March 2017 - Welcome to Brand USA's monthly media newsletter with all the top stateside news spanning the next few months. Please include the URL www.VisitTheUSA.com / www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk to entice your readers with more USA adventures.

Dr. Seuss Museum comes to Massachusetts

The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss museum will open in June 2017, making the Cat in the Hat writer's works come alive for millions. This will be the only museum to honour the life and work of Springfield native, Theodor Seuss Geisel – known globally as Dr. Seuss – an American writer, cartoonist, animator, book publisher and artist. The museum will feature artwork, memorabilia and furniture from Geisel's home studio with a focus on interactive exhibits for all ages to enjoy. www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/state/Massachusetts  / www.seussinspringfield.org

Portland's Rose Garden has been perfuming the city for a century

The International Rose Test Garden in Portland, Oregon is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. To celebrate a free, community gala event will take place on 26th August 2017. Established in 1917 as a testing ground for new rose varieties and a sanctuary for European varieties during World War One, the garden holds the title of the oldest official continuously operating rose test garden in the United States. Nearly 700,000 visitors roam the 600 varieties of rose plants each year at this iconic landmark that exemplifies Portland's nickname as the 'Rose City'. Getting to the garden couldn't be easier for travelers from the UK, as a new direct flight on Delta will launch on 27th May 2017, from London Heathrow to Portland International Airport.

www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/destination/portland / www.travelportland.com / www.delta.com

Alaska celebrates 150 years as part of the USA

On 30th March 2017, Alaska will be commemorating its 150th anniversary as part of the United States. Alaska was sold to the USA for $7.2m by Russia and today visitors can still see elements of its previous Russian heritage. Sitka – Russian Alaska's former capital in the South East corner of the state – will kick-start a series of events and concerts from 28th March, for the duration of the year. This will include a 150th Art Exhibition in Sitka National Historic Park and a Russian-American colony concert, as well as Sitka Summer Music Festival celebrating Russian composers. Travellers can wander Sitka's Russian-named streets, visit the Orthodox Cathedral and the Baranov Museum for Russian-Alaskan history. www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/state/alaska / www.alaska150.com

Discover Washington's Twin Peaks as nineties series returns to small screen

David Lynch's Washington-set cult murder mystery series will return this spring, airing from 21st May on Sky Atlantic. The towns of Snoqualmie, North Bend and Fall City will be revisited as the primary filming locations for Twin Peaks exterior footage, just 40 minutes east of Seattle. Locations made famous in the original series that visitors can explore today include Salish Lodge, which posed as The Great Northern Hotel; Snoqualmie Falls (pictured) from the opening sequence of the show; The Twede's Café which doubled as the Double R Diner in North Bend, and The Roadhouse Bar in Fall City. America As You Like It has launched a Twin Peaks itinerary which takes in Seattle as well as the series' film sites, with a stay in Salish Lodge. This five night trip to Seattle and Washington State is from £1,169 per person, including return flights and accommodation. www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/state/washington / www.americaasyoulikeit.com

Dallas goes green with enormous new urban park

Dallas' Trinity River area is set to be transformed in to a 10,000 acre world-class open park, roughly 11 times larger than New York City's Central Park. In a move to bridge the north and south areas of the city, the Trinity Project will be one of the largest urban parks in the USA, which will have five bridges connecting to the city centre and feature fountains, a golf course, a horse park, lawns, playgrounds, sports fields and trails for locals and visitors to enjoy. A recent injection of $50 million by Annette Simmons, widow of billionaire, Harold Simmons has propelled the $250 million project, which will also feature a 285-acre section named Harold Simmons Park. The park will be completed by 2021. www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/destination/dallas / www.thetrinitytrust.org

Orlando braces for new thrills this summer

Parks across Orlando are set to deliver extra excitement this summer with the introduction of new rides and attractions. Walt Disney World Resort's Animal Kingdom will become home to Pandora – The World of AVATAR from 27th May 2017. As Animal Kingdom's largest ever expansion, the Avatar-inspired land (pictured) will feature floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and a Banshee flying attraction, with new after-dark entertainment. Visitors can also experience a splash at Universal Orlando Resort, as new water theme park, Volcano Bay, opens on 25th May 2017. Volcano Bay will feature 18 water-based attractions in which guests can utilise a TapuTapu™ wearable device to reduce wait times for rides. www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk/destination/orlando

Norwegian Air flies into new destinations and introduces flights from Belfast

Regional airports across the UK and Ireland will benefit from transatlantic flights starting at $65, as new routes from five cities to the U.S. are announced for this summer.

• From 15th June, Norwegian will connect Edinburgh with New York State's Stewart International, T F Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island and Bradley International, in the heart of Connecticut. This will total 14 new flights per week.
• The airline will commence a three-times-weekly service to Stewart International Airport, and twice-weekly flight to TF Green Airport, from Belfast International Airport, connecting Northern Ireland to the New York and New England regions.
• The first ever transatlantic flight from Cork will transport Irish visitors to Rhode Island's T F Green Airport with three flights per week starting on 1st July, whilst Dublin and Shannon will also commence flights on 1st July to Stewart International and T F Green, with 12 flights per week and four flights per week respectively.

www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk / www.norwegian.com

New tours showcase America's diverse experiences for families

Western & Oriental has developed a number of new multi-centre trips to provide families with some all-American adventures this year. Family Whale Watching, Wilderness and Wild West Ranch combines Seattle city sights and whale watching with five nights at the luxury Relais & Chateaux Ranch at Rock Creek where families can enjoy fly fishing, horse riding and mountain biking (10 days, from £8,999 per adult and from £4,999 per child). California Coast – Family Discovery lets families explore the Golden State from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Highlights include a surfing lesson in Santa Barbara; one-day tickets to Universal Studios, Hollywood; horse riding at Carmel Valley Ranch, and ferry tickets and a self-guided tour of Alcatraz (nine days, from £3,350 per adult and from £1,465 per child). On the Family Adventure Through Utah's National Parks plus Las Vegas, travellers can marvel at some of the USA's most renowned natural wonders including Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and Zion National Park, as well as one of its glitziest man-made cities, Las Vegas (13 days, from £3,410 per adult and from £1,335 per child). www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk / www.westernoriental.com

-ENDS- 

VisitTheUSA.com / VisitTheUSA.co.uk 

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 travellers. 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 by Oxford Economics, over the past three years Brand USA's marketing initiatives helped welcome more than 3 million incremental visitors to the USA, benefiting the U.S. economy with nearly $21 billion in total economic impact, which has supported, on average, 50,000 incremental jobs a year.

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

For further Brand USA, UK/Ireland press information, contact:

Polly Beech / Sarah Barnett

PBeech@TheBrandUSA.co.uk / SBarnett@TheBrandUSA.co.uk

020 7845 6359 / 020 7845 6378