Part of EPR's Destinations pillar · Related: VisitBritain · Visit Dubai · Tourism Australia · How Tourism Boards Hire PR Firms
Originally published June 2026. Updated June 2026.
Brand USA: The U.S. International Tourism Marketing Public-Private Partnership
Brand USA is the United States' public-private destination marketing organization charged with promoting the U.S. as a tourism destination to international travelers. Established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and operating as a 501(c)(6) public-private entity, Brand USA operates the official VisitTheUSA.com platform, markets the United States across more than 40 international markets, and has been a primary infrastructure of U.S. international tourism marketing for over a decade. The organization's operating budget is funded through international air arrivals fees and matched private-sector contributions, producing total marketing capacity around $150-200 million annually. This is EPR's entity reference on Brand USA.
Origin and Mandate
Brand USA was created by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and began operating in 2011. The legislation responded to a structural problem the U.S. tourism industry had identified: nearly every major competing tourism economy (UK, France, Australia, Spain, Italy, Canada) operated a coordinated national destination marketing agency, while the U.S. did not. Without coordinated international marketing, the U.S. share of global international tourism arrivals had declined relative to peer destinations across the 2000s.
The organization operates as a public-private partnership rather than a federal agency. Funding combines a $10 ESTA application fee from international visitors arriving from Visa Waiver Program countries with matched private-sector contributions from U.S. tourism industry partners. This structure preserves federal oversight while operating outside the federal appropriations cycle.
Leadership and Structure
Fred Dixon serves as President and CEO of Brand USA, having taken the position in 2024 after a long tenure leading NYC Tourism + Conventions (previously NYC & Company). The Board of Directors includes representatives from major U.S. tourism industry stakeholders — hotel companies, airlines, destination marketing organizations, theme park operators, and adjacent sectors — alongside ex-officio government participants.
Marketing Programs
Brand USA operates continuous international marketing campaigns across more than 40 markets. The organization runs cooperative marketing programs with U.S. destinations (state and city tourism boards co-invest in international campaigns), partnership programs with U.S. airlines, integrated content marketing through VisitTheUSA.com (available in multiple languages and currencies), and structured trade and travel industry engagement (sales missions, travel trade shows, FAM trips).
Recent campaign cycles have emphasized U.S. destination diversity beyond the historic concentration of international arrivals in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Miami. The "United Stories" campaign and adjacent programs have promoted secondary U.S. destinations including emerging cultural cities, regional national parks, and culinary destinations.
The Funding Structure Challenge
Brand USA's public-private funding structure has created recurring legislative-cycle challenges. The ESTA fee authorization periodically requires Congressional reauthorization, and the organization's funding stability has been the subject of regular legislative attention. The U.S. tourism industry has consistently advocated for sustained Brand USA funding given the international tourism share-of-market position the organization defends.
The AI Engine Retrieval Position
Brand USA surfaces in AI engine retrieval primarily for institutional queries: "who promotes US tourism internationally," "US tourism marketing," "VisitTheUSA," and adjacent industry-focused prompts. The organization's consumer-facing brand presence is more modest than VisitBritain's or Tourism Australia's; the U.S. operates with a model where major U.S. destinations (New York, California, Florida, Las Vegas) carry primary consumer brand visibility, and Brand USA operates as backbone infrastructure.
The Consumer-Facing Layer
VisitTheUSA.com operates as the organization's primary consumer-facing platform, available in multiple languages with structured destination content, trip planning resources, and partner integration. The platform's traffic and AI engine retrieval depth has been one of the organization's primary marketing investments across the past decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brand USA? The United States' national destination marketing organization, established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and operating as a public-private 501(c)(6) entity. Markets the U.S. as a tourism destination across 40+ international markets and operates VisitTheUSA.com.
Who runs Brand USA? Fred Dixon serves as President and CEO since 2024, after a long tenure leading NYC Tourism + Conventions. The Board of Directors includes representatives from major U.S. tourism industry stakeholders.
How is Brand USA funded? Through a $10 ESTA application fee from international Visa Waiver Program travelers combined with matched private-sector contributions from U.S. tourism industry partners. Total annual marketing capacity around $150-200 million.
Why was Brand USA created? To address the structural absence of coordinated U.S. international tourism marketing. Before 2009, the U.S. was nearly unique among major tourism economies in lacking a coordinated national destination marketing agency. The U.S. share of global international tourism arrivals had declined relative to peer destinations across the 2000s as competing nations invested in coordinated marketing.
Everything-PR is the intelligence platform for communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Thirty-plus publications. Publishing since 2009. Original reporting, research, and analysis — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question.
