Chevy Chase, MD –November 10, 2009 – In an effort to promote the Capital Region USA Inc. (CRUSA) brand and attract new, incremental visitors from abroad, the not-for-profit tourism coalition, comprised of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Destination DC and the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, selected TIG Global, an Internet marketing company specializing in destinations, as their strategic partner on the project. TIG Global designed and developed a new website (www.CapitalRegionUSA.org) for the organization and will be managing its online marketing strategy on an ongoing basis.    Prior to designing the website, TIG Global compiled secondary research on international online usage and travel trends to gain a better understanding of how to attract CRUSA’s target international markets.  Additionally, CRUSA conducted a custom survey to identify other key opportunities and trends.  This combined research was incorporated into the main goals for the new website: 1) to increase website visitors, 2) to grow the opt-in email database, and 3) to generate revenue via the website.   With CRUSA’s long-term strategic objectives in mind, TIG Global designed the CRUSA website to promote the region as a whole, as well as highlight the unique aspects of each of the destination’s partners.  To create a user-friendly online experience, visitors have the ability to explore the website based on interests (national parks, wine country, water, mountains, thrill seeking, etc.) as well as location (Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia).  TIG Global incorporated engaging flash animation to showcase each destination and utilized embedded video to provide visitors with a sneak preview of what they will see and experience during a trip to the Capital Region.  Travel itineraries are also available, organized by subject and interest, and can easily be emailed or printed to help make planning a trip to the area simple and enjoyable.  To help increase CRUSA’s opt-in email list, TIG Global integrated prominently placed email collection tools through the website. Visitor guides are also offered in five different languages (English, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese) to attract a broad base of international travelers and additional translated versions of the website will be rolling out in the near future.    “We could not be more impressed with the interactive work that TIG Global has provided for our organization so far,” said Matt Gaffney, President and CEO of Capital Region USA.  “We are confident that our partnership with TIG Global and the web marketing plan that they have developed for our region will allow us to easily meet, if not exceed, our aggressive five-year strategic marketing plan.”   To help drive qualified traffic to the newly designed website, TIG Global will be launching an international online marketing plan for CRUSA within the next few months.  To capture incremental international travelers, TIG Global will execute a translated paid search and strategic linking campaign to gain maximum exposure in the target markets of the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Ireland, and Latin America (Brazil, Mexico).  TIG Global will also leverage its partnerships with both local and international travel-related media partners to drive additional traffic and maximize CRUSA’s global online exposure.   “As most of our TIG Global employees live and thrive in the Capital Region area, there was no question in our mind that forming a partnership with Capital Region USA was a smart decision,” said Fred Malek, CEO of TIG Global. “Our international expertise and insight about how travelers think when selecting a destination will help us to position CRUSA ahead of its competition and drive visitors from around the world to the capital region.”   About TIG Global TIG Global, headquartered in the Washington, DC metro area, is dedicated to assisting the travel industry with exceeding their online marketing goals and specializes in hotel Internet marketing and destination Internet marketing.  Serving an extensive portfolio of clients worldwide, TIG Global combines its industry knowledge and e-business expertise to help clients maximize the online channel.  TIG Global offers multi-language websites, a vast network of internationally based strategic linking partners, email and pay-per-click marketing campaigns tailored to all international markets, custom social media solutions, and websites optimized for major search engines around the world.   TIG Global Contact Molly Israel 301.841.4762 [email protected]   About the Capital Region USA:  The Capital Region USA is a non-profit tourism marketing coalition funded by Destination DC, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. CRUSA works to maximize visitor arrivals and economic impact to the region from international markets by implementing innovative marketing programs and public/private sector partnerships.

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