Elliott Ferguson, CEO of Destination DC, made the plea during the launch of a new partnership between his city and ground breaking travel platform BYRDLI.
Traveltalk was the only trade media present at the event where Mr Ferguson spoke to a gathering of travel creators, influencers and agents.
“Right now, we recognise the fact that as we focus on promoting our destinations in the United States, we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We know that there’s been a lot of rhetoric that has been discerning.
“I think the key thing for us, and several of you have said to me that you’ve been to the U.S. recently, is to continue to tell the story about your travels to the U.S., be it Washington or wherever.
“How was it to go through customs? Did you feel welcomed when you were in the United States, versus perhaps what you see on the news? I can’t control that.”
(Above) Vanessa Richards with Elliott Ferguson at the BYRDLI launch last night
Mr Ferguson said that the recent WorldPride event hosted in Washington had given the city a chance to shine on the world stage and that feedback from visiting journalists was universally positive.
“That was our first opportunity to showcase Washington during a time where perhaps there was concern about traveling to the U.S..
“And the thing that I appreciated the most from the journalists that came to Washington is that every single one of them said it was easy to get into the United States and we always felt welcomed in Washington.
“So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to continue to help tell the story about travel to the United States.
“If it was a good story, please tell that, because I can tell you, if it’s a negative story, it’s going to be amplified much more than anything that’s good out there and we need some good stories.”
Vanessa Richards, co-founder of BYRDLI, was quick to promote Washington as a must-visit destination in the States.
“You don’t truly understand it until you actually get into the destination. Yes, there are the monuments and they will blow your mind. You stand in front of them and you feel incredibly small.
“But DC extends far beyond the monuments. It is a place about heart. Every single neighbourhood tells a story and it is full of so much life, so much creativity.
“You go down one single street and the food is from every part of the world. It really is a happening place and we are so proud to partner with Washington DC and the Destination DC team.”
BYRDLI is a free to use platform that is ideal for travel influencers, bloggers, agents and entrepreneurs who want to connect with their communities and turn their passion for travel into a dynamic business.
“We’ve got a really great mix of people in this room,” added Ms Richards. “They love sharing travel with their community and they’re doing it on the BYRDLII platform and we are thrilled to have you as part of our little world.”
