Brand USA has announced the appointment of 19 leading travel trade professionals from Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam as its newest Global Travel Trade Ambassadors. This strategic initiative is designed to significantly strengthen destination knowledge, foster deeper industry partnerships, and drive robust sales of United States travel products across these four vital and dynamic Asian markets.
The newly announced appointments form an integral part of an expansive, worldwide network comprising 250 travel trade ambassadors. This global coalition has been specifically established to support trade engagement and stimulate international visitation to the United States as the country prepares for its milestone 250th-anniversary celebrations and looks forward to sustained tourism growth well beyond the landmark year.
A breakdown of the regional appointments reveals the strategic distribution of the ambassadors across Southeast Asia and East Asia. The Philippines leads the regional representation with eight newly appointed professionals. Taiwan follows closely with five ambassadors, while Vietnam accounts for four, and Singapore contributes two key industry figures to the prestigious global roster.
Singapore’s representation on the ambassador panel is spearheaded by prominent figures in the local outbound travel sector. The Republic’s appointed representatives are Vivien Lee, head of partnerships and free independent traveler (FIT) at EU Holidays, and Tevin Ong, assistant general manager at Chan Brothers Travel. Their inclusion underscores Singapore’s role as a major outbound aviation and travel hub within the broader Asia-Pacific tourism landscape.
The selection process for the Global Travel Trade Ambassadors was rigorous, reflecting the high standards expected of representatives tasked with promoting Brand USA’s tourism portfolio. Candidates were chosen based on their proven, extensive experience in successfully selling US travel products, their active participation and completion milestones within Brand USA’s signature USA Discovery Program, their ongoing professional development, and their established, active engagement with local travel trade networks in their respective home countries.
In their new capacities, these ambassadors will shoulder key responsibilities aimed at elevating the profile of the United States as a premier long-haul travel destination. They will actively share comprehensive destination information with fellow travel advisors, support vital industry training initiatives, and participate enthusiastically in targeted trade programs within their respective markets. Furthermore, the newly established programme creates valuable opportunities for strategic collaboration with major international airlines, individual American state and city destinations, and a wide array of other crucial travel and tourism industry partners.
The foundational framework for the ambassador initiative is anchored by Brand USA’s comprehensive USA Discovery Program. This platform will continue to serve as the primary cornerstone for the initiative, offering extensive destination education, practical sales resources, and continuous professional development opportunities designed to empower travel advisors to sell the United States with absolute confidence and deep cultural and geographical insight.
In addition to the core educational platform, the appointed ambassadors will gain exclusive access to a suite of supplementary training materials and specialised resources. Among these valuable tools is the "Get Facts. Get Going." toolkit, which is specifically designed to provide clear, accurate, and up-to-date information regarding visa regulations and entry requirements for travelers visiting the United States. Furthermore, ambassadors will leverage the "America the Beautiful" platform, a dedicated resource that supplies expertly curated itineraries, comprehensive regional highlights, and practical travel planning information to help craft unforgettable American holiday experiences for diverse consumer segments.
Highlighting the strategic importance of these appointments to Brand USA’s broader international engagement strategy, Suzy Shepard, Brand USA’s senior director of global travel trade development for the Asia-Pacific region, emphasized the vital role these professionals play in the travel distribution ecosystem. By recognising them as Global Travel Trade Ambassadors, Brand USA is actively elevating trusted voices within the trade community who possess the capability to translate deep destination knowledge into stronger, more confident, and more effective US travel selling practices across the diverse markets of Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
