U.S. Secretary of Commerce Appoints ATI CEO Noel Irwin Hentschel to Brand USA Board of Directors

AmericanTours International (ATI) Chairman, CEO Noel Irwin Hentschel, has been appointed to the board of directors of Brand USA by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to represent the travel distribution sector. Brand USA is the destination marketing organization for the United States and a public-private partnership created by the Travel Promotion Act to increase incremental international visitation to fuel the nation’s economy and enhance the image of the USA worldwide.

Announcement of Hentschel’s appointment was just prior to ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel exhibition, where ATI joined Brand USA to promote America as a travel destination focusing on a welcome message and the importance of tourism to continued economic growth. Hentschel personified the welcome message by rolling out a symbolic red carpet to attendees.

“International inbound tourism to America is critical for jobs and our economy and offers an immediate impact to any imbalance with key trading partners. Brand USA is essential to ensuring that America is perceived as a desirable travel destination for international visitors. ATI’s and Brand USA’s goal is to increase international tourism spend across all fifty states. Many desirable destinations compete for international travelers and spend a great deal of money on marketing. America needs to continue investing in promoting not only a welcome message, but also in showcasing the diversity of destinations and experiences that America has to offer,” Hentschel stated.

A prominent voice for public policy issues that affect the tourism industry, Hentschel served six recurring terms on the U.S. Travel & Tourism Advisory Board. In 2007, Hentschel worked with U.S. and Chinese government officials to implement Approved Destination Status for the U.S., paving the way for a massive increase in Chinese visitation to America.

Revolutionizing the inbound travel industry by setting standards for service, product innovation, and technological expertise, ATI operates escorted tours in many languages and distributes wholesale hotel and attraction inventory from some 30,000 suppliers across all 50 states to over 70 international markets.

America's largest privately held, American-owned, visit USA tourism and marketing organization, ATI is dually headquartered in Los Angeles and Orlando with regional offices in New York and Hawaii. Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, ATI serves nearly one million visitors generating an estimated $3 billion into the U.S. economy.

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