Brand USA to host 60 agents on ‘destination immersion’ trip

Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the US, has unveiled plans to take 60 agents to the country as part of its UK and Ireland Destination Immersion programme.

Formerly known as the ‘MegaFam’, the trip will take place from April 23 to May 1, in partnership with Aer Lingus, American Airlines and British Airways. Agents will land back in the UK on May 2.

Brand USA said the UK remains the number one market for inbound visitation to the US and the programme features specially curated itineraries, “providing valuable boots-on-the-ground experience”.

The 2026 itineraries will visit several states including Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana and Oregon before culminating in a finale in Seattle, Washington State.

New for 2026, Brand USA will also be taking out some product managers to experience the destination immersion programme alongside agents, before participating in a B2B marketplace in the finale destination.

The tourist board said 2026 is an “exciting” year for US tourism, with several celebrations taking place to mark “mega events” such as America250, the 2026 World Cup and the centennial of Route 66.

Brand USA launched America the Beautiful last autumn, a global tourism marketing campaign described as its “most ambitious marketing initiative to date”.

Jackie Ennis, global trade development vice-president for Brand USA, said: “The annual UK & Ireland Brand USA Destination Immersion is not only a highly anticipated experience for the industry, but is also a valuable opportunity for the top-selling agents in these markets to further expand their knowledge on the USA.

“With 2026 being such a big year for the USA, we are excited to be able to talk about some of the key upcoming events with the trade and are once again thankful to our partners Aer Lingus, American Airlines and British Airways, for their support.”

To win a place on the immersion, agents will be required to log their bookings made with Aer Lingus, American Airlines and British Airways from January 1 to February 28.

Agents will also be required to complete the Destination Immersion Airlines Badge on the USA Discovery Programme, Brand USA’s official agent training site.