Brand USA Talks Travel

John Tanzella, President/CEO of IGLTA, reflects on the history and future of IGLTA, recent developments in Caribbean LGBT tourism, and the importance of authenticity and diversity in LGBTQ travel marketing. He also shares details about the upcoming 40th anniversary convention in Puerto Rico.

Chris Collins, Founder of Tipodean Technologies, talks about using A.I. tools for travel images and video. They discuss hallucination, scaling, and 'Guide Geek,' an A.I.-based travel planner on WhatsApp & Instagram. They explore the impact of A.I. on content creation, monetization, and the travel industry. They also discuss the challenges of implementing A.I. in Brand USA and the cost and monetization of A.I.

We discuss Expedia’s latest consumer study, “the new traveler path to purchase,” which includes Canada, U.K., Mexico, Japan, Australia, France and the USA. We also chat about cooperative marketing and our new Expedia/GoUSA TV partnership, the “Shop This Trip” platform. Krista Bentley is Strategic Accounts Director at Expedia Group Media Solutions.

The Travel Industry has a few mad scientists, and Mark obviously feels that Gray is one of these rare individuals who sees what others may not. The two discuss artificial intelligence as a parlor trick and its potential, plus ideas about data/metrics and the latest web development. Gray is Vice President, Strategy & Insights at Miles Partnership.

Mark dives deep into how to encourage disruption with Shawn Kanungo, even exploring what it means “to die at 23 years old, but not be buried until 87.” Hear how you can embrace change and personally take your organization to new heights of success. Shawn Kanungo is the best-selling author of “The Bold Ones,” and has a new special on Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon.

This episode focuses on tips you can use in your content creation. We get the lowdown on how our winners created their series from Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Visit Denver, Justin Bresler, and Chief Brand & Marketing Officer at Visit Salt Lake, Tyler Gosnell.

Mark & Dave focus on how destinations can positively change lives through travel and tourism. After you hear Dave's approach in Michigan, you will clearly understand why the industry named him State Tourism Director of The Year. Dave Lorenz is Vice President of Travel Michigan. This was recorded live at ESTO 2023 in Savannah, Georgia.

Learn how all DMOs can work with TikTok, either on their own channels or via Visit The USA. We also discuss how TikTok differs from other socials channels, the future of the platform, and advertising. This and more from Danielle Johnson, TikTok's Group Vertical Director for Global Business Solutions, and Staci Mellman, Brand USA's Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing.

Live from ESTO, Mark & Brad discuss how important it is that local citizens are a full part of the tourism process – from marketing to sustainability. Plus, we hear what Brad has learned from adversity and challenges. Brad Dean is CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.

Why should you hire a full-time Research Director? Amir lays out the case. We also talk about the continuing impact of Covid on travel, the travel industry workforce, and ESTO Cares. This episode is live from ESTO in Savannah, Georgia. Amir Eylon is President/CEO of Longwoods International.