Brand USA Talks Travel

Allen Orr, Founder of Orr Immigration Law and Brand USA Board Member, suggests a positive path to dealing with the U.S. Visa backlog. We also discuss Allen’s advocacy work with underrepresented communities, how homelessness affects tourism, and the visas required for foreign nationals to work in the U.S. travel industry.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association has a lot planned this year; you'll want to know about it so you can schedule your calendar. We also hear about the state of hotel labor, as well as new trends in this vertical that effect all of us who work in tourism. Chip Rogers is CEO of AHLA.

Martinique expresses why creating authentic, diverse content is vital to all destinations. We also discuss allocating specific budget to DEI work, and her experience appearing in "Black Travel Across America" on Disney+. Martinique Lewis is President of the Black Travel Alliance, Creator of the ABC Travel Greenbook, and a Travel Consultant.

Meet Jessica Wahl Turner, President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. Learn about their mission, effect on legislation, and how they work with destinations.

Nick Hall, Founder of the Digital Tourism Think Tank, works with hundreds of destinations globally. Mark meets with Nick at their offices in Canterbury, England to get his perspective on content creation, hear about the new State of Destination Marketing 2024 study, and upcoming DTTT events in Europe.

How does the US rank when compared to other countries for accessibility? Mark discusses with Alvaro Silberstein, Co-Founder of Wheel The World. Alvaro shares how his visit to Yellowstone National Park began a chain of events that led him to become the founder of a travel accessibility company. We discuss common misconceptions about accessible travel, as well as opportunities for DMOs who are just getting started in welcoming travelers with disabilities.

There are those harnessing artificial intelligence right now. These pioneers are not waiting for the future to arrive; they are embracing AI tools already. Marketing Disrupter Henry Cowling explains how to “talk to your data,” how to speed up the creation of assets, and how AI can be used for better media placement. Henry Cowling is Chief Innovation Officer at Media.Monks, which has recently been named Adweek's AI Agency of the Year.

Mark dives deep into a terrific tourism relationship between Visit Greater Palm Springs and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. You’ll hear about how to grow mutual respect, understanding, and tourism from Colleen Pace, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Visit Greater Palm Springs, and Kate Anderson, Director of P.R. for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by learning how you can take your destination to the next level.

At SXSW in Australia, we were introduced to “Song Confessional,” a mobile recording studio team who welcome attendees to anonymously confess secrets - from the mundane to the shocking - and then turn the confessions into one-of-a-kind songs. Mark speaks with Creator/Producer Walker Lukens, an Austin-based musician who’s been described as “the best songwriter in Texas,” and Rylan Keturi, of 7S Management. Hear about how they work with Destinations, and listen to a song from the mobile studio.

We meet with Hugh to discuss Brand USA’s recent participation with SXSW in Sydney, Australia, and hear other international possibilities for destinations. Few people are more tapped into event planning, developments in tech, music, and culture than Hugh Forrest, Co-President and Chief Programming Officer at SXSW. Anyone working in planning conferences and conventions in the Travel Industry can learn a lot from what Hugh says in this podcast. Plus, we discuss SXSW’s amazing historical musical line-up, from Johnny Cash to Beck to Billie Eilish.