The U.S. government's destination marketing organization will be in Little Rock this weekend filming promotional videos in an attempt to attract international tourists to the city.
Brand USA, formed in 2010 by the Travel Promotion Act as a public-private partnership to promote the country worldwide, will film in Little Rock today.
The company's videos are shown at travel trade shows, roadshows and training seminars in various countries. They are also marketed on visittheusa.com and its social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Google Plus.
The Little Rock video will be marketed to Canadians and will be shown on the website and YouTube.
The tentative filming schedule in Little Rock is 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center, 9:30 a.m. at Little Rock Central High School, 1:30 p.m. in the River Market District, 3 p.m. at the Main Street Food Truck Festival and 5 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain.
Brand USA is partnering with the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau on the project.
"Little Rock's globally recognized culture and economic diversity continue to define its unique personality, which we will bring to life through these videos in partnership with Brand USA," said Gretchen Hall, chief executive officer of the visitors bureau.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau is paying $10,400 to participate in the program. The bureau has partnered with Brand USA for the past three years to be included in their Global Inspiration Guide. Other cities, such as Bentonville, Fayetteville and North Little Rock, have also partnered in the print programs.
"We thought Brand USA's Native Traveler video program would be a great program to explore," said John Mayner, the bureau's vice president of marketing and communications. "As part of this program, we're hosting a Canadian traveler to come and experience the city, and we'll receive a finished video, along with a story about his trip, and that will be translated into 12 foreign languages and 20 plus countries, and it will live on the visittheusa.com website, which is the official travel website for the U.S., to promote all we have to offer here in Little Rock."
Tom Garzilli, Brand USA's chief marketing officer, said in a news release that enthusiasm abroad for learning about the United States is "as strong as it's ever been."
"We have the strategy of talking about the iconic places and experiences that make the USA unique, and Little Rock's world-renowned attractions and experiences rank among exceptional U.S. destinations appealing to visitors from other continents," he said.
Metro on 10/07/2017