Destination USA: Engaging and Inspiring International Travelers in a New Era

Destinations and tourism players throughout the United States are open, ready, and eager to welcome international travelers. Looking toward 2022 and beyond, there will be exciting, unprecedented opportunities for the U.S. travel industry to join together and support each other on this mission. While the outlook on global tourism remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: Travel demand is strong, and momentum is building. 

If the rebound of domestic leisure travel throughout 2021 was a silver lining for the U.S. tourism industry, the return of international visitors in November after a 20-month hiatus was a breakthrough ray of sunshine indicating clearer skies ahead. International travel is integral to the U.S. economy, and welcoming back tourism from around the world is an important key to unlocking the larger economic recovery. 

Questions will linger for months to come about how international travel to the U.S. will take shape, and tourism boards and travel brands in the U.S. find themselves in a unique moment. Their strategies today to build awareness and attract both familiar and fresh visitors will have cascading consequences for years and possibly decades. To take advantage of the evolving mindset of the global traveler, they will have to work with other partners to promote the U.S. as a whole while channeling their own unique and authentic stories. 

Skift and Brand USA have published this report to help travel organizations understand how to attract a diverse yet enthusiastic traveler base to visit the U.S. as tourism opportunities reopen to the world.

In this report:

• Survey responses from 4,360 international travelers from 11 markets in all regions of the world — Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom
  
• One-on-one interviews with destination marketing organizations throughout the U.S., including gateway markets, state tourism offices, and individual city/region/territory convention and visitor bureaus
  
• In-depth analysis on the latest trends in destination storytelling, consumer sentiment around “traveling with purpose”, and sustainable tourism as a shared responsibility among destinations, travel brands, and travelers alike
  
• What images, ideas and stories inspire people to book trips to the United States?
  
• To what degree should Covid-19 guidelines and safety measures be a part of this dialogue, and for how long?
  
• How do sustainability, environmentalism, and social consciousness influence decisions to book travel?
  
• How should destinations stay true to themselves and what they have to offer while navigating the mad dash for mindshare amidst an influx of demand across global markets?