CRUSA's sales and media mission to the UK.
While many challenges remain in the world of travel, we have some positive momentum going into the spring.

First, with the Restoring Brand USA Act as part of the recent spending bill signed by President Biden, our national voice for promoting inbound tourism to the US is secure.

Capital Region USA participates in many Brand USA programs, as do our partners, and as the world slowly emerges from COVID, telling the story of the US will take on an even more critical role as travelers weigh their destination choices.

Next, CRUSA recently completed its first sales and media missions since February 2020. We took a group of partners from Destination DC, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Visit Fairfax, Visit Baltimore, and the Virginia Beach CVB to the UK and Ireland for a week of meetings with our key tour operator partners and media. The missions were arranged by Lisa Chamberlain (trade) and the Brighter Group (PR), CRUSA's representatives for the UK and Irish markets.

As one of the first destinations to return to the UK for a mission, Capital Region was able to sell itself and tell its many stories of why travelers should choose our region for their next international trip.

We’ll hold missions in Germany at the end of April and France at the end of June.

Finally, we will open registration for our Global Travel Exchange on Monday, April 4. This first-ever marketplace will be held at The Madison Hotel in Washington, DC from October 10-12, with pre- and post-fam tours. We are limiting participation to 20 from each CRUSA partner (a total of 60 DMOs, hotels, attractions, etc.), and sign-ups will be on a first-come basis. Please plan to join us next fall in DC!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
Scott Balyo
Executive Director
Capital Region USA

Registration Opens Monday, April 4!
Mark your calendars to attend the inaugural Global Travel Exchange! Capital Region USA's Global Travel Exchange will be an annual marketplace designed to connect the region's travel suppliers, overseas buyers, and receptive operators in face-to-face appointments, regional familiarization tours, and engaging networking events.

Where: The Madison Hotel, Washington, DC
When: October 10-12, 2022

Registration will open Monday, April 4. View the event schedule here.
Overseas Visitation
CRUSA has invested in Travel Market Insight's (TMI) Destination Control Panel, a monthly report with detailed overseas visitation data. As our destination strives to recover international market share in the wake of the COVID pandemic, CRUSA will share insights from the control panel in our monthly newsletters. We hope you find this information valuable as you plan your international sales and marketing budgets.

February 2022 Insights

  • The Omicron impact in 2022 is evident given January - February 2022 overseas visits to the US were down significantly from January-February 2019 (down 63%). By comparison, December 2021 US overseas visits showed signs of progress as the world started to open a bit – December 2021 was down 51% compared to December 2019.

  • 2022 January-February US overseas visits increased 283% over January-February 2021 when the global impact of COVID was in full force. Western Europe visits to the US increased 990% for the same time frame, which is the largest change in rebound from 2021 compared to other world regions. However, Western Europe in 2022 is still only 56% of the visits registered in 2019 for the US.

  • Access to CRUSA destinations registered a positive competitive position in the first two months of 2022 despite Omicron stalling travel. January – February 2022 US overseas visits entering through Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) by country of residence registered positive gains in market share for all world regions, except South America.

  • Access to CRUSA destinations for visitors from France and Germany (by country of residence visits) was competitive for the first two months in 2022. Visits remained minimal, however, IAD registered a positive competitive position as an entry point for visitors from France and Germany for January-February 2022.
 
Note: Current visitor inputs are as of March 2022. Travel from these countries continues to evolve in a changing travel environment.
Industry Updates
Robin McLain Named an Emerging Travel Leader by US Travel Association
Congratulations to Robin McLain, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications with Destination DC and CRUSA board member, for being named one of US Travel Association's Emerging Travel Leaders! The Emerging Leaders Program, exclusive to Chairman's Circle members, creates opportunities to expand the exposure, knowledge and capabilities of rising leaders to develop, inspire and achieve within the industry and beyond. Join us in congratulating Robin on this well-deserved recognition!
Allied Members