Chris Thompson has seen a lot during his 41 years in travel – wars, terrorist attacks, a once-in-a-generation depression, and – worst of all – a pandemic that shook the foundations of the travel industry, each in their own way resulting in profound changes in the way people see – and want to see – the world. And how they get there. But one thing the outgoing president and CEO of Brand USA knows hasn’t changed: the power of travel to transform lives, and how it might just save the world we live in.
Travel Industry Today sat down with Thompson at the recent IPW US travel trade show – his last – in Los Angeles, for a deep dive into the recollections, and insights, of one of US Travel’s most eminent figures. Though he announced his retirement last year, and will be succeeded at Brand USA by New York Tourism’s Fred Dixon this summer, Thompson will stay until Sept. 30 as part of the transition.
First, a brief CV: Upon its conclusion, Thompson’s tenure at the US’s national tourism marketing agency will have been one month short of 12 years; previously, he spent 15 years at Visit Florida, including the final three years as president and CEO. He started his career in tourism in 1983 as an entry level marketing representative at the Florida Division of Tourism and still lives in Tallahassee, Fla., where he will be “heading home” in September to play with grandchildren, learn to fly, and spend time with his wife at his “happy place” – a home in Amelia Island, Fla., where “when we cross the bridge, we feel like we leave the world behind, knowing it will be there when we get back.”
So just how, in his opinion, did travel get to 2024?
The evolution of travel & tourism
“Let’s start with the thing that’s affected us the most – the pandemic. There’s this phrase that I use coming out of the pandemic: ‘Travel went from being a nicety to a necessity.’ I think when we were all sheltered in places and we couldn’t travel, you realized how important travel is to our lives, not just because of the experiences we can have, but it feeds you as a person and your personal growth – all the things that include the experiences, but so much more than that because you’re stepping out of your comfort zone, your way of life, your day to day. You’re experiencing cultures, crossing borders, experiencing languages, and literally growing as a human being in every way possible just because of the experiences you’re having.
“I think that’s always been there, but I think we realize how much we missed it and the power of travel beyond just the experiences, and how it really makes you feel; and how it allows you to grow and makes you a more full person because of it.
Technology
“Obviously, the way we do our jobs, the way we tell our stories, has changed massively with technology and things that didn’t even exist back when we started. Therefore, we can be smarter and more efficient and more strategic just because of the tools we have. And I think that’s only going to get better because technology is always going to change at a rapid pace.
“I grew up in Atlanta and at 10 years old our trip was getting in mom’s station wagon and she would put a mattress back there where the three of us would sleep that night and we’d wake up at Disney or at the beach. It was really, really simple.
“I think of our welcome centres in Florida and how valuable they were to everybody driving into Florida. It was always the first stop to get your glass of orange juice and pick up your brochure about where you were going; or maybe you didn’t even have your trip planned. And that was the beauty of those welcome centres, because you could literally go in and, all in print, have an explanation of where you wanted to go. But now you have that at your fingertips on your phone, on a whim, when you want to consume it. So, just that simple change, which is a massive change, allows (people) to get away from more well-known destinations and gateways.
Storytellers
“We (tourism marketers) are storytellers. When I travel, I like to know what the locals know, and that’s something we can all talk about now. When you know what the heart and soul of the destination is, sometimes what they know and what you would learn there isn’t historically what would be in print, or readily available, because print limited you to what you could bring forward. I think that technology has changed the way people consume marketing and broadens their perspectives to be able to broaden the experiences. We (Brand USA) have been leading on ‘storytelling’ for a long time (through music, film, a proprietary TV network, etc.).
“I love our ‘United Stories’ Campaign on the premise that there were many stories that were telling the story of the USA and what it has to offer. Now, we’re all storytellers, and everyone has a story to tell.
“It’s actually moved away from that 30-second spot or 20-page brochure to this content that is so compelling in so many ways. The influencers and everything you find on the (Brand USA) TV station, once you get in there it kind of sucks you in.
New channels
“When we launched Go USA TV, I thought it was a great idea. We wanted to be the Netflix for all the things you could see and do in the United States. Now, on any given day, that channel can reach over 50 countries and a billion people. And that is content that we create, curate, and license. And we even won an Emmy for one of our campaigns, ‘Small Towns, Big Stories,’ for the power of that – so, that’s pretty good.
“(Travel marketing) has become how much more you can tell, and how deeply you can tell it, and how you can really reach the levels of engagement and immersion that you get.
