection between travelers and in the memories that they make and the experiences that they have in the U.S., and it celebrates the people and the places and the connections that make the U.S. unforgettable and really unparalleled in so many ways." The campaign's launch comes as the National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO) released the latest overseas visitation numbers, which showed an 8% bump in April, followed by a 2.8% decrease in May, compared with the same months of 2024. Year-to-date international visitation to the U.S. is now off 0.8%. Numbers from each of the last two months show an improvement over the 11.6% dip in March, which Dixon said had a lot to do with Easter falling in March of 2024 and April of this year. The NTTO's numbers do not include visitors from Canada, the No. 1 source of visitation to the U.S., or land crossings from Mexico. A warming trend from Canada, Mexico "The likelihood to visit the U.S. in the most recent sentiment poll is actually up," Dixon said. "Mexico was up seven points over prior month. Canada was up three points. So it's moving in the right direction." The poll found that intent to travel to the U.S. from Mexico was at its highest level since January, while Canada improved for the second month in a row, reversing a sustained period of decline. Intent also increased month over month in several other key markets, including Japan, France, South Korea. Dixon said that he attributes that to people looking ahead to summer and fall, and their attitudes about the U.S. "stabilizing, and in some of the major markets, we're actually seeing it go up." "The U.S. is still the world's most aspirational long-haul travel destination" he said. Dixon said that Brand USA has also partnered with the U.S. DOT to promote The Great American Road Trip to international travelers, featuring 250 points of interest across the country, and had officially finalized a partnership with the America250 Commission to help bring the nation's upcoming anniversary to life.
Skift
20 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Brand USA Launches New Tourism Campaign as Travel Recovery Stalls
At a time of political upheaval weighing on inbound tourism, Brand USA's new campaign aims to lift global enthusiasm for U.S. travel. The U.S. tourism industry's marketing arm unveiled a new global campaign Monday, as political rhetoric, visa issuance delays, and travel bans have weighed on inbound U.S. tourism. Brand USA unveiled its campaign, "America the Beautiful," at the U.S. Travel Association's IPW conference in Chicago. The ads, debuting in August, come as international visitor arrivals in May were only 86% of May 2019 levels. The tourism industry argues that international visitors are crucial to the U.S. economy, typically spending more per trip than domestic travelers. Before the pandemic, international visitors contributed roughly $240 billion a year to the U.S. economy. Fred Dixon, Brand USA's top boss, said the campaign will send a message that the U.S. is "open for business and ready to welcome legitimate international travelers." The organization is exploring a unified "Welcome to America the Beautiful" greeting at major U.S. airports, timed with the FIFA World Cup and America 250 celebrations. It has also partnered with the Transportation Department to promote road trips to international audiences. SOURCE: BRAND USA The campaign will be supported by which will will feature 250 U.S. destinations, from major cities to small towns, aimed at encouraging longer stays and wider travel within the country. It will partner with Mindtrip, a trip planning and booking website powered by generative AI. Brand USA executives said they hope a more data-driven approach will help them better understand what inspires global audiences and deliver tailored content that motivates travel decisions. Uncertainty Ahead Brand USA, established in 2010, operates as a public-private partnership funded through fees paid by international visitors. A U.S. Senate committee has proposed cutting Brand USA's annual federal funding from $100 million to just $20 million. While Brand USA currently has funding for its campaign for this August, any budget reduction would affect future marketing efforts and staffing levels. The organization is betting on a busy decade of major events to draw international visitors. The schedule includes the Ryder Cup in New York, Super Bowl LX in California, and the FIFA World Cup in summer 2026. President Trump has said he wants to ensure a successful FIFA World Cup, which will be broadcast by Fox Sports in the U.S. The U.S. will also host the Men's and Women's Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, marking the first time these tournaments are held in the country, with multiple cities serving as venues. Yet U.S. Travel has highlighted the need to make process changes to cope with the inbound travel demand for these events. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month the administration is considering steps to alleviate problems, and this month floated the idea of charging higher fees for expedited visa service.
