The private-sector-driven Brand USA, partially funded by government-collected visa waiver fees, measures its effectiveness by growth in international arrivals and visitor expenditures. The Department of Commerce deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism will be judged by hitting a goal of attracting 90 million international visitors a year by 2027.
I believe it’s time to alter the composition of destination marketing organizations (DMO) to take into account important travel-related issues that impact communities and the planet. Specifically, I am calling for the appointment to tourist boards of experts who have the credentials to weigh in on the existential crisis of climate change.