Brand USA Pleads Its Case to Congress as Funding Hangs in the Balance
Photo Credit: Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Flickr / Daniel Mennerich
Skift Take
Brand USA still doesn't have a legislative path forward — and time is running out. A failure to renew it will make the U.S. an outlier as a leading global tourism destination with no promotional budget.
U.S. tourism officials testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. Travel Association is urging Congress to find a way to renew the country's destination marketing funding before the end of this year, but time is running out.
The funding for the program currently comes from the fee some visitors to the U.S. pay in the online application for the visa waiver program, as well as matching contributions from the private sector. While that revenue source will not officially expire until Sept. 30 2020, the fact that Brand USA is a public-private partnership — not a government program, which can be renewed retroactively — means renewing its funding a year in advance is necessary to prevent disruption, including job losses. "It needs certainty to move forward," Tori Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for trad
