New study shows Brand USA's marketing initiatives drove record international visitor spending and economic impact in Fiscal Year 2018

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Apr 11, 2019, 14:45 ET

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announced that a study by Oxford Economics shows Brand USA's marketing efforts are generating 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, including 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 international 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 cumulative 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 supported, 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, international travel to the United States is the nation's top services export and represents 11 percent of all U.S. exports, contributing 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 visitation, 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 misperceptions 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 organization's total impact in other international markets where Brand USA's marketing was active during the year via consumer, trade outreach, and cooperative marketing programs.

The full report, entitled The Return on Investment of Brand USA Marketing Fiscal Year 2018 and additional information about Brand USA is available at TheBrandUSA.com.

About Brand USA

Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation's first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization's mission is to increase international visitation to the USA in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past six years, Brand USA's marketing initiatives have helped welcome 6.6 million incremental visitors to the USA, benefiting the U.S. economy with more than $21.8 billion in total economic impact and supporting, on average, nearly 52,000 incremental U.S. jobs a year.

For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com. To discover more about the USA and the boundless diversity of U.S. travel experiences and authentic, rich culture, please visit Brand USA's consumer website VisitTheUSA.com and follow Visit The USA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

SOURCE Brand USA