Brand USA Holds USA Training Day for Canadian Travel Agents (June 23, 2021)
TORONTO (June 9, 2021)—Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, will host a USA Training Day for Canadian travel agents on Wednesday, June 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. The event will take place on Brand USA Global Marketplace, an always-on platform that provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions, and points of interest for the international travel industry.
“There is a renewed sense of optimism for inbound tourism from Canada as both countries’ vaccination rates head towards herd immunity and COVID-19 restrictions are eased, with more and more U.S. destinations reopening,” says Chris Thompson, CEO and president of Brand USA. “We know that travel agents will be an integral part of our industry’s recovery. Preparing Canadian travel agents with the most up to date information about the USA will be instrumental in helping them promote the USA with confidence, building trusted connections with consumers as they book travel to the United States.”
In anticipation of the U.S.-Canada border reopening, Brand USA will provide the Canadian travel trade with the latest products, protocols, and information on what’s new in the U.S. travel and hospitality industry.Travel agents will be equipped with the tools necessary to promote the USA to, through, and beyond the gateway. All pre-recorded content will also be translated into French Canadian.
- Brand USA Travel Trade Resources: Brand USA offers a wide variety of tools for the global travel trade industry. Suzy Shepard, senior manager of global markets at Brand USA will detail the resources it has created for travel agents to promote the USA to their customers. The presentation will also feature Brand USA’s Global Marketplace, travel trade website, USA Discovery Program, Insider Guides, and GoUSA TV.
- Keynote on U.S. National Parks: The surge in demand for travel and outdoor recreation is generating significant increases in visitation to many U.S. national park units and affiliated sites like national trails, wild and scenic rivers, and heritage areas. Donald Leadbetter, tourism program manager at the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) will update the market on how NPS is welcoming visitors to national parks and encouraging visitors to Plan Like a Park Ranger. In addition to new protocols and tools like the new NPS App that will engage visitors in their trip planning, Leadbetter will spotlight lesser-visited sites and destinations, hidden gems, and travel alternatives, including other public lands and waters, Tribal tourism experiences, and state and local parks.
- Live Training Component: Focusing on different regions of the USA, travel agents are invited to join a series of 15-minute sessions to learn how to promote featured destinations and experiences in the USA. U.S. destination partners, receptive tour operators and Brand USA representatives will be available to answer any further questions.
In addition, travel agents will be encouraged to join a networking session during which featured U.S. partners, attractions, and products will be available to answer questions and to connect directly with the travel agents. The full session will end, with a Kahoot! trivia quiz, testing travel agents on their knowledge of the USA and providing the opportunity to win highly coveted prizes, including Air Canada tickets to Las Vegas or Chicago.
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About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.
Since 2012 Brand USA, in collaboration with travel industry partners, has been responsible for attracting an additional 10.3 million visitors who spent nearly $35 billion in the United States, generating $76 billion in economic output, and sustaining nearly 40,000 jobs per year. Without any cost to taxpayers, these efforts have generated $10 billion in tax receipts and returned $20 to the U.S. economy for every dollar spent.