Fred Dixon returns to the helm of New York City tourism after two years at Brand USA
Fred Dixon will leave his position as president and CEO of Brand USA, the United States' national organization for promoting international tourism, on November 13, 2026, and on December 1 he will once again take over the leadership of NYC Tourism + Conventions. His return to New York was confirmed on August 26, just over two years after Dixon left the city's tourism organization for a national role. NYC Tourism + Conventions announced that he was selected following a process led by the organization's board, with support from the consulting firm Russell Reynolds Associates. Dixon is therefore returning to a position he previously held from 2014 to 2024, a period marked by strong growth in international tourism before the pandemic, followed by a complete disruption of global travel and a multi-year recovery in demand.
The change comes at a time when the U.S. tourism sector is trying to return to more stable growth in international arrivals, while Brand USA is simultaneously operating with a significantly different federal funding structure than it had just a year ago. According to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office, or NTTO, the United States received about 68.3 million international visitors in 2025, approximately 5.5 percent fewer than a year earlier. Travel from Canada weakened particularly sharply: Statistics Canada states that the number of return trips by Canadian residents from the United States in 2025 fell by 25.4 percent compared with 2024. At the same time, official announcements about Dixon's departure do not link his decision either to U.S. politics or to problems in the tourism market, but instead present his move as a return to the organization and city with which he has been professionally connected for nearly two decades.
Return to the organization he led for ten years
Dixon joined NYC Tourism + Conventions, then known as NYC & Company, in 2005 and became president and CEO in 2014. Over the following decade, he was one of the key figures in positioning New York internationally as a destination for leisure, business travel, conventions and major events. According to Brand USA's official biography, the number of international visitors to the city during his previous tenure more than doubled and exceeded 13 million. His tenure also included the pandemic crisis and the subsequent recovery in travel.
In July 2024, Dixon took over Brand USA, the public-private organization responsible for promoting the United States in international markets. He is now returning to New York with experience at the national level and direct insight into traveler behavior, relationships with international tour operators and carriers, and competition among destinations. NYC Tourism + Conventions board chairman Charles Flateman said when announcing the appointment that Dixon combines knowledge of New York, national leadership experience and the global perspective the organization needs in current market conditions. Dixon himself emphasized that his time at Brand USA gave him a broader view of the international travel market and of what destinations must do to remain competitive.
His return follows the departure of Julie Coker, who led NYC Tourism + Conventions after Dixon moved to Brand USA. Visit California announced in June that Coker would become that organization's president and CEO on October 1, 2026, succeeding longtime leader Caroline Beteta. According to an announcement by NYC Tourism + Conventions, Coker was expected to remain in the New York role until August 31 to ensure continuity. Until Dixon takes office on December 1, oversight of the organization will be handled by Flateman together with the executive team.
Brand USA seeks a successor at a sensitive moment
Brand USA announced that Dixon will remain in his role until November 13 so that the transition to new leadership can take place without disruption to operations. Newly elected board chairman Todd Davidson thanked him for his leadership over more than two years and said that the organization is entering the transition from what was described as a position of strength. In the same announcement, Brand USA emphasized that the board has confidence in the existing management team and that a plan to search for Dixon's successor is already being prepared. The name of an interim or permanent successor had not been officially announced as of August 29.
The leadership change is taking place while Brand USA must maintain international campaigns and cooperation with the tourism industry with a significantly lower maximum federal funding component. The organization is a public-private partnership, so 20 million dollars is not its total budget. It is the reduced maximum amount of matching funds associated with the Travel Promotion Fund, while the private sector participates through cash and other contributions.
According to information distributed after the latest leadership change by the tourism industry organization NYSTIA, relaying a message from the Brand USA board to partners, the board approved a budget of 165 million dollars for fiscal year 2027 at its July meeting, together with business objectives that remain in effect. In this way, Brand USA is trying to emphasize operational continuity despite the departure of its CEO. The organization also states that its work program is continuing and that the process of selecting a new leader will take place in parallel with implementation of the already approved strategy.
International arrivals to the U.S. fell during 2025
Dixon's departure from the national role coincides with a period in which U.S. inbound tourism has still not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. In its latest five-year forecast, the NTTO states that 68.3 million international travelers visited the United States in 2025. Data for the end of 2025 show that the total number of arrivals was about 5.5 percent lower than in 2024, while the number of visitors from overseas markets was about 2.5 percent lower. This means that the weakness was more pronounced in the overall result, which also includes the large neighboring markets of Canada and Mexico.
For 2026, however, the NTTO expects a recovery. The official forecast predicts growth in total international traffic of 3.2 percent, to approximately 70.5 million visitors, followed by 74.1 million in 2027 and 78.7 million in 2028. These are projections, and actual developments will depend on economic conditions, air capacity, exchange rates, entry procedures and competition from other destinations.
The Canadian market remains one of the most visible examples of changing travel patterns. Statistics Canada states that Canadian residents recorded 29.1 million return trips from the United States in 2025, 25.4 percent fewer than a year earlier, while their travel to overseas countries increased by 9.2 percent. In a separate analysis published in July 2026, the Canadian statistical agency assessed that the decline in travel to the United States during 2025 was the deepest and longest-lasting outside the pandemic period since comparable digital data have been available. These indicators do not mean that all U.S. cities and states were affected equally, but they confirm that part of traditional cross-border demand has changed.
