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How do you sell an entire country to the world? On this episode, Jeremy Nichols and Dr. Peter Ricci sit down with Chris Heywood, Senior Vice President, Public Relations and Chief Communications Officer for Brand USA, to talk about what it takes to position the United States as a global travel destination.

Chris oversees Brand USA’s global communications and a network of international offices in 14 markets serving more than 20 regions across five continents. Before Brand USA, he led global communications for the country’s two largest destination marketing organizations. In New York City, he helped drive a decade of continuous tourism growth and led communications through the city’s COVID-19 recovery. In Los Angeles, he built a new global PR network after the pandemic, promoted the Hollywood Sign’s 100th anniversary, and helped host IPW 2024.

We cover:

* How Brand USA markets the U.S. to international travelers
* What destination marketing looks like at the city level versus the national level
* Leading tourism communications through crisis and recovery
* How global media relations drives visitation

*Chris’s path from FIU and The Culinary Institute of America to the top of destination marketing
*What this means for hotels, restaurants, and operators who depend on inbound travel

Connect with Chris Heywood on LinkedIn: / christopherheywood

Checkin’ In is hosted by Jeremy Nichols of Gecko Hospitality and Dr. Peter Ricci, Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Florida Atlantic University. We have real conversations about hospitality leadership, operations, talent, and the trends shaping the industry.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe for new episodes.

#Hospitality #Tourism #DestinationMarketing #BrandUSA #TravelIndustry #HospitalityLeadership #CheckinIn

You can follow Peter Ricci at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterriccihospitality/

You can follow Jeremy Nichols at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremycnichols/

https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyNichols