Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, presented to its board of directors the results of the return on investment (ROI) study conducted by Oxford Economics, which shows the significant contributions the organization has on international travel to the USA. Since Fiscal Year 2013 (FY2013) Brand USA's efforts are directly responsible for increasing international visitation by an incremental 5.4 million travelers who spent $17.7 billion, generating a total economic impact of $38.4 billion, and supported an average of 51,580 incremental jobs per year. Brand USA also provided initial results on the impact of its first film for IMAX® and giant screen theaters, "National Parks Adventure."
The new economic impact study shows that in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017), Brand USA's marketing campaigns generated 1.16 million incremental international visitors to the United States, with a total economic impact of $8.5 billion, and supporting 54,212 incremental jobs. The results equate to a marketing ROI of 29:1 based on Brand USA’s marketing expenses of $140 million and incremental international visitor spend of $4.1 billion.
Also presented to the board of directors was preliminary field research on the impact of “National Parks Adventure.” Conservative results show individuals who have viewed the film now plan to visit the USA in the next 12 months: 17 percent in Canada, 9 percent in Mexico, 4 percent in Asia, and 1 percent in Europe.
Brand USA is the public-private partnership responsible for promoting tourism globally to the United States. The effort is designed to fuel the United States' economy and spur job growth. Its formation marked the launch of the United States first nationally coordinated international tourism marketing effort.
The ROI study includes analysis of nine markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom – where Brand USA fully executed consumer, trade outreach, and co-op programs.
Each year, Brand USA deploys a number of market-driven platforms and programs to increase inbound visitor travel to the United States and drive tourism dollars to communities in all 50 states, the five territories, and the District of Columbia. These ongoing programs promote the United States in its entirety, and add and create value for our partners, including the USA Campaign, cooperative marketing opportunities, trade outreach initiatives, and media/public relations strategies. Brand USA also collaborates with federal partners to communicate U.S. visa and entry policies and conduct joint promotional activities.
Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA
Travel and tourism is a significant contributor to the U.S. economy, and increasing international visitors to the United States provides new opportunities for growth within the industry. As tourism increases so does the need to service our guests, which drives job creation in all service sectors, including retail, restaurants, and transportation.