CIEE's BridgeUSA Celebration Tour: Park City Stop
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This month, the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour continued to its ninth stop in Park City, Utah, where local businesses and community and state supporters were recognized as champions and critical leaders for BridgeUSA programs.
As described by Rebecca Pasini, U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange, "BridgeUSA... is a powerful engine for pro-U.S. diplomacy that delivers measurable benefits at the local level."
BridgeUSA adds billions to the U.S. economy each year and extends the tourism season by 50 days, on average, creating thousands of jobs for Americans. This integral program shows the world the power and magic of American values, making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
To be effective, the BridgeUSA program needs champions at all levels – dedicated community and business leaders, strong BridgeUSA sponsors, and hardworking participants – like the exemplary community leaders in Park City who won CIEE 2026 BridgeUSA Champion Awards!
Background and Impact of BridgeUSA
BridgeUSA was established by Congress in 1961 to advance American interests at home and abroad, bolstering American businesses, enriching American communities, and enhancing America’s global image, making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
Each year, BridgeUSA participants help America’s hospitality industry extend the tourism season by 50 days, on average, allowing local businesses to stay open later and longer, leading to increased local economic benefits while injecting billions into the broader U.S. economy each year.
BridgeUSA students pay their way to come to America, they make American businesses more profitable while they are here, and then they return to their home countries with a deeper knowledge and respect for American culture and American values, including the power of democracy and free speech. If BridgeUSA did not exist, someone would need to invent it, as it truly enriches all Americans.
Three-year BridgeUSA Celebration Tour
In year two of a three-year, nationwide, BridgeUSA Celebration Tour, CIEE is showcasing the many ways in which BridgeUSA positively impacts local communities. At each Celebration Tour stop, business leaders, local community advocates, and individual exemplary staff are recognized with the CIEE BridgeUSA Champion Award for their contributions to strengthening their local communities while advancing American interests.
In 2025, CIEE made eight stops in Ohio, Kentucky, Wyoming, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas. This year, our Celebration Tour will continue on from Park City to Mackinac Island in Michigan (June), then to Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin (August), and finally to Ocean City in Maryland (September).
Be sure to follow CIEE's BridgeUSA Celebration Tour on LinkedIn to stay up to date!