The Visit USA Organisation is the voice behind everything Aussie Travel Agents need to know about selling the USA. We spoke to Visit USA’s Australia President Lucy Rowe to get the lowdown on how Travel Agents can skill up on selling The States.
Here’s what we learned from our time with Lucy Rowe:
What is the key difference between Visit USA and Brand USA?
The Visit USA Organisation is the industry body for airlines, tour operators, destinations and travel agents selling the USA and offering product to and within the USA.
It is the industry’s voice in Australia and in other countries, with each entity being a not for profit organisation.
These Visit USA organisations are all focused on agent education, business to business opportunities, destination promotions and media liaison.
In Australia, promotions include the annual major city Visit USA Roadshows, held in February, in which local representatives, and US based members who travel to Australia participate in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to showcase their products.
There are also regional expos around the country throughout the year.
Brand USA, on the other hand, is the National Tourism Office of the United States working in conjunction the Travel & Tourism Industry in the USA.
It is an organisation dedicated to marketing the United States as a premier travel destination. While it is consumer focused it does have some trade marketing elements.
How can Travel Agents best contribute to the growing number of Australians visiting the USA?
Travel Agents can best contribute by increasing their destination and product knowledge through attendance at the annual Visit USA expos in February as well as our regional shows throughout the year.
Aside from roadshows, how does Visit USA assist agents in selling USA?
They can also complete training modules available through the Visit USA and Brand USA websites.
All Visit USA members have a dedicated tile on our website on which they can upload their information so that agents are able to gain access and exposure to their product to assist in the selling of the USA.
Agents are also able to access training modules uploaded to our website by our members to gain extra assistance in product knowledge.
Head to www.visitusa.org.au or interact with the organisation through its social media channels via Facebook and Instagram (@usatraveltrade).
What are the plans for the Visit USA roadshows next year? Is there anything new Agents can expect?
The 2019 Visit USA Roadshows are going to be held the week commencing Monday 18 February 2019.
The shows have generally started the week off in Brisbane but this year the first Expo will be held in Melbourne.
Dates for the Visit USA Expos in 2019 are:
Monday, 18 February 2019 – Melbourne
Tuesday, 19 February 2019 – Brisbane
Wednesday, 20 February 2019 – Sydney
These events will be held in new venues this year and these will be confirmed in the coming months.
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