Much like a doctor reporting on test results to a patient on a wellness visit following the launch of a new therapeutic practice, Tom Garzilli, Brand USA’s chief marketing officer, had a mostly upbeat diagnosis and outlook to present to the organization’s board members at their last meeting of 2019 a few weeks ago in Washington, D.C. Satisfaction with the patient was high, he explained, as U.S. suppliers and European tour operators gave the new Brand USA Travel Week (held in early September in London) good marks. In their own words, as captured in the word cloud below, delegates surveyed were both satisfied and pleased with the new venture, which has already been renewed through the next six years. Delegates were asked: “How would you describe how you felt at the end of Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2019?
- Delegates responded to surveys inquires thus:
Q: Did Travel Week help you achieve your goals?
A: 98 percent of respondents said Yes.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to attend Travel Week in the future?
A: Buyers, 8.6 and Exhibitors, 9.2
- Brand USA Week Review by the Numbers:
—97 = number of exhibitors
—140 = number of tour operators
—19 = number of journalists
—5 = number of sponsors
—3 = number of evening events
—530 = total number of attendees across the week
Toward a Single European Market: Brand USA week was a convenient place for a de facto launch of Brand USA’s One Europe Strategy, which treats the country markets involved as a single target market. Though held in London this year, Brand USA Week will move around every other year, touching down in some major European cities.
A Refresher Course: Some Facts You Need to Know about Brand USA’s One Europe Strategy:
- Were it measured as such, a One Europe Market would be the third largest generators of international visitors to the USA, and the largest Overseas sour market, as the following table on visitor arrivals illustrates.
- Were it measured as such, a One Europe Market would be the largest country market in terms of international spend, as the following table on visitor arrivals illustrates.
- Notes on Airlift to the USA from Europe
—There are 406 USA flight routes between the United States and 33 European airports.
—Additional seats to the USA in the last two years: 7.8 million from Europe, 500,000 from China, and 140,000 from India.
—A 1 percent increase in load factor would equate to an additional 860,000 passengers.
AND COMING SOON:
