America the Beautiful? Or Just America the Unaware?
The U.S. Wants International Travelers Back. But Does It Even Know Why They Left?
Brand USA has launched a new global tourism campaign with polished visuals, nostalgic messaging, and an AI-powered travel planning tool.
It’s well-timed, aligning with a decade of major upcoming events:
America250 and the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Olympics in 2028, and 2034.
The message is clear: “The USA is open for business.”
But the numbers behind it suggest something else.
And the way those numbers are being interpreted reveals more about what the tourism industry hopes to see than what travelers are actually doing.
The Campaign at a Glance
America the Beautiful is built to inspire.
It aims to reconnect the world with the emotional appeal of the United States through storytelling, AI-generated itineraries, and familiar images of iconic places and landscapes.
The goal is to reignite interest, especially among long-haul international travelers.
However, the campaign seems to speak more to Americans who want to feel admired again than to international travelers who are still hesitant to return.
Watch the campaign on YouTube
The Numbers Are Still Fragile
According to the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO):
March 2025 saw a drop in international arrivals of 11.6 percent
April 2025 saw an increase of 8 percent
May 2025 fell again, this time by 2.8 percent
Year-to-date, international arrivals are still down 0.8 percent compared to 2024
Brand USA attributes the March decline to the fact that Easter fell in April this year, rather than in March as it did in 2024.
The idea is that holiday travel simply shifted one month forward.
This explanation may hold on the surface, but the details tell a different story.
Easter Can’t Carry the Weight
In Mexico and much of Latin America, Easter week (Semana Santa) is one of the most important travel periods of the year.
In 2025, Easter Sunday landed on April 20, meaning that the entire holiday window fell in April.
That should have pushed a clear spike in travel during that month, especially from Mexico and other key markets.
Instead, we saw a modest 8 percent rise in April.
This is not the kind of rebound you expect when an entire region’s peak travel week falls in that timeframe.
And then in May, travel declined again.
Even with the Easter calendar fully aligned, the demand was not strong enough to offset the softness from March.
And that weakness is still visible in the year-to-date numbers.
Sentiment Isn’t Conversion
Brand USA has also shared sentiment poll results showing that the likelihood to visit the U.S. is increasing in several key markets, including Mexico, Canada, France, Japan, and South Korea. (Hard to believe results.)
That is good news in theory, but sentiment does not equal bookings.
Intent is emotional. Conversion is logistical.
When international travelers are serious about visiting, that shows up in flight data, advisor requests, and hotel demand.
It is not just a matter of interest but of action.
If sentiment were translated, we would see it reflected in April and May numbers.
I don’t think we are there yet.
Still Aspirational?
A key part of the campaign’s message is that the United States remains the world’s most aspirational long-haul destination.
That may still be true, but it no longer comes without questions.
Today’s travelers are weighing ease, safety, pricing, and flexibility alongside aspiration.
Countries such as Japan, Italy, Australia, and the UAE have significantly improved their infrastructure, accessibility, and perception.
The U.S. offers unmatched variety but also more friction.
Visa wait times, political uncertainty, uneven service, and headlines around safety have complicated the experience.
Aspiration matters, but ease of execution matters more.
What the Campaign Misses
Targeting
The messaging lacks clarity on who it is trying to reach. Is it speaking to first-time travelers, adventure clients, or returning visitors?Narrative realism
There is little acknowledgement of the current concerns travelers have. The campaign focuses on memory, not momentum.Conversion flow
The new AI tool is interesting, but without a clear next step toward booking or concierge-level support, it becomes just another interface.Key issues
Safety, sustainability, access, and trust are now core to the travel decision-making process. These elements are barely visible in the campaign.
Why It Matters
If you work in travel, especially in the luxury space (like I do), this campaign will shape what your clients are seeing.
They will hear the slogans and watch the videos, but will still turn to you to validate the decision.
Expect questions like
“Is now a good time to go?”
“Will it be easy to move around?”
“Will I be safe?”
This is where your value remains strong.
This is where real context, personalization, and curation make all the difference.
Marketing creates the spark.
Trust builds the bridge.
A Fair Conclusion
Brand USA is dealing with one of the most complex challenges any national tourism board has ever faced.
They are trying to reintroduce a country that has changed in the eyes of the world while working with limited funding, shifting and erratic political winds, and an audience that is more skeptical than ever.
This campaign is a start. It is a necessary move. But it cannot succeed on sentiment alone.
What will be needed going forward is more clarity, more specificity, and a deeper understanding of what international travelers are looking for today.
Less nostalgia, more reassurance.
Less aspiration, more access.
World travelers are willing to listen.
But the message needs to meet them where they are.