Brand USA welcomes John Edman, director and CEO of Explore Minnesota Tourism, to board of directors
Washington, D.C., 2015-1-9 — /Travel PR News/ — The board of directors of Brand USA today announced the appointment of John Edman, director and CEO of Explore Minnesota, as its newest board member.
“John joins the Brand USA board during a pivotal growth year for the organization, which is now in its fourth year of operation and has just been reauthorized for federal funding through fiscal year 2020,” said Daniel Halpern, chair of the board and president and CEO of Jackmont Hospitality Inc. “As Brand USA builds on success in fueling the nation’s economy through international visitation, we expect John’s insights and experience as a destination marketing leader will be particularly valuable.”
Edman has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the hospitality industry, and has led Minnesota’s tourism efforts as an appointee of three governors from three different political parties. During his tenure, he repositioned Explore Minnesota as a separate state entity to maximize private-sector involvement, and secured the largest tourism budget increase in Minnesota’s history in 2013. Previously, he served as the director of Carlson Companies’ destination marketing services.
“I am honored to be appointed to the Brand USA board, and am excited to further position the U.S. as a premier destination for international travelers throughout the globe,” Edman said.
In addition to Edman’s appointment, the reappointments of two other board members were also announced. The newly appointed and reappointed members are:
- John Edman, director and CEO, Explore Minnesota Tourism (new appointment)
- Daniel Halpern, president and CEO, Jackmont Hospitality, Inc. (reappointment)
- Tom Klein, president and CEO, Sabre Corporation (reappointment)
Members of the Brand USA board of directors are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (after consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State) and represent various regions of the United States, with members having expertise and experience in specific sectors of the travel and tourism industry.
Edman replaces Diane Shober, director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism, whose term ended in December 2014. “On behalf of the board and management of Brand USA, I’d like to thank Diane for her many contributions to the organization from its inception. Diane’s expertise as the head of the Wyoming Office of Tourism helped ensure Brand USA from the beginning was able to approach its international marketing strategies in ways that would benefit the entirety of the United States,” said Halpern.
The work of Brand USA, which was established by the Travel Promotion Act and began operations in 2011, is designed to enhance the global competitiveness of America’s robust travel and tourism industry, which is the United States’ number one services export. In 2013, spending by international visitors grew 9.1 percent to a record $180.7 billion—a rate four times faster than other U.S. goods and services exports. President Obama’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy, which was announced in 2012, aims to increase these numbers with a goal of attracting more than 100 million international visitors per year by 2021—visitors that would spend an estimated $250 billion per year, supporting more jobs and spurring economic growth in communities across the country. All told, international tourism supported 2.2 million American jobs in 2013, including 1.2 million jobs directly generated from international travel-related spending.
On Dec. 16, 2014, President Obama signed into law H.R. 83, known to most as the Omnibus spending bill, which was approved with bipartisan support from the House and Senate, respectively, on Dec. 11 and 13. Included in the bill was the reauthorization of federal funding for Brand USA through September 30, 2020.
Since its establishment, Brand USA has demonstrated a positive impact on international visitation. Notable achievements include generating 1.1 million incremental international visitors to the USA in 2013—a 2.3 percent increase over growth that would have occurred without Brand USA’s marketing efforts in partnership with tour operators, travel agents, travel brands, destinations, and many other organization outside of the travel industry. These additional visitors spent about $3.4 billion in the USA, including travel and fare receipts. In total, the incremental spending by international visitors as a result of Brand USA’s marketing efforts fueled the U.S. economy in 2013 by generating:
- $7.4 billion in business sales
- $3.8 billion in GDP
- $2.2 billion in personal income
This resulted in the creation and support of more than 53,000 American jobs.
“With the support of its many partners worldwide, Brand USA has grown from a young organization (that launched its first full year in operation in 2012 with just 89 partners) to an organization supported by more than 450 partners worldwide,” said Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA. “We look forward to John’s leadership as he joins the Brand USA board, as we continue to pursue our mission of fueling the nation’s economy through increased international visitation, spend and market share.”
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About Brand USA
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, 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 to communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. With a mission of increasing international visitation to the United States, Brand USA works in close partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel. These benefits include creating jobs essential to the economy and fostering understanding between people and cultures.
According to a study done by Oxford Economics, Brand USA’s marketing initiatives in 2013 alone resulted in an incremental increase of 1.1 million visitors to the USA and total impact on the U.S. economy of $7.4 billion in spending, which supported 53,000 new jobs.
Brand USA’s activities are funded at no cost to U.S. taxpayers 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. Through its call-to-action—Discover America—Brand USA inspires travelers to explore the United States of America’s boundless possibilities.
For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit www.TheBrandUSA.com. For information about exceptional and unexpected travel experiences in the United States, please visit Brand USA’s consumer website at www.DiscoverAmerica.com
About the Brand USA Board
The members of Brand USA’s board of directors now include:
Daniel Halpern
Chair, Brand USA
President and CEO
Jackmont Hospitality, Inc.
Tom Klein
Vice Chair, Brand USA
President and CEO
Sabre Corporation
Barbara Richardson
Vice Chair, Brand USA
Chief of Staff
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Arne Sorenson
Treasurer, Brand USA
President and CEO
Marriott International, Inc.
Andrew Greenfield
Secretary, Brand USA
Partner
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy, LLP
Caroline Beteta
President and CEO
Visit California
John Edman
Director and CEO
Explore Minnesota Tourism
George Fertitta
CEO
Bloomberg Associates
Randy A. Garfield
Retired EVP, Worldwide Sales & Travel Operations
Disney Destinations
and President
Walt Disney Travel Company
Mark Schwab
CEO
Star Alliance Services GmbH
Roy Yamaguchi
Owner and Founder
Roy’s Restaurant