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Before the outbreak, travel and tourism in Puerto Rico generated $5.17 billion in economic activity. Then came the 2020 travel shutdown, during which economic activity fell 66.4 percent to $1.74 billion, resulting in a 13.9 percent industrial job loss.
In the year Travel Industry Job Losses in 2020 Hurricane Maria in 2017 and an earthquake in early 2020 also “confirmed the need for rapid tourism promotion efforts in Puerto Rico,” officials from the island’s official destination marketing organization said. .
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Those officials met in July with leadership from Brand USA, the official destination marketing organization of the United States, to address the post-pandemic travel landscape. “Stakeholders’ Day” was described as a general discussion of “how both organizations are working together to promote travel to the island.”
After the meeting, TravelPulse Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean and Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson discussed the companies’ collaboration to revitalize tourism to the island.
Both current consumer sentiment and travel behavior combine to make Puerto Rico an “ideal” destination for international travelers.
TravelPulse: How does Brand America work?
Chris Thompson: Brand USA has been around for 12 years. During the 10 years I was there, our responsibility was to promote the entire United States, all 50 states, plus five territories and the District of Columbia. We took that seriously and stepped into what I call the role of our nation’s storybook.
TP: What is the role of organizational storytelling?
CT: It means the way the stories of the United States are told. We have many voices to tell the story of the United States. in progress [Brand USA’s] Evolution, we have found many ways to tell those stories [including] Constructive consumer campaigns. We also have a USA TV channel and are creating and licensing content.
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TP: How does BrandUSA leverage its stories for online distribution?
CT: It gives us the opportunity to tell the stories of all the destinations across the US. I would say that during our time with Discover Puerto Rico under Brad’s leadership, they took every opportunity to capture the unique story that is Puerto Rico.
TP: Of course, Puerto Rico is one of the five US states you mentioned earlier, right?
CT: Yes, because it’s in the Caribbean and an island destination, Puerto Rico has an international feel. But it is part of America and tells a unique story.
TP: How has the partnership benefited Discover Puerto Rico, Brad?
Brad Dean: Puerto Rico has the potential to attract a large international audience, certainly with cruises, but also with land-based vacations. [Brand USA] It is typically an efficient cooperative marketer. They create synergies and efficiencies that we could not create on our own.
TP: How else can Brand USA Puerto Rico Search help promote travel to Puerto Rico?
BD: They open up markets and vertical channels for us that we would not be able to open or pursue. [had] Big budget. When you think about Puerto Rico, it could be Europe or South America and also Mexico, with limited budget access like ours, Brand USA allows us to enter or explore markets that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue.
TP: How does this engage an international audience?
BD: Brand America [creates] Opportunities to tell our story on a global scale are like no other for us. Whether it’s creating movies on the big screen [social media] Stories allow us to use Puerto Rico’s brand message globally.
TP: What was the focus of the July board meeting of the two groups?
CP: We [reached] To work with our partners at Discover Puerto Rico to discuss how we can communicate with relevant stakeholders about what we do and what we can do together.
TP: Are there other ways that Brand USA has found Puerto Rico?
BD: To Chris’ credit, he was on the island weeks before the board met with the stakeholders, talking about what Brand USA could do. So they’re a very special part of Puerto Rico’s four-year history search. Above all, they helped to encourage the recovery of travel and tourism in Puerto Rico.
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