“Legislation reauthorizing Brand USA through Fiscal Year 2027 passed Congress with strong bipartisan support and was signed into law by the President,” according to a statement by Brand USA on December 20, 2019. “We will continue to inspire international travel to the United States, which creates thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars toward our nation’s economy,” the statement concluded.
Brand USA is the tourism marketing organization of the United States.
Brand USA President and CEO Christopher L. Thompson said, “All of us at Brand USA are grateful for the opportunity to grow the economy and bring the world closer together through the power of international travel. Together, we are marketing the USA.”
See video for full statement by Mr. Thompson.
U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow responded to the news, stating, “By approving Brand USA, Congress sends a clear message to the American people: smart, bipartisan policymaking that generates economic value and jobs is alive and well in Washington. Brand USA’s work to boost international visitation is absolutely essential to the U.S. trade balance, and the fact that it operates without sending American taxpayers a bill make it a model public-private partnership that delivers proven results. Congress should be widely applauded for this move by anyone who cares about the U.S. economy and trade.”
Among the groups joining U.S. Travel Association in the effort to reauthorize Brand USA was the Visit USA Coalition, along with numerous travel organizations across the nation.
In Massachusetts, international visitors spent $4.3 billion in 2018, a 3.7% increase from the previous year, according to the Mass Office of Travel & Tourism. That increase in international visitor spending sharply contrasts with international spending in the U.S. overall, which increased by 0.3%.
The U.S. Travel Promotion Act was introduced by William Delahunt (D-MA) and Roy Blount (R-MO) in 2007, passed by the U.S. Senate in 2009 and signed into law in 2010. Established as a public-private partnership, the Act is designed to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination. The legislation calls for travel promotion to be paid for by private sector contributions and a fee on foreign travelers who enter the United States under the auspices of the visa waiver program. The bill requires no money from the American taxpayer.