Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, together with American Airlines and British Airways, is pleased to confirm a bigger than ever MegaFam for 2017.

The announcement was made last month at the 2016 finale in Huntington Beach, California, as the airlines provided additional tickets to seven winners of an agent competition that had been running for the duration of the MegaFam week.

Agents were vying to win the prize for 'most mega-engaged agent' by posting as much as they could on social media, as well as engaging with partners on the ground during their time on the MegaFam. The seven winners from each itinerary were due to be put into a prize draw, however, Brand USA, American Airlines and British Airways surprised the shortlist by providing each and every one of them with additional confirmed places for next year's MegaFam.

The seven flights are on top of the 100 already confirmed by the airlines meaning the 2017 Brand USA MegaFam will be bigger than ever before.

“The MegaFam is becoming the most talked about familiarisation trip in the UK and Ireland industry, and working with a large number of states and destinations to create inspiring itineraries generates great value for our participating partners and stakeholders,” said Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA President & CEO. “We are grateful to our partners, American Airlines and British Airways, for their continued support and we look forward to working in collaboration with the airlines and our destination partners to educate, engage, and inspire even more agents as ambassadors for the USA.”

During the entry period from 1st January to 3rd April 2016, over 930 agents registered their international flight bookings from the UK and Ireland to the USA, up by 87% from the previous year and exceeding the target set. To qualify, agents were also required to complete two specialist badges on the Brand USA agent training site, www.USADiscoveryProgram.co.uk

David Thomas, Director Sales UK, Ireland & Offline for American Airlines said, “American Airlines is thrilled to be partnering with Brand USA and British Airways for the 2017 MegaFam. 2016 proved to be ever popular and we're very much looking forward to what next year has to offer.”

Chris Rankin, British Airways Head of Consumer Sales, commented, “We're delighted to be supporting the MegaFam 2017. It's a great event to be involved in because we know how much the agents get out of it and it's growing year-on-year.”

Details of the Brand USA MegaFam 2017 will be released later this year.

To become a qualified USA Specialist, agents should visit USADiscoveryProgram.co.uk

For more information about travel experiences and destinations in the United States, visit VisitTheUSA.co.uk

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About Brand USA

Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation's first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organisation's mission is to increase international visitation to the USA in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies done by Oxford Economics, Brand USA's marketing initiatives over the past two years have resulted in an incremental increase of 2 million visitors to the USA and a total impact on the U.S. economy of nearly $15 billion in spending, which has supported 50,000 new jobs each year.

For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit www.TheBrandUSA.com. For information about travel experiences in the United States, please visit Brand USA's consumer website at www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk.

For further press information on Brand USA contact:

• Sarah Barnett – sbarnett@thebrandusa.co.uk / 020 7845 6378
• Allie Williams – awilliams@thebrandusa.co.uk / 020 7845 6384
• Polly Beech – pbeech@thebrandusa.co.uk / 020 7845 6359