Reduction in federal funding changed Brand USA's calculations
Additional pressure on national promotion was created by a change in Travel Promotion Fund financing. The federal legal framework reduced the annual maximum transfer associated with Brand USA from 100 million to 20 million dollars. In the tourism industry, this is described as an 80 percent reduction in the maximum federal component for matching funds, although Brand USA's overall financial structure is broader and includes partnerships, industry contributions and available reserves. The U.S. Travel Association warns that lower federal capacity makes international promotion more difficult during a period of intensified global competition for travelers.
According to data published by Travel Weekly in May, Brand USA's budget for fiscal year 2026 was 157.8 million dollars, compared with 252 million dollars a year earlier. The same source states that the organization eliminated 12 jobs, approximately 15 percent of its workforce, and shut down the GoUSA TV platform. The reduction in the federal mechanism thus also affected the scope of some programs.
At the same time, the 165 million dollars approved for fiscal year 2027 shows that Brand USA is not entering a period without a financial plan. In its communication with partners, the organization emphasizes industry support, measurable return on investment and continuity of its business objectives. Political and legislative initiatives by the tourism sector aimed at strengthening the organization's funding are also underway, but their final outcome is not predetermined. As a result, Brand USA's new CEO, once appointed, will simultaneously have to manage marketing strategy, relationships with partners and the organization's long-term institutional position.
New York wants to strengthen international demand again
For NYC Tourism + Conventions, Dixon's return comes after a year in which the overall tourism result was stable, but the international segment weakened. According to the organization's annual report, New York received about 65 million visitors in 2025, 0.7 percent more than in 2024. There were 52.4 million domestic visitors, an increase of 1.7 percent, while there were 12.5 million international visitors, or 3.2 percent fewer than a year earlier. Despite the decline in international arrivals, the city's overall tourism economy remained very large.
NYC Tourism + Conventions estimates that tourism generated 84.7 billion dollars in total economic impact in 2025, including 55.6 billion dollars in direct visitor spending. According to the same report, the sector supported approximately 397,000 jobs and generated 7.5 billion dollars in local and New York State tax revenues. The structure of spending is particularly important: the organization states that international guests account for a significantly smaller share of the total number of visitors than domestic guests, but contribute approximately half of tourism spending. That is why changes in international demand have a greater financial significance for New York than the share of foreign guests in the total number of arrivals alone would suggest.
For 2026, the city's tourism organization forecasts 66.3 million visitors, about two percent more than last year. The domestic segment is expected to reach 53.4 million, while international traffic is expected to recover to 12.9 million visitors, approximately the level recorded in 2024. The forecast was published in March and is subject to change, but it shows the direction in which Dixon will take over the organization: maintaining a strong domestic base while simultaneously increasing international arrivals from markets that on average generate high spending and a large number of overnight stays.
Canada is particularly important in this context. NYC Tourism + Conventions announced in July that Canada remains New York's second-largest international market and projected about 820,000 Canadian visitors for 2026. During the summer, the city also launched a promotional campaign aimed at Canadian travelers, with discounts at hotels, attractions, theaters and other tourism facilities. Such a campaign shows that the city organization is actively trying to offset weakness in a market that recorded a sharp decline at the national level.
National experience now becomes an advantage for the city's strategy
Dixon's return is not merely a change of person at the top of the organization. NYC Tourism + Conventions is gaining a leader who, after ten years managing New York's promotion, spent two years overseeing the U.S. international tourism portfolio. At a time of intense competition among destinations, that combination of local knowledge and national experience can be important for New York.
The city's official announcement emphasizes precisely that dimension of his return. Dixon said that he is returning with a broader understanding of the global market, while Flateman described his experience as a combination of knowledge of the city, national leadership and an international perspective.
Brand USA is now searching for a new CEO, while New York is trying to return the international segment to a path of growth without neglecting its strong domestic market. Dixon will have just over two weeks between the two positions, and on December 1 he will once again take over the organization he previously led for ten years.
It is important to distinguish the market context from the officially stated reasons for the personnel change. The decline in international arrivals, markedly weaker travel from Canada and the reduction in the federal funding mechanism are real challenges facing Brand USA, but neither Dixon nor the organization has attributed his departure to those circumstances. According to the available official information, this is his decision to return to NYC Tourism + Conventions, while Brand USA simultaneously says that it remains financially and operationally focused on implementing the approved program. Whether this transition will affect the strategy of U.S. national tourism promotion will depend above all on the selection of new leadership and future funding decisions.
Sources:
- NYC Tourism + Conventions - official announcement on the appointment of Fred Dixon, the date his term begins and his previous work in the organization (link)
- Brand USA - official statement on Dixon's departure on November 13, management continuity and the search for a successor (link)
- New York State Tourism Industry Association - relay of the Brand USA board's message about the 165 million dollar budget for fiscal year 2027 (link)
- National Travel and Tourism Office, U.S. Department of Commerce - official forecast of international arrivals to the U.S. from 2026 to 2030 and the figure of 68.3 million visitors in 2025 (link)
- Statistics Canada - analysis of Canadian residents' travel to the U.S. and the 25.4 percent decline in return trips in 2025 (link)
- NYC Tourism + Conventions - New York's annual tourism results for 2025 and forecast for 2026 (link)
- Visit California - official announcement of the appointment of Julie Coker as president and CEO beginning October 1, 2026 (link)
- U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - legislative description of the reduction in the annual transfer to the Travel Promotion Fund from 100 million to 20 million dollars (link)
- Travel Weekly - report on Brand USA's budget for fiscal year 2026, workforce reductions and adjustments to marketing programs (link)