SouthEast Asia Booms For USA

In 2018, travel to the USA from 6 SouthEast Asian countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – amounted to 810,000 and is predicted to grow 44% by 2023 to 1.2 million. In fact, travel to the USA from the same countries between 2013 and 2018 accounted for 4.5 million arrivals as reported by Euromonitor.

As the SouthEast Asian representative for Brand USA – the destination marketing organization for the United States – we continue to host an exhibition space at ITB Asia in Singapore for 6 consecutive years and counting.

ITB Asia, now in its twelfth year, is the leading trade exposition for SouthEast Asia’s outbound tourism industry. The yearly show – which spanned leisure, corporate and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) travel – welcomed more than 11,000 delegates coming from 127 countries to meet the exhibitors and buyers across the segments.

USA 101 For SouthEast Asian Buyers

In partnership with the U.S. Embassies and U.S. Commercial Service for ASEAN, our goal was to present a major U.S. presence at the largest travel trade show in the region. We developed a series of travel trade events to maximize the participation and marketing efforts by the exhibitors.

Through co-op partnerships and other trade events and activities throughout the event each year, our focus has been on promoting the U.S. as a major travel destination.

Brand USA ITB B2B Signature Event Series 

We collaborated with U.S. Embassies and the U.S. Commercial Service to arrange a series of trade events at ITB Asia. This provided opportunities for U.S. exhibitors to meet with prominent SouthEast Asian tour operators, other travel buyers and media representatives.

The events include:

·       Brand USA Pavilion Kick-Off Ceremony – We invited VIP guests to officiate the ribbon-cutting at Brand USA Pavilion together with Brand USA and U.S. Embassy delegates

·       Brand USA SouthEast Asia Travel Exchange – U.S. delegates to ITB Asia have networked with over 600 leading SouthEast Asian wholesalers, tour operators and online travel agencies.

·       Window to ASEAN – Market Briefing – SouthEast Asian offices of U.S. Commercial Service, Brand USA and U.S. delegates to ITB Asia share latest outbound travel updates and market opportunities with U.S. exhibitors. The briefing also features guest speakers.

Brand USA has also distributed its USA Insider Guides. The guides feature regional self-drive itineraries that take travelers off-the-beaten track around the United States covering themes such as musical journeys, national parks and beyond.