ITTN’s Shane Cullen is at Brand USA Travel Week Europe & UK 2025 along with a sizeable crowd from the Irish travel trade. These join the nearly 900 delegates across travel, media, suppliers & destinations at the event held in London.
The theme here is “Future Forward”, explains Fred Dixon, president & CEO of Brand USA. He addressed the delegates, “We are standing at one of the most exciting chapters in American travel & tourism, looking forward to 2026 and beyond. And none of what we’re building together would be possible without the support of all of you… the media, the travel trade, our US destinations and suppliers and the receptive tour operators.”
America’s tourism infrastructure remains strong
While referencing the temporary shutdowns of some federally managed attractions, including select National Parks and museums, he highlighted that America’s tourism infrastructure remains strong, airports are open, seamless border processing is happening, and US destinations are welcoming visitors. He emphasised that the temporary shutdowns should not deter plans to visit America and experience the USA. Brand USA is providing up-to-the-date information on specific sites and services to support travellers and the travel trade.
Fred Dixon added, “We are all united in a common goal to grow inbound travel and tourism exports. It sustains American jobs and it boosts destinations across the country.”. In fact, it is a double-edged sword. Increased connectivity to the USA provides an opportunity to attract inbound tourism to our land, to market and promote Ireland as a destination and the economic benefit that goes with it.
Sunet Older Platforms, Evolve & Lean into New Approaches
Fred highlighted the development of new technologies and their importance in a rapidly changing world, “We’ve made some strategic pivots as an organisation to sunset some older platforms and to evolve organisationally as we lean into new approaches and new technologies. The world is changing rapidly around us and we’re endeavouring to keep up.” Brand USA, he explains, are endeavouring to keep up to date.
He referenced the new campaign launched by Brand USA this week, “We’re uniting all our efforts under a powerful new messaging platform – America the Beautiful.”
He continued, “Being intentional with our investment, we’re using an integrated strategy that unites consumer media, trade efforts, PR, our partnerships, and AI to turn traveller inspiration into bookings in powerful new ways. For all of these reasons and more, we are feeling confident about our shared program of work… this is our time to look ahead, innovate, to adapt and to shape what comes next together”. A strategy anyone in travel can draw from when facing an ever-changing world and the dynamic development of technology and the growth of AI.
$128 Billion Economic Impact from European Visitation
Interestingly, altogether, European visitation generated US$128 billion in total economic impact and supported more than 800,000 American jobs. It also delivered more than US$9 billion in federal tax revenue. Fred Dixon shared, “These numbers tell a powerful story. When Europeans visit, they stay longer, they explore more and contribute meaningfully to the US economy.”
Air Capacity
Non-stop seats between the United States and Europe, surpassed pre-pandemic levels last year and are projected to grow another three percent this year, setting a new record with nearly 49 million non-stop seats across the Atlantic each year. Ideal for those wanting to witness the 250th Anniversary celebrations, The FIFA World Cup, the Route 66 Centennial – all cultural moments in their own right and excellent reasons to travel Stateside in 2026.
