Wow, hear this: Obama wants you to visit the US

There is only one word to describe the International Pow Wow held in Los Angeles last April: Wow!

You can say all you want against the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, but when it comes to promoting their country as a tourism destination, the Americans do it wisely. And well.

Never mind that their visa processing is awfully tedious. Never mind that their security measures almost strip you naked at the airports. Never mind that, according to a survey result fielded in 16 countries, Americans are perceived to be arrogant.

“America is open for business,” President Barack Obama told the Pow Wow delegates in a video message. “We are going to make America the top travel destination in the world.” (The World Tourism Organization says the top 10 travel destinations in the world right now, according to rank, are France, US, China, Spain, Italy, UK, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia and Mexico.)

President Barack Obama's message: “America is open for business. We will make America the world's top travel destination.”

Earlier this year, Obama issued an executive order creating a national travel and tourism strategy for the US. It’s the first time that a president has singled out the tourism industry. And understandably, in these economically-trying times: “The more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work,” he added.

The Pow Wow, a yearly gathering organized by the US Travel Association, is the largest generator of travel to the US, with over 1,000 travel organizations, 1,200 international and domestic buyers  and 400 media delegates networking for six days in a convention site and daily sightseeing tours. The result: Over $3.5 billion in future US travels.

Yes, tourism is America’s number one service export. In 2011, some 62 million international visitors contributed more than $153 billion to the national economy. A tourist spends an average of 16 nights in the US and spends some $4,000, according to Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association.

Number one: Orlando, Florida, with its SeaWorld attractions, is the most visited tourist spot in the United States.

    Although it was my fourth time to attend a Pow Wow  having been wowed before in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas  I was ready to be impressed again. After all, every Pow Wow I’ve attended was extremely well-organized and full of surprises.

This year, Pow Wow rolled out the red carpet at the Universal Studios which was booked exclusively for one night for the delegates to experience Transformers The Ride in 3D. It also presented  Cirque du Soleil numbers and performances by casts of Broadway’s greatest hits. It offered delegates a dizzying choice of LA tours, from museums to art galleries to glam fashion shops to farmers’ markets to movie stars’ homes to nature spots. On closing night, it laid out a gastronomic feast by Wolfgang Puck’s signature restaurants and let the Earth, Wind and Fire provide the final wow.

This year marked the debut of Brand USA, a public-private marketing entity created to promote international travel to the US. “Every country in the world has some kind of national marketing campaign,” explained  Malcolm Smith, general manager for Pow Wow. “Now, our cities, states and suppliers no longer have to do it on their own.”

Selling America: Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association,opens the 2012 International Pow Wow at the Los Angeles Convention Center .

Brand USA  mounted this month a $12.3 million blitz via television, the web, billboards, print advertising and social media in the UK, Canada and Japan, apparently their biggest target markets. A second wave includes Brazil and South Korea (two countries where the US visa requirement has been waived and from where the volume of tourists grew by 47 percent in just two years), with several other markets to follow. There are 36 countries where the US visa requirement is waived. In China, visa processing time has reportedly been cut to two weeks. Will the US ever waive the visa requirement in the Philippines? We wish! But first, the US Embassy in Manila must cut the visa processing time, from a tortuous average three months to two weeks as well.

Brand USA fielded research in the 16 countries that send the most visitors to America. “We wanted to know what motivates people to visit, and what keeps others away,” said Chris Perkins, chief marketing officer of Brand USA.”Some visitors saw Americans as ‘arrogant, and not particularly welcoming.’”

America is perceived in the survey by some respondents as a “middle age” destination. “It’s a way of saying we’re not as shiny and new and fresh as other destinations. People think they already know us, from pop culture, from the news.”

Optimum attraction:The Transformers are currently the main stars at Universal Studios.

Brand USA discovered that what people love about the US is its diversity. “And they believe that Americans welcome the opportunity to share their dreams.”

Following their research, Brand USA developed a slogan: “Discover this land, like never before.” Roseanne Cash, daughter of musician Johnny Cash, and herself an accomplished artist, was engaged to compose a song that would fit the campaign’s goals. The result can be seen in a video titled “Land of Dreams”.

“The power of America’s new travel brand will energize this year’s tourism efforts,” declared Malcolm Smith, GM for International Wow Wow. “Our goal is to rekindle the world’s love affair with the USA  the place, the spirit and the dream.”

America wants us to experience the great outdoors, urban excitement, culture and indulge in its entertainment offerings  and discover America in ways we have never before.

Fashion avenue: Lanvin is one of the top couture shops on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

All throughout the International Pow Wow in Los Angeles, I thought of our own underrated tourist spots and dreamed that we can do our own annual Pow Wow.The face of the articulate, brilliant but sometimes non-smiling Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez kept flashing on my mind and I told myself: Wish he were here.

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For more info , visit  www.powwowonline.com, www.TheBrandUSA.com and www.DiscoverAmerica.com.

The next International Pow Wow will be held in June 2013 in Las Vegas; 2014 in Chicago, Illinois; 2015 in Orlando, Florida; and 2016 in Miami, Florida.

For daily flights to the United States , call Delta Air Lines at 814-8800 and 814-9800, or inquire at its office at 9/F Athenaum Building, 160 Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati, or visit www.delta.com.

Team Philippines: Anthony Legaspi, Hilton Worldwide director of sales (standing, left), played gracious dinner host with the mostest for travel colleagues and editors at the Los Angeles Pow Wow. Seated (from left) are Pacita Jose, Trusty Travel & Tours managing director; Minda Santiago, Northstar International Travel consultant; Gina Campos, ITI -Delta Air Lines general manager; Beth Dumas, Hilton Pasadena sales manager; and Liberty Pinili, Sunstar Cebu deputy managing editor. Standing are Cecile Villejo, Spectrum Travel & Tours operations manager; Ivy Martinez, Rajah Travel Corporation manager-internal operations; Luigi Carlo Jose, Trusty Travel &Tours sales marketing manager; Feliz Axalan, Tradewings Tours group reservations officer; and Millet Mananquil, Philippine Star lifestyle editor.