Bringing A Canadian Perspective To Selling The USA

The awareness and promotion of a Canadian perspective on vacations to the United States is a big plus that the new Brand USA office in Canada brings to the table, says the director of the office.

“Canadians tend to have certain preferences for their vacations to the U.S.,” said Colin Skerritt, the new Canada regional director for Brand USA. “We know those preferences and are helping the tour operators be better able to sell those destinations and attractions,” said Skerritt, who met with Press Today during the recent IPW conference and travel trade mart in Anaheim.

But it is also the job of Brand USA Canada to raise the profile of lesser known and visited destinations, and to help those partners get more exposure north of the border. That also falls within Skerritt’s portfolio.

U.S. tourism digital assets are also more readily available for use by Canadian tour operators, now that the new Brand USA office in Toronto is up and running. That is a big advantage for all Canadian sellers of travel to the United States.

The amount and content of those digital assets, including lots of stunning hi-rez images and video, is “mind blowing,” said Skerritt. And plenty of travel sellers want that content, ranging from tour operators to online travel agents (OTAs) to airlines.

“Our airline partners are very enthusiastic,” he said, indicating that efforts are underway to develop destination tour products “beyond the gateway,” for vacation operators. These will include, for instance, thematic experiences and fly-and-drive road trip itineraries, he suggested.

In the photo
Colin Skerritt, the new Canada regional director for Brand USA, met with Canadian Travel Press during the recent IPW conference and travel trade mart in Anaheim.