New Delhi March 23, 2023- Brand USA’S 2023 India Sales Mission, which took place in Mumbai and Delhi from March 19 to March 23, 2023 ended today. This week, Brand USA also premiered its third big-screen film Into Nature’s Wild in Mumbai and Delhi, with additional screenings scheduled for Chennai and Bangalore. Attendees included 25 US exhibitors, select senior Indian buyers, and key stakeholders including airlines, hotels and US Embassy and Consular Services members.

India ranks 4th among all overseas markets for the USA excluding Canada and Mexico, with 1,256,915 in total arrivals between January and December 2022. The latest figures released at the end of February revealed 203,540 Indians traveled to the United States, showing continuing strong growth in visitor arrivals.

Air connectivity between the two countries also further strengthened, with Air India launching two direct flights to San Francisco from Bangalore and Mumbai in December 2022 and Mumbai to New York (JFK) on 14 February 2023, taking their total number of non-stop flights to 46 weekly. These are in addition to seven weekly direct flights operated from Newark to Delhi by United Airlines and seven weekly direct flights from New York (JFK) by American Airlines.

An additional highlighted at this year’s sales mission was the screening of Brand USA’s latest film ‘Into Nature’s Wild’ which takes viewers on a cross-country journey to explore the hidden wonders of the great outdoors in the US. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the movie celebrates the transformational essence of nature and wilderness, showcasing the beauty of some of North America’s lesser-known landscapes. Throughout the journey, three trailblazers, Native American astronaut John Herrington, Alaskan pilot, youth advocate Ariel Tweto and, record-breaking long-distance hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis, all with a shared passion for nature, serve as on-screen guides.

Jackie Ennis, Vice President, Global Travel Trade at Brand USA commented: “It’s exciting to see the continued enthusiasm for travel to the U.S. and this week has cemented the fact that India is a fast-growing market with tremendous potential for growth in tourism. This was the perfect opportunity for Brand USA and our partners to reignite our relationships with the Indian travel trade in person and we were thrilled to see a heightened interest in exploring beyond the gateways to lesser-known destinations.”