CIEE's BridgeUSA Celebration Tour: Ocean City Stop

CIEE’s BridgeUSA Celebration Tour visited beautiful Ocean City, Maryland, to thank the champions and supporters of the U.S. Department of State’s BridgeUSA Exchange Visitor program. 

Ocean City, known for its beaches, boardwalks, and famous Thrasher french fries, hosts eight million visitors from around the world each year and depends on 12,000 seasonal workers, including 3,200 J-1 BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel students, who provide critical support for Ocean City’s hotels, restaurants and hundreds of local businesses during the summer season.

History of BridgeUSA (J1 Visa program)

Congress established the BridgeUSA program in 1961 as part of the Fulbright-Hays Act to advance American interests at home and abroad. BridgeUSA international visitors pay their own way to America, support the very best American companies, help create more jobs for Americans, and then return home to over 140 countries with a deeper understanding and respect for American culture.

BridgeUSA - Makes America Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous
U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that America’s foreign policy will be guided by strategies that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.  BridgeUSA does all three at virtually no cost to American taxpayers. In fact, BridgeUSA adds billions of dollars each year to the U.S. economy, adds up to 50 days to the tourism season in resort towns across America, and creates thousands of seasonal jobs for Americans. 

CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour
CIEE's BridgeUSA Celebration Tour highlights how the BridgeUSA program helps American communities grow stronger and more prosperous by listening to local business leaders describe in their own voices the power of BridgeUSA.  To date, CIEE’s BridgeUSA Celebration tour visited: Cedar Point Amusement Park, Kings Island Amusement Park, Kentucky Kingdom, Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky, Montana, Myrtle Beach, San Antonio,  Park City, Mackinac Island, Wisconsin Dells, and Ocean City.