US Virgin Islands Partners with Brand USA to Reach Canadian Market

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is partnering with Brand USA on a campaign to increase visitation by Canadian residents. The partnership marks the first between Brand USA and one of the five U.S. Territories.

Under the partnership, the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism contributed more than $100,000. Brand USA intends to use the contribution to geo-target Canadian residents, the second largest international visitor arrival market for the Territory.

The U.S. Virgin Islands maintains a dedicated sales and marketing presence in Canada. More than 39,000 Canadians have visited the Territory over the past five years, and the Department of Tourism's website, www.visitusvi.com, has attracted more than 27,000 unique visitors in Canada this year, with more than 80 percent of those representing first-time visitors to the website.

Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010 to spearhead the United States' first global marketing effort to promote the nation as a premier travel destination and communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion, the public-private entity, doing business as Brand USA, began operations in May 2011.

Brand USA works in close partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel. Through its call-to-action - DiscoverAmerica.com - Brand USA inspires travelers to explore the United States of America's boundless possibilities, of which the U.S. Virgin Islands is an exceptional example.

When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel - including on-line check-in - making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.