Following the release of the progress report by the Departments of State and Homeland Security on the recent advances made to help encourage international travel to the U.S., Brand USA released its own preliminary results announcing the findings of its national tourism marketing campaign. Based on Brand USA’s findings, as well as data released in August by the Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI), international travel looks to be a bright spot for the national economy and San Diego. Last month, the OTTI reported international visitors spent an estimated $82.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services to date, an 11 percent increase over the same period in 2011. The metrics for the first phase of Brand USA’s marketing efforts indicate that these figures are likely to increase upward. Data shows intent to visit has increased significantly in the Brand USA consumer launch markets within just three months of beginning its campaign in May: Up 13 points in Canada; 17 points in the United Kingdom; and 11 points in Japan. Two of these markets represent San Diego’s top international visitors — Japan is San Diego’s number two market, and the U.K. is San Diego’s leading overseas market according to 2010 statistics.
For additional details about Brand USA’s findings, click here.
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