The initiative will be overseen by the new Corporation for Travel Promotion, which came into being when President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act in March this year.
The Corporation’s CEO, Jim Evans, says they will announce their plans at World Travel Market in London in November and launch the actual campaign at ITB in Berlin next spring.
Although not specified, the funding arrangements should help to focus marketing efforts on fam trips in particular.
Under the terms of the Act, the US government – using the fees we pay for the Visa Waiver Program – will match funds raised from industry by the corporation. However, only the first $10m has to be in cash, the rest can be services ‘in kind’, eg hotel rooms, ground tours, transportation, etc – the key elements for blog trip support.
In its first year, the government will double-match those funds. If the new corporation raises its target of $50 million from the travel & tourism industry, the government will add $100 million to the pot.
Wily travel bloggers might get ahead of the pack by pitching ideas and travel plans to US tourism offices or their PRs, before the World Travel Market announcement.
Post Revisions:
- 12 September, 2011 @ 14:11 [Current Revision] by Alastair McKenzie
- 12 September, 2011 @ 13:19 by Alastair McKenzie
Just a quick update, the new website can be found at: http://www.thebrandusa.com/