01 Nov 2015
Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, today announced it is introducing VisitTheUSA.com as its new global consumer website address to reach international travellers. Brand USA's current consumer website address, DiscoverAmerica.com, will continue to be live in the market place.
The new URL is being introduced over the course of Brand USA's 2016 fiscal year in all markets where the organisation currently promotes travel to the United States, with the exception of China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Taiwan. In those markets, Brand USA's online consumer presence is promoted to travellers as GoUSA.com (and the related in-country extensions), because consumer testing indicated the GoUSA address resonated more clearly with travellers in those markets. Brand USA's business-to-business and corporate URL address will continue to be found at TheBrandUSA.com.
“We expect to complete the introduction to VisitTheUSA over the course of several months through a purposeful, soft launch that enables us to fully test and optimize the site as we also begin work to enhance the content and functionality of our consumer website and evolve our consumer marketing campaigns,” said Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA's president and CEO.
Thompson sited several reasons for introducing a new website URL as its core online presence, including its strong alignment with its mission to welcome and increase the number of travellers who visit the United States, as well as the fact that “America” is more than just the USA.
“In many parts of the world, we found that international travellers felt our use of 'America' in our current consumer website address was overreaching, because America is comprised of more than just the United States. While 'America' resonates strongly in many parts of the world, in others the Americas refers to one continent comprised of North, Central, and South America,” Thompson said. “And those three subcontinents include 35 different countries.”
Brand USA noted that the soft launch introduction of VisitTheUSA as an additional way to market travel to the United States is also timed well with several marketing opportunities, including the organisation's new mission and vision, which emphasise its core purpose of increasing international visitation to the United States and the development of new content and new digital marketing activations. As Brand USA begins to introduce new content and creative in the marketplace, it will slowly begin to highlight and promote the new website address to consumers, with visitors to DiscoverAmerica.com seamlessly redirected to the new address.
Now in its fifth year of operation, Brand USA continues to increase international travel to the United States, while enhancing the image of the U.S. as a premier travel destination in the global marketplace. In fact, according to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past two years, Brand USA has generated 2 million incremental visitors to the United States. Those visitors accounted for $6.5 billion in incremental spending, which injected nearly $15 billion into the U.S. economy. The influx of incremental visitors also supported an average of 50,000 incremental U.S. jobs during each of the two years.
-ends-
About Brand USA
Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, 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 to communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travellers.
Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. With a mission of increasing international visitation to the United States, Brand USA works in close partnership with the travel industry to maximise the economic and social benefits of travel. These benefits include creating jobs essential to the economy and fostering understanding between people and cultures.
Through its consumer call to action – VisitTheUSA.com – Brand USA inspires travellers to explore the United States of America's boundless possibilities.
Brand USA Press Contacts (UK/Ireland office):
Sarah Barnett: PR & Communications Director, UK/Ireland
Tel: 44 (0)20 7845 6378
Allie Williams: Communications Account Manager, UK/Ireland
Tel: 44 (0)20 7845 6384
E: awilliams@thebrandusa.co.uk
Polly Beech: PR Account Manager, UK/Ireland
Tel: 44 (0)20 7845 6359
