Corporation for Travel Promotion Becomes Brand USA to Increase U.S. Tourism

Corporation for Travel Promotion Becomes Brand USA to Increase U.S. Tourism

Brand USA, formerly the Corporation for Travel Promotion, a public/ private venture to create more tourism, changed its name and brand strategy in an effort to attract more travelers from all over the world to the United States.

The new strategy through pictures, slogans and a new modern logo shows a U.S. that has “limitless possibilities,” said CEO Jim Evans and CMO Chris Perkins during a brand launch event at London’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) this morning and a subsequent press conference at ExCeL London. The first marketing and advertising campaign will be launched spring 2012.

According to Brand USA, the logo, which is the words USA comprised of many dots, was created to be fresh, welcoming and inclusive. The dots will serve as a vessel through which Brand USA can showcase diverse colors and images of people and destinations across America, emphasizing the boundless possibilities of the United States. It will not adhere to a single color scheme. The logo also displays the URL DiscoverAmerica.com, Brand USA’s official consumer web site.

The United States first-ever nationally coordinated tourism marketing program was created by the Travel Promotion Act, federal legislation passed in March 2010. A public-private partnership between the travel industry and the U.S. government, the Corporation for Travel Promotion – now Brand USA Inc. – was charged with increasing international visitation to the United States through marketing and promotional efforts to drive job creation and economic growth.

The organization is led by private industry with oversight from the Department of Commerce and U.S. Congress. The program is funded through a combination of private sector investment and funds collected by the Department of Homeland Security from international visitors who visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to fund the program. Brand USA’s headquarters are located in Washington, DC.