Among the major cuts proposed in the Trump administration’s 2018 budget was the elimination of funding for Brand USA, the public-private partnership created by Congress to promote the United States as a tourist destination. Major travel and tourism entities—including the American Hotel & Lodging Association—have been speaking out, saying that cutting funding for Brand USA will do irreparable harm to the U.S. economy. International visitation is the United States’ second-largest export, supporting 115 million jobs. And, according to a study by Oxford Economics, the $160.7 million that Brand USA spent on marketing in 2015 generated $3 billion in incremental visitor spending for the United States. Read more here.
