Brand USA collaborates with filmmaker to celebrate National Park Service centennial
- New website taps appeal of American outdoors to entice international visitors to U.S.
Independent filmmaker MacGillivray Freeman Films, creator of 38 giant-screen productions, is coming to Washington, April 10-13, to capture images of the city’s monuments and memorials amid the cherry blossoms for a film it is making in partnership with Brand USA as a tribute to the National Park Service’s upcoming centennial anniversary. Brand USA is the nation’s official destination marketing organization, a public-private enterprise established to drive international tourism to the U.S. With MacGillivray Freeman Films, it plans to release the giant-screen film, America Wild: U.S. National Parks (working title), globally to IMAX® theaters and other giant-screen cinemas during the first quarter of 2016.
“The movie is an ideal vehicle to showcase U.S. national parks and the great outdoors experiences available to, through and beyond our gateways to an international audience,” said Chris Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO. “There are approximately 800 giant-screen theaters in 60 countries around the world. China, for instance, one of the top source markets for travel to the U.S., has more than 75 giant-screen venues.”
MacGillivray Freeman has made nine of the top 20 giant-screen box-office hits, including “Everest” (1998), the highest-grossing IMAX documentary film ever ($152 million).
Brand USA also recently launched a new website – The United States of Great Outdoors –that highlights outdoor travel destinations and experiences across the country. In addition to the native English version, the site is available in seven other languages.
“Spotlighting the magnificent terrain, diverse environments and natural wonders across our land provides international travelers with a window to some of the most iconic locations in the U.S.,” Thompson said.
Content on the new site includes an array of travel stories, photography and videos that focus on adventure, nature, family travel and other themes, along with stories organized by destination. Features like “10 Incredible Selfie Spots Across the USA,” photos of the week and must-see lists provide travel information and trip ideas in easy-to-read snippets. Visitors toThe United States of Great Outdoors microsite can get behind-the-scenes look at the making of the America Wild film. Watch grizzly bears fishing in Alaska, relive the President Theodore Roosevelt camping trip with conservationist John Muir at Yosemite National Park in California, and see professional climber Conrad Anker scaling the red rocks at Arches National Park in Utah. New articles and video content is added to the site on a weekly basis to showcase the breadth and wonder of the USA’s great outdoors.
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About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.
Since 2012 Brand USA, in collaboration with travel industry partners, has been responsible for attracting an additional 10.3 million visitors who spent nearly $35 billion in the United States, generating $76 billion in economic output, and sustaining nearly 40,000 jobs per year. Without any cost to taxpayers, these efforts have generated $10 billion in tax receipts and returned $20 to the U.S. economy for every dollar spent.