Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1125304
B M & T ••• March/April 2019 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 38 R ecently, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announced that a study by Oxford Economics shows Brand USA's marketing efforts are generat- ing a high return on investment (ROI) and driving significant incremental international visitation and spend, which is helping to fuel the nation's economy. The report shows Brand USA has consistently driven strong results over the past six years, includ- ing record results in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY2018) for incremental international visitor spending, tax revenues generated, and total economic impact. • Highlights of the study show Brand USA's marketing efforts in FY2018 alone (October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018) helped drive: • 1.13 million incremental interna- tional visitors to the USA who spent • $4.1 billion on travel and fare receipts with U.S. carriers, and generated • $1.17 billion in federal, state, and local taxes and • $8.9 billion in total economic impact, and supported • 52,305 incremental U.S. jobs The resulting FY2018 marketing ROI was 32:1—meaning that every $1 Brand USA spent on marketing generated $32 in spend by international visitors. The study also shows that the cumu- lative results of Brand USA's marketing efforts over the past six years (FY2013 through FY018) has helped bring: • 6.6 million incremental visitors to the USA who spent $21.8 billion on travel and fare receipts with U.S. carriers, and generated • $6.2 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, and • $47.7 billion in total economic impact, which has support- ed, on average, • Nearly 52,000 incremental U.S. jobs each year The six-year results equate to an average marketing ROI of 28:1. "International visitation is an important driver for the nation's economy—benefiting a wide range of industries well beyond travel and tourism," said Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, interna- tional travel to the United States is the nation's top services export and represents 11 percent of all U.S. exports, contribut- ing a $77.4 billion trade surplus. "The FY2018 ROI study reinforces the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and how our efforts are supporting communities and employment throughout the country. The United States provides international travelers more value in its diversity of experiences than any other place in the world, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to market the USA as the ultimate travel destination," added Thompson. Each year, Brand USA deploys a number of market-driven platforms and programs as part of its mission to increase incremental international visi- tation, spend, and market share for the United States in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the USA with worldwide travelers. Brand USA also collaborates with federal partners to communicate U.S. visa and entry policies and correct mis- perceptions about those policies as required by the Travel Promotion Act. The Oxford Economics study includes an analysis of Brand USA's work in nine markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom—and also considers the organiza- tion's total impact in other international markets where Brand USA's marketing was active during the year via consumer, trade outreach, and cooperative marketing pro- grams. The full report, entitled The Return Investment of Brand USA Marketing Fiscal Year 2018 and additional information about Brand USA is available at TheBrandUSA.com. T R AV E L DATA NEW STUDY SHOWS BRAND USA'S MARKETING INITIATIVES DROVE RECORD INTERNATIONAL VISITOR SPENDING AND ECONOMIC IMPACT IN FISCAL YEAR 2018