Skal International--USA Urges Retention of Funding for Brand USA

Brand USA is funded from private contributions and a federal match of up to $100 million a year which comes from ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) fees paid by inbound visitors from visa waiver countries who pay $14 every two years to visit the United States.

“This is an excellent way to market the United States and explain our entry policies and procedures,” remarked Powers. “The beauty of the original legislation is that not a dime of tax revenue is used to fund this effort. The visitors themselves are funding it.”

The Administration has proposed transferring the ESTA fees to Customs and Border Patrol. Visitation to the United States is down more than 10% in 2017 year to date against last year’s international visitation numbers.

A broad coalition of organizations, now including Skål International–USA, is urging Congress to continue the authorization of marketing by Brand USA and not approve transferring this source of funding to the CBP.

SKAL International USA is currently the largest National Committee in Skal International with over 2,100 members and 48 clubs nationwide. For more information on SKAL International and SKAL USA, and to find out more about membership, go to