Brand USA, the destination-marketing organization for the United States, generated more than 3 million incremental visitors from around the world over the past three years according to a study by Oxford Economics, an independent research firm based in Oxford, England. The study also found that those visitors accounted for $9.5 billion in incremental spending, injecting more than $21 billion into the U.S. economy. The visitor numbers also produced nearly $900 million in federal, state, and local taxes, and supported, on average, 50,000 incremental jobs each year.
"Everything we have accomplished has hinged on the steady support of our ever-expanding partner network and a globally coordinated marketing program that brings together our collective efforts," said Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA's president and CEO.
One of the driving forces of Brand USA's efforts is its goal to welcome 100 million visitors to the U.S. in a single year by 2021. This is part of President Obama's National Travel and Tourism Strategy set in 2012, an initiative designed to help create more tourism jobs in the U.S.
Brand USA also created numerous groundbreaking campaigns to promote the country around the world and created new and lasting industry partnerships.
"Our direct-to-consumer marketing continues to expand to new markets - and is now playing globally through valuable media partnerships," said Thompson. "Our cooperative marketing opportunities are adding value and creating all-new platforms to showcase U.S. destinations and experiences to the world. Our travel trade outreach is forging new and exciting relationships with the travel trade around the world. We are collaborating as never before with our federal partners to tell the stories of our national treasures and deliver a welcome message to the world."
Support for Brand USA's operations comes from a combination of non-federal contributions from partner organizations and matching funds collected by the U.S. government from visitors who travel under the Visa Waiver Program. Last year, Brand USA generated more than $100 million in industry contributions.
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