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CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour Visits Park City
Tour highlights how BridgeUSA makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous
Mar. 13, 2026 at 10:50pm
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The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was in Park City, Utah this week as part of its nationwide BridgeUSA Celebration Tour. The tour spotlights how international exchange programs powered by the U.S. Department of State are benefiting communities across America. In Utah, CIEE honored supporters of the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program, which brings international college students to live and work in the U.S. during their university breaks, helping seasonal employers expand their tourism seasons.
Why it matters
BridgeUSA programs bolster America's national security, strengthen public diplomacy, and provide economic benefits to local communities by enabling businesses to extend their peak tourism seasons and employ more Americans for longer periods.
The details
The BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program brings international college students to the U.S. to live and work during their university breaks. In Park City alone, over 1,200 BridgeUSA participants from the Southern Hemisphere support ski resorts and other local businesses during the busy winter recreation season. The program allows businesses to expand and extend their tourism seasons by an average of 50 days, contributing billions to the American economy each year.
- The CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour began in June 2025 with stops in Ohio, Kentucky, Montana, and other locations.
- This week's visit to Park City kicked off the 2026 leg of the tour, which will continue to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maryland later this year.
The players
CIEE
The Council on International Educational Exchange, the organization running the BridgeUSA Celebration Tour.
BridgeUSA
A U.S. Department of State program that brings international college students to the U.S. to live and work during their university breaks.
Carye Duffin
Senior Vice President of External Affairs at CIEE.
James P. Pellow, Ed.D.
President and CEO of CIEE.
What they’re saying
“If BridgeUSA did not exist, someone would need to invent it, as it truly enriches all Americans.”
— James Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE
“Utah provides BridgeUSA participants an authentic lens into American culture. We are visiting Park City to celebrate the local host employers, the supervisors, the mentors, the community leaders, and the advocates for international exchange who year after year show the world the very best of America.”
— Carye Duffin, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at CIEE
What’s next
The CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour will continue to Mackinac Island, Michigan in June, Wisconsin Dells in August, and Ocean City, Maryland in September 2026.
The takeaway
The BridgeUSA program provides significant economic and cultural benefits to communities across America by enabling businesses to extend their peak tourism seasons and employ more Americans, while also strengthening national security and public diplomacy through international exchange.
