InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] and the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) U.S. Commercial Service, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, today formally announced a strategic partnership designed to increase awareness in the U.S. business community, particularly among small and medium-sized businesses, about exporting and the resources available to help organizations succeed.

“We’re pleased to welcome IHG as a partner in our efforts to strengthen the U.S. economy and support local jobs through expanding U.S. exports,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. “With international tourists spending more than $150 billion and supporting 1.2 million American jobs, we look forward to working with IHG to help make the United States the leading tourist destination in the world.”

“We are committed to raising awareness of tourism as an important economic driver and increasing the flow of global tourism. IHG is thrilled to be able to amplify these efforts by becoming the first in the lodging sector to enter a strategic partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service,” said Kirk Kinsell, president, the Americas, IHG. “Providing relevant travel tools and incentives that facilitate international business is another way we, as a global hotel company, can do our part to help small and medium-sized organizations succeed in today’s marketplace.”

This partnership will help achieve the goals of two critical Obama administration initiatives – the National Export Initiative and the National Travel and Tourism Strategy – designed to strengthen the economy and support jobs. It will educate U.S. exporters, particularly small and medium-sized companies, about the benefits of exporting, expanding their exports to additional markets, and the public and private sector resources available to assist them. IHG joins several of the U.S. Commercial Service’s Strategic Partners who have connected more than 1,500 companies to federal export assistance.

IHG and the U.S. Commercial Service’s network of worldwide offices will leverage both entities’ expertise to help make U.S. businesses more export savvy. The U.S. Commercial Service can connect U.S. businesses to the right contacts in the right international markets as well as promote the United States as a tourist destination for international travellers. As a Strategic Partner, IHG will both work to link its existing business partners with the U.S. Commercial Service and help all U.S. exporters to expand to additional markets by assisting with export education and trade events around the world.

Source: IHG PR