Lately, while watching television, I’ve noticed an increasing number of travel commercials. Many of them are for other countries. “Come to beautiful Australia” or “Experience the facinating culture of Japan” and the like. Often they emphasize the friendliness of the country’s citizens, the rich cultural heritage or the breathtaking scenery.
These have led me to wonder if America has the same kinds of travel ads on foreign television.
Have you ever seen a US travel commercial on tv in another country? If so, what was it like? Was it for one state, specifically, or the country as a whole? What kinds of things were used as selling points? (History, beaches, friendliness, etc.)
Seriously, I’ve not even heard an ad for America on the radio. I have, though, heard ads for New York (flying to New York to do Christmas shopping is popular), and often see ads in print for assorted parts of America - usually New York, Hawaii, California, or Florida.
From memory, the most commonly used selling point of travel to the US as seen in NZ commercials is probably Disneyland.
Maybe it’s because we have plenty of scenery here – but we don’t have Disneyland.
(I think pictures of the Grand Canyon might appear occasionally too).
The other US travel ads I’m familiar with are ones targetted at younger adults to go be camp instructors at your kid’s summer camps.
But generally, “travel the scenic US” isn’t pushed hard here – in my experience. Other NZ Dopers mileage may vary.
Oddly, no. Not here in the Netherlands, that I know of. There have been commercials offering the chance to win a trip to the US, often linked to something special (a concert, a meet&greet with a celebrity, things liek that).
It is my guess that with all the movies coming out of the USA, the country really doesn’t need commercials.
TV commercials and print ads touting travel to the US or particular regons in general (as opposed to advertising promoting specific travel products of travel companies/airlines)- none that I can remember.
I guess commercials etc. for travel to the US would be superfluous. US regions and settings, both rural/wilderness and urban, get enough much free exposure in TV and cinema. Why should US tourism associations/agencies e.g. pay for cinema ads for the US West/Southwest when the Marlboro campaigns do that for them?
BTW were the commercials that you refer to sponsored by entities of the foreign country (government/tourism association etc) or by US companies selling travel to the foreign country? I assume the former, from your description.
I seem to remember [when I lived in the UK] one years ago that showed shots of various parts of the USofA and President George Bush [not Dubya - the other one] walking across [I think] the White House lawn asking us why we hadn’t come to America. were we waiting for a Presidential invite? or words to that effect.
In Ireland I’ve seen several for Florida, or parts of it, Busch Gardens and the like. During the Atlanta Olympics, there were ads with Elton John singing Georgia On My Mind - I presume they were travel ads for the State, but it could’ve been anything!
I presume “they” don’t need to advertise America as a holiday destination since we all know it’s there …
I can remember one such ad, which aired about six months after 9/11 when I imagine the US tourist industry was feeling the pain - it featured telegenic people reciting that “from sea to shining sea” verse, followed by a brief clip of G.W.Bush himself in the Oval Office, imploring us to visit your wonderful country. Seemed kinda desperate, to be honest.
I’ve seen adverts on Berkshire (near England) TV for Florida (quite a few, many specifically for that place where Mickey Mouse lives and many for Florida genrally or other parts of Flordia), at least one for New York and I vaguely recollect some for various other parts of the US.
Nitpick: Apollyon, I’m sure you meant DisneyWorld, not DisneyLand right? While DisneyLand is impressive, I have heard facts that it could fit into the parking lot for Epcot center in DisneyWorld.
I’m a US one, but I have been to other countries before. Never noticed any commercial for visiting here… then again, I haven’t seen any commercial to visit anywhere really.
I don’t remember seeing a US commercial, not even Disneyworld. (We do have a Disneyland here, after all.) The ads I routinely see are New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The New Zealand ads look fantastic, by the way.
Nope Apollyon is right I have only seen Disneyland advertised not Disneyworld. This is, presumably, because Kiwis are more likely to go to Calafornia because it is closer (bear in mind virtually nowhere is close to NZ). The only time I have seen Disneyland “advertised” on TV is as a prize in a competition.
The other only ad for the US, that I have seen recently, is the one pushing young people to go to America to work at summer camps.
From memory, this Aussie has seen ads for England (not the UK, just England – hang on, it was a BA ad), Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, New Caledonia, and India.
Apart from the English one (which was an airline advertisement), they have all been in our region, or at least Eastern Hemisphere locations. Nothing for the United States, as I can remember.
I remember some TV ads for America that hit the TV here in the UK soon after 9/11 - they focused mainly on the warmth of welcome and service that the visitor could expect.
