Marketing organisation Brand USA is targeting massive growth from emerging markets. But as its chief executive Chris Thompson told Robin Searle, the UK will always remain a priority
The man charged with marketing America to the world has reassured the trade that the UK will not take a back seat to emerging markets.
According to official figures from the US government, arrivals from the UK grew by 2% in 2013, a trend described as “encouraging” despite visitor numbers standing at 3.84 million, still well short of the record 4.7 million in 2000.
But Chris Thompson, chief executive of marketing organisation Brand USA, insists that any growth should be welcomed as consumer confidence slowly returns.
“It’s steady growth, but it’s a healthy steady,” said Thompson in an interview with Travel Weekly at the US Travel Association’s IPW conference in Chicago.
“We have been tasked by President Obama with achieving 100 million international visitors a year by 2021, so we need to look to new markets to get to that figure, but the Brits and the US have a love affair that goes back a long time and that commitment will remain.”
He added: “The UK office was our first overseas base, and from there we have innovated and developed activity like the agent Megafam and online training programme which we will now look to take to other markets.
“In many established markets like the UK and Ireland, our first priority is to hold share and then look at creative ways to translate interest into actions.”
The Chicago conference was Thompson’s second as chief executive of Brand USA, having joined in September 2012 after a 12-year stint at Visit Florida.
And he admitted he had been taken aback by the speed with which Brand USA had grown and established private partnerships both in the US and with overseas giants, including British Airways and Thomas Cook, which now fund activity in 30 markets.
Research from Oxford Economics commissioned by Brand USA found that its activity had already led to an additional 1.1 million visitors to the US last year with a total economic impact of $7.4 billion. The research also found that Brand USA’s activity had resulted in a return‑on‑investment ratio of 47:1, with $47 returning to US businesses for every dollar spent on marketing.
With the US government required to pass a bill to extend the organisation’s activity for another five years from 2015, the findings come at an opportune time.
“I am an optimist, so I am always confident [that the bill will be passed],” Thompson said. “But all our advocates tell us that we are right to be confident.
“This is about supporting the country’s number-one service export, and both analysis and anecdotal evidence are showing that it is working without any cost to the taxpayer.
“It is a compelling story and is one which should have bipartisan support.”
New activity announced at IPW included an Imax film commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the country’s national parks and due for release next year.
Such ambitious projects are underpinned by a focus not just on advertising what the US has to offer but on persuading the trade to get onboard.
Speaking at IPW, US Travel Association chief executive Roger Dow described Brand USA as “a powerful force for US economic growth”.