Brand USA's new national tourism campaign needs to be funded in large part by the private sector, which means private travel companies need to get on board.
The question is, what's in it for them? In the world of tour operators, obviously the ones that would be interested would be inbound operators. But do group operators stand to gain at all, or will the Brand USA campaign likely court FIT travelers?
The idea of a national campaign is for everyone to contribute to growing the pool of international inbound travelers, and that by growing the pool, everyone stands to benefit. But sure enough, when it comes to actually writing a check, inbound operators are going to think long and hard about the potential benefits to them of partnering with a marketing campaign that may or may not lead to more passengers, and consequently more business.
During the Grassroots Congressional Travel Summit in Washington from May 8 to 10, Brand USA made a presentation to the destination marketing organizations, visitors bureaus and tour operators in attendance. At least one inbound operator expressed skepticism about how much the campaign would affect business. This operator's concern was that people who would likely see and respond to the Brand USA ads would be independent travelers, not group travelers.
It's a valid point and concern, and likely one that will come up across all different segments of the travel industry as Brand USA continues to try to make its case in its fundraising efforts.
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