The destination marketing organization for the United States, Brand USA, partnered with United Airlines to host its inaugural China familiarization tour, MegaFam, from Oct. 19–27. The program brought together 50 leading tour operators from across China to experience a range of U.S. destinations and travel products.
During the China MegaFam, participants visited iconic gateway cities such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, while also exploring regional attractions reachable from those hubs. Partner tourism boards and destination marketing organizations — including NYC & Company, Discover Long Island and Visit Philly — helped showcase a balanced and diverse picture of what the United States offers international visitors.
“We’ve been working with our partners for some time to host a familiarization tour of qualified tour operators from China as part of the U.S.–China Tourism Year strategy,” said Thomas Garzilli, chief marketing officer at Brand USA. “The MegaFam provided top travel industry professionals from across China the opportunity to experience the United States to, through, and beyond gateway cities.”
United Airlines, which operates more nonstop U.S.–China flights than any other carrier and offers the largest trans-Pacific network from China among U.S. airlines, supported the initiative. The airline is rolling out an upgraded United Polaris business class on long-haul routes serving mainland China and the U.S., featuring enhanced bedding, refreshed in-flight dining and curated amenity kits to improve the trans-Pacific travel experience.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Brand USA to continue the momentum of the U.S.–China Tourism Year on this MegaFam to promote the United States to Chinese tourists,” said Walter Dias, managing director for greater China and Korea sales at United Airlines.
The U.S.–China Tourism Year aims to strengthen travel and tourism ties between the two countries while promoting cultural understanding and memorable travel experiences. Brand USA maintains an active presence in China through consumer marketing, trade outreach and cooperative marketing platforms. As the top international source market by U.S. travel and tourism exports, China delivers significant economic benefits and remains one of the highest-growth potential markets for U.S. tourism.