Apparently, tourism in the United States hasn't returned to its peak prior to 9/11. Kenyan artist Nicholas Sironka shared his outtake on why this is possibly so,"It is good to be a superpower, and we wish you the best in everything you do to keep out bad people. But what about the good people? Should they be treated the same as the bad people?...There is a courtesy that used to be there that needs to come back." In 2008 itself, the US had about 633,000 fewer tourists then in 2000. Roger Dow, the U.S. Travel Association's president and CEO, claims that the lower numbers in tourism is a direct cause of restricted visas, lack of publicity, and negative views on how tourists are treated. Dow said, "We don't promote the United States. Every other developed country in the world spends millions -- some countries spend 150 to 180 million dollars [promoting tourism]." Especially in the economical climate we are in, promoting tourism seems like a very potent key to ameliorating the current state we are in. Adam Sacks, managing director of Tourism Economics, stated," "I think the U.S. has a particular opportunity right now because it's in the process of refurbishing its brand in the global arena politically...There's a direct relationship between opinions about the U.S. and willingness to travel here."
So what does this mean? Is there a potential for tourism in the US to go up if we keep on promoting it, or does it require more then just that?
Monday, October 26, 2009
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6 comments:
I think if the US wanted to boost its economy, it should continue to promote the country and make it more appealing to tourists. But because of 9/11, the US is still skeptical of welcoming more tourists each year. In order to make more money and have more tourists visit, I think the US would need to let its guard down a little bit and not restrict so many Visas. BUT, the fact that the economy is down plays a key factor in promotion because there isn't any money to spend to begin with.
Although I do agree with what these people are saying about why more tourists have not come to America, I also think there is another main issue. The economy is bad now all over the world, but the U.S. is still in better shape than many other nations. So I believe more people have not traveled to the U.S. in more recent years because of their economic situation, and not being able to afford the trip to a still pricey America.
I have family in South America who are not turned off to our country, but rather would absolutely love to visit. Unfortunately however, because the economic situation where they live is even worse than it is here, they can't afford to make a trip here.
I agree with Lizzy. Ya, right now our economy is not the best, but other countries are much worse off than we are. Spending money to promote tourism could help boost the economy, but if other countries are in tougher economic situations than we are then no one will have the money to plan a visit to the US.
-Samantha Ichikawa
I agree. Our economy is not the only one that is suffering right now. So are many other places. Some are even in far worse shape than we are. Tourism may have decreased because of the other countries' economic situation.
If people didn't have money to begin with, they wouldn't want to plan a trip to the U.S.
I also agree with Lizzy because I believe that the lagging economy in the rest of the world is a major factor of the declining tourism in the United States. I also think that ever since 9/11 the United States has had troubles with foreign affairs and has never really bounced back from its original positive image. Obviously we did not cause 9/11 but the fact that we entered a war that was not justified definitely may have affected the opinions of future travelers. But in terms of promoting the United States, I believe that is the least of our worries. Like others in this blog have said, the moment we fix our economy the world will benefit and through this will be the chance of more travelers coming to the U.S
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