CEO corner, Jim EvansWhen the number of tourists to Japan plummeted thanks to a tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster, there were hints that the Japanese Tourism Agency would be giving away 10,000 flights to travelers in an effort to pump a little tourist activity into the industry.
That claim has since not been backed up, but whether the rumor is true or not, the effect was still the same – potential travelers are checking the Japan National Tourism Organization’s website and awareness of Japan’s tourism woes went global.
So, does the U.S. need a national tourism branding machine similar to the one in Japan? It seems we’re getting one either way. According to a Budget Travel article, Brand USA is a private D.C.-based company overseen by the Commerce Department and Congress. It’s funded through a combination of private sector money and funds collected through the Department of Homeland Security.
Their presence is on the web at this web address:Â https://www.discoveramerica.com/.
According to their website, their purpose is:
Brand USA (formerly the Corporation for Travel Promotion) was created for the purpose of encouraging travelers from all over the world to visit the United States of America. The public-private marketing entity was created in 2010 to work in close partnership with the travel industry maximizing the social and economic benefit of travel in communities around the country.
In the CEO corner, Jim Evans explains that the new American brand will be coming soon.
