The Brand USA U.K. & Europe Travel Week, held from September 28 to October 1, 2026, in Amsterdam, confirmed its status as a key event for European tourism professionals looking to develop their expertise on the United States. Organized by Brand USA, the national marketing and tourism promotion organization, this 8th edition was fully booked, with over 800 participants, nearly double the attendance of the first edition in 2019.
The event, themed “Building Tomorrow’s Demand,” brought together 450 representatives from around 200 American organizations, along with over 300 buyers and journalists from 17 European countries, at the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam’s former stock exchange. France was among the most active delegations, with 9 journalists and 10 buyers, tour operators, and travel agencies specializing in the United States.
Networking Opportunities
During the event, participants had privileged access to a strategic network of American destinations and their representatives, which helped to establish professional relationships, share expertise, and create new collaborations. Individual meetings, organized over two days, allowed journalists to discover market novelties, identify new editorial angles, gather first-hand information, and exchange with actors shaping the American tourism offer.
Beyond professional meetings, the Brand USA U.K. & Europe Travel Week offered a conference program focused on major international tourism trends. Speakers included Olivier Ponti from Amadeus, Hanna Mebarki from Les Grandes Évasions, and leaders from international groups such as Lufthansa Group, Booking.com, Siemens AG, and Heineken. These exchanges addressed evolving travel behaviors, strategies for conquering new customer bases, and growth prospects for the transatlantic market.
European Market Strategy
Europe, including the United Kingdom, accounts for nearly 40% of international visitors to the United States, making the European market a strategic priority for Brand USA. In Amsterdam, Brand USA highlighted the results of its America The Beautiful campaign and platform, launched in 2025, as well as initiatives aimed at stimulating departures to the United States, such as the Get Facts. Get Going. information campaign and new episodes of the American Originals series.
The event also revealed several highlights that will mark 2027, including the bicentennial of American rail, which will honor train travel and travel through notable environments, the 250th anniversary of San José in California, and the inscription of the Okefenokee marsh in Georgia as a UNESCO World Heritage site. New air links between France and the United States were also highlighted, including Paris-Austin with Delta Air Lines, Toulouse-Washington D.C. with United Airlines, Nice-New York JFK with American Airlines, Paris-Seattle with Alaska Airlines, Marseille-Newark with United Airlines, Paris–San Diego and Paris-Nashville with Air France.
Future Prospects
This edition demonstrated the ability of American destinations to constantly renew their offer and provide new reasons to visit the country. For journalists, tour operators, and travel agencies specializing in the United States, the Brand USA U.K. & Europe Travel Week remains one of the best entry points for discovering market novelties and establishing strategic contacts with key American tourism actors.
Professionals interested in attending the next edition can already note the dates in their agendas: October 18-21, 2027, at the Olympia London.