Brand USA, the new tourism marketing entity responsible for promoting the United States to world visitors, has organized its first-ever multi-itinerary familiarization trip for nearly 100 influential international travel agents, May 9-16, just in time for National Travel and Tourism Week.
"The Brand USA inaugural MegaFam is providing some of the United Kingdom's leading travel agents the opportunity to experience the USA like never before," said Chris Thompson, Brand USA's president and CEO. "Whichever corner of this amazing country the itinerary touches, the Brand USA MegaFam will be an experience of a lifetime."
The familiarization tour includes seven simultaneous itineraries incorporating some of the United States' most iconic destinations, and include: the western wilds of Utah and Colorado; the urban playgrounds of the East Coast; the culture of Texas; the laid-back lifestyle of California; the Creole flavors of the Deep South; the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest; or the Great Lakes region.
The MegaFam culminates in Miami, Florida for the grand finale where each of the participating agents will join together to celebrate and share their experiences with each other.
MegaFam participants were selected among an elite group of travel agents from the U.K. and Ireland who booked trips to the USA between Jan. 1 and April 5, 2013 via Brand USA's partner airlines, British Airways and American Airlines, and ground transportation partner, Avis.
Brand USA said all participants have a passion for the USA and will be sharing their experiences and stories via social media throughout their journeys. North American agents may follow the journey at www.twitter.com/USATravelTrade #usamegafam and www.facebook.com/DiscoverAmericaUKtrade and the new Brand USA blog at http://brandusa.tumblr.com.
Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the nation's first global marketing effort to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures.
The program's activities are funded through a combination of private-sector investment and matching funds collected by the U.S. Government from international visitors who come to the U.S. under the visa waiver program. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to operate the organization.