Brand USA chief eyes full inbound reovery in 2024

Brand USA chief executive Chris Thompson believes the country is on track to achieve a full recovery of inbound visitor numbers by the end of 2024.

Thompson said expert predictions suggested a return to pre-pandemic volumes by 2025 but added he was “bullish and optimistic” about a swifter rebound.

Speaking at the IPW conference in San Antonio, Thompson said the removal of the requirement for international travellers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination was a key final step in the country’s reopening.

And while acknowledging the need to promote options for all budgets in the face of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, he insisted: “I am more optimistic than I have ever been in the past 40 years of promoting travel to the USA.”

Brand USA has created a range of marketing materials designed to promote focus areas including outdoor, cultural and luxury experiences, in addition to entertainment and sports tourism.

This includes TV adverts promoting family and adventure breaks, and the creation of 30 bookable itineraries currently being promoted to the travel trade through a Road Trips USA campaign in partnership with Travel Weekly.

Thompson said Brand USA would also tap into landmarks including the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the United States in 2026.

This anniversary coincides with the centenary of Route 66 and the country’s joint hosting of the Fifa World Cup, ahead of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2024.

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