Brand USA will now look for a new President and CEO who will build upon Thompson’s legacy and continue to drive the organization forward
Brand USA President & CEO Chris Thomson has announced his retirement. The impending retirement will come into effect from May 31, 2024. Brand USA is the destination marketing organization for the United States. During his time as President and CEO, Thompson has played a pivotal role in promoting the United States as a premier travel destination, achieving some remarkable milestones.
Relatively new as a destination marketing organization, according to Oxford Economics, Brand USA’s marketing efforts in the last 10 years have helped bring some 8 million incremental international visitors, a staggering US $56 billion in economic impact and supporting more than 37,000 incremental jobs a year.
Meanwhile, the NTO’s efforts in the Indian market has probably yielded even greater incremental dividend. With 1.3 million arrivals and US $13.3 billion in spend in 2022, India ranked sixth in arrival and fourth in spend! More recently, the May 2023 data shows India becoming US’ second-largest international tourism source market, excluding Canada and Mexico. Brand USA is represented in India by Sartha Global Marketing, a leading tourism marketing and representation company in India.
Thompson’s strategic vision and unwavering commitment to excellence have been instrumental in driving these successes for Brand USA. His dedication to fostering partnerships with industry stakeholders, government agencies, and international organizations has strengthened the organization’s position as a global leader in destination marketing.
“It has been an incredible privilege to serve as President and CEO of Brand USA,” said Thompson. “I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am confident that the organization will continue to thrive under new leadership.”
Stated Todd Davidson, Chair of the Brand USA Board and CEO of Travel Oregon, “Chris’s integrity, tenacity, passion and belief in the power of the travel and tourism industry to bring prosperity to all Americans, fueled the advancement of the US travel and tourism industry and established an organizational foundation of innovation, resiliency and future-focused confidence. We all wish him the very best in his retirement.”
Brand USA will now look for a new President and CEO who will build upon Thompson’s legacy and continue to drive the organization forward.
