World Travelers Giving U.S. a Pass
With business and pleasure travelers alike spurning America as a destination, has the time come for Uncle Sam to advertise?
By Martha Lynn Craver, Associate Editor, The Kiplinger Letter
June 1, 2007
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World travel is growing, but a smaller share of globe-trotters are coming to the U.S. That number has been declining since 1992, when 9.8% of 480 million world travelers came to this country. Last year, international travelers totaled 842 million, while the U.S. share fell to 6%. "The pie is getting bigger, but the U.S. slice is getting smaller, and that is worrisome," says Roger Dow, president of the Travel Industry Association, an industry trade group. The trend is particularly alarming because a weak dollar should be helping U.S. tourism.
The picture is even more disturbing economically. That's because an increasing share of visitors to the U.S. are from Mexico and Canada, and they don't stay as long or spend as much as visitors from Europe and Asia. While Canadians and Mexicans spend about $400 per person while on travel in the States, other overseas visitors spend about $1500 per person on average. Visits from the two neighboring countries jumped 17% between 2000 and 2006.
One possible explanation for the drop: The U.S. government doesn't advertise. Other nations promote their attractions overseas, but the U.S. doesn't, despite repeated attempts to get money in the budget for it. A partnership between the Commerce Department and the Travel Industry Association is creating a Web site, targeted to the top five countries producing visitors to the U.S. It's aimed at increasing visitation by Mexico, Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
At the same time, the Bush administration and Congress are working to make the U.S. more welcoming. Legislation likely to pass this year will allow visitors from more countries to come to the U.S. without a visa. Efforts are also under way to take some of the hassle out of the visa application and arrival processes by adding more customs and border protection officers.
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Reader Comments (6)
Posted by: john canning at 06/02/2007 03:03:14 PM
travel in US is less desirable for residents, the cost of public lands has increased at an alarming rate. same for private destinations. we have some of the most desirable scenery in the world, but if you feel like you are being ripped off every time you turn around, its unpleasant. service at a reasonable rate is disapearing fast.
Posted by: Doug at 06/03/2007 01:37:42 PM
It couldn't be because of our foreign policy and increased hate of America could it?
Posted by: William at 06/04/2007 11:09:40 AM
ONe big problem is just getting into the country. I have freinds who visit form England often. The worst part of the trip is after they arrive and have to face extremely long lines at customs and immigration where they say they are treated poorly by emloyees who are non caring and often rude. When I travel to England I have none of that and am in fact treated very courteously and it takes no time to get through. I've even heard people say they will avoid teh USA because of this.
Posted by: Mark at 06/04/2007 03:34:25 PM
I think it is because the globalization has caused the world to look simillar. every country have their own USA with in them and travelers want destinations with a difference.
Posted by: James Gibbs at 06/04/2007 04:34:24 PM
There are user friendly considerations that need to be addressed. I am a US citizen living abroad and have many international friends who now avoid transiting thru the USA because of the imigration and customs hassle. For example one set of friends who travel from Guatemala to Europe twice a year, now go via Mexico to avoid the nasty security business of inspecting luggage and visas of people who would rather be handled as in transit passengers, a status that I think no longer exists. In the old days they would fly direct one way and return on the way back and spend a week or two in the USA shoping. There are a lot of would be visitors who don't transit thru the USA for the same reason, many would lay over on one of the legs.
Posted by: Kevin at 06/05/2007 05:51:34 AM
As an Englishman who has travelled to the United States on numerous occasions I can confirm that the 'welcome' on arrival is positively hostile. I have landed at Boston, La Guardia, Dallas Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Dallas Love Field and Houston and in each case have been greeted with suspicion and nothing even approaching civility. Eventually I turned my attention to the more welcoming countries of the world where they seem to genuinely appreciate a foreign visitor and are keen to demonstrate their culture and friendship, which normally starts at immigration and customs. I have no wish to feel that I am spending my money on sufferance and so I take it East now instead of West. Probing questions can still be asked with a smile and passports do not need to be thrown back at the owner after inspection. Repeat after me: 'Welcome to the United States, we hope you enjoy your visit.' After ten hours in the air it makes all the difference.