The chicken or the egg?
“I think the potential for (authenticity) was always there, we just didn’t have a way to connect to it. It’s technology and how we can reach them, when they want to be reached, in the medium they want to be reached. They only had one choice (in the past) and it was going to be a guide or brochure. Technology takes them deeper and broader and richer. Those experiences were always there, it was just always hard to get the word out to experience and see it.
“And it’s so lifestyle driven now. It’s less about the geography and more about what do I want to feel and experience; and am I doing it by myself or am I doing it with somebody? And if I’m looking for something you can literally be that specific and go find it – that experience is out there somewhere.
Divided America
“We’ve had interesting politics before (in the US). When president Trump was elected the first time around, he came in on an America-first strategy – we’re going to shut our borders and take care of ourselves and not maybe do it the way we’ve been doing it in the past. All the stories were saying, ‘travel’s done!’ We were all worried about what that would look like. But in reality, that never proved to be the case. There was lots of noise around that, but what makes us aspirational has nothing to do with that. It has nothing to do with who gets elected every four years.
“(Do) Canadians think differently because we share a border with you? Because you’re so close, there is a different relationship there, but what makes travel aspirational is less about that. You guys consume our pop culture more than a lot of people do.
Soft diplomacy
“The whole world is (divided) and I think travel is the most compelling thing that can (break down barriers) … We call it the ‘soft diplomacy’ of travel. Whatever geopolitical issues are out there, travel has a way of finding solutions and answers quicker because people are travelling. For instance, China is one of our more complicated issues just now because of geopolitics. When people weren’t travelling back and forth that makes it way more complicated. Travel has a way of rising above geopolitics to get better results. So, I think travel may be one of the most powerful tools to help us get back to some semblance of what we’re used to.
“(And) it’s not just us (the US), it’s as polarizing and divided around the world as it’s been in my adult life. I don’t know what’s going to help us get back to the way it used to be, but travel has the best way. It’s just simple things. We know that if we can get someone to come to the US, no matter what their perception of the US is, they’re going to go home with a more positive opinion or thought. That is an underrated, powerful tool that travel brings to the table. It aids more than anything. Travel boycotts don’t solve anything.
So, do you think travel can save the world?
“Actually, I do! I think that’s a pretty lofty goal, but I do think that travel is a powerful tool to help solve the problems that are in the world now that are complicating our lives.”
But can it’s unchecked effects (over-tourism, etc.) do the opposite?
“I guess it could if we let it. I actually think one of the biggest changes that has occurred in my 40 years here is, there was always this argument: We were called destination marketing organizations. But 20 years ago, it kind of navigated to destination management organization, which acknowledged it was so much more! Now the conversation is that as the DMO you are the stewards of the destination. So, it is not just the brand that you’re protecting, but the destination itself.
“I think if DMOs are doing their job, they are in the know about everything that is going on in the destination and the challenges. But they can be part of the solution to try to figure out, ‘OK, if we’re experiencing this, how do we fix it?’ So, I actually think travel can play an important part in that regard, but if we don’t do it and we allow things like over-tourism to settle in and take place, then it’s our own damn fault!
“But I do think we’re all smarter and realize that we have a higher calling than just the brand and the marketing side. You have to be a steward and a shepherd of the destination. That’s a huge leap!
9/11, the depression & pandemic
“You know why COVID was the worst? There’s the saying, ‘There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.’ When the pandemic first started, everybody said this will be over in a couple of months and then they realized not only is that not true, but we have no idea. There was no light at the end of the tunnel; it was complete darkness. In order to overcome something that difficult, you always have to have hope, you have to see that light at the end of the tunnel. For me, that was something I’d never seen before. In our world (travel), we’re just waiting for the borders to open and until they do, what are we going to do? It was for such an extended period of time with literally no light in the tunnel – that’s why that was the toughest. I just hope we took good notes.
Legacy and the power of travel
“Once we had the light at the end of the tunnel, then we started feeling some relief. That’s why it seems so long ago. I think there’s going to be some legacy things. Obviously remote work is going to be a bigger part of the work world. In a bad way, the world (seems more divided, entrenched and less civil) and I don’t know how we fix that.
“But I’m telling you, that’s where travel can have a huge role. If we can get people back together and going other places, and we get back to some civility where people are learning and appreciating and understanding, then travel and tourism is one of the most powerful tools. It will bring us closer to all of the people, and the (global) issues that we’re trying to solve.”