Last week Brand USA unveiled its latest destination specific program at Minneapolis-St Paul Airport.
In partnership with with Explore Minnesota and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, the ‘market the Welcome’ campaign aims to showcase the distinctive Minnesota experience for arriving travelers.
It is now live in both passenger terminals at MSP and is the third airport to implement the program as part of Brand USA’s new branding and marketing strategies.
"Tourism supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates over $13 billion a year in economic activity in Minnesota alone. There is huge, untapped potential to expand the international tourism market, which will benefit local economies not only in Minnesota, but across the country. In fact, each overseas traveler spends approximately $4,400 when they visit the US," said senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the bipartisan Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus.
The airport features new welcome signage and digital displays showing high-impact images of the Minnesota experience.
"For millions of travelers each year, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is their first experience of Minnesota, and for connecting passengers it might be their only experience," said Brian Ryks, executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
"We want to do all we can to make that experience a positive one and to encourage travelers to use our airport and choose our community when planning their next trip."
The Market the Welcome program is designed specifically for gateway airport hubs as a first port of call for millions of international travelers and using destination specific displays, focuses on the inside of the federal inspection service areas and international baggage claim before passengers clear customs.
According to the 2014 data from the National Travel and Tourism Office, overseas visitors stayed an average of 17 days per trip.
