Partnership represents the first airline partnership for Brand USA
LONDON, 2012-09-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — Brand USA today announced British Airways as the organization’s first founding airline partner. The founding partner level is the highest offered by Brand USA and represents commitments valued at $1 million or more.
As a founding partner, British Airways will work with Brand USA on a number of initiatives to promote the United States as a premier travel destination, including industry and travel agent activity and advertising campaigns in UK trade and consumer press.
In addition, British Airways has committed to being the airline partner for Brand USA Megafam trips for UK-based travel agents. The UK to the United States familiarization trips are designed to acquaint travel agents with the diverse travel destinations and experiences available in the United States. The program will include multiple destinations across America to showcase U.S. destinations and British Airways to the agents.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the inaugural partnership between British Airways and Brand USA,” said Jay Gray, vice president of business development for Brand USA. “Working with the UK’s national carrier ensures the gravitas and long-term commitment that we dedicate to the UK market, the largest overseas visitor market to America.
“We are delighted to be the first airline partner to Brand USA. With over 66 years of flying customers and holidaymakers into the USA, this is an extremely important market to us and one we look forward to continuing to grow and promote,” said Richard Tams, head of UK & Ireland sales at British Airways.
As a Brand USA founding partner, British Airways will enjoy many benefits, including airline recognition in the UK and the opportunity to participate in new UK-based initiatives, promotions and major marketing co-op campaigns, as well as inclusion at all Brand USA functions at major industry events.
Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the nation’s first global marketing effort to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures. The program’s activities are funded through a combination of private-sector investment and matching funds collected by the U.S. Government from international visitors who come to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to operate the organization.
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About British Airways
British Airways proudly flies non-stop direct to 20 USA gateways including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK and Newark), Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington D.C. British Airways offers a range of great value deals on flights and holidays to a variety of American cities and destinations. For more information, visitwww.ba.com/usa.