← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · xmetalhead
Thread ID: 18164 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2005-05-09
2005-05-09 14:29 | User Profile
[SIZE=4]US tourism ââ¬Ëlosing billions because of imageââ¬â¢[/SIZE] By Amy Yee in New York Published: May 8 2005 18:53 | Last updated: May 8 2005 18:53
[URL=http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9d3b32bc-bfe8-11d9-b376-00000e2511c8.html]Financial Times[/URL]
The US is losing billions of dollars as international tourists are deterred from visiting the US because of a tarnished image overseas and more bureaucratic visa policies, travel industry leaders have warned.
ââ¬ÅIt's an economic imperative to address these problems,ââ¬Â said Roger Dow, chief executive of the Travel Industry Association of America, tourism's main trade body, which concluded its annual convention this weekend in New York.
Mr Dow stressed that tourism contributed to a positive perception of the US, which spread across to business. ââ¬Å[B]If we don't address these issues in tourism, the long-term impact for American brands Coca-Cola, General Motors, McDonald's could be very damaging,ââ¬Â he said.[/B]
The plea echoed that of other industry trade organisations which say bureaucratic visa procedures and stringent security after the September 11 terrorist attacks have deterred business travellers and foreign students. ââ¬ÅThe idea has gotten out that we've pulled in the welcome mat,ââ¬Â said Rick Webster, the association's director of government affairs.
The number of international visitors last year rose 12 per cent, compared to 2003, to 46.1m, according to the US Commerce Department. They spent $93.7bn, or 17 per cent more than their counterparts the previous year. However, US market share of foreign visitors is still down 38 per cent since 1992, according to the TIA. The number of global travellers has grown by 2 per cent to 770m since 2000, but US market share has not kept pace. ââ¬ÅOur piece of the pie has shrunk by 5m visitors,ââ¬Â said Mr Dow.
The weak US dollar has boosted the number of international visitors, but given favourable currency rates for many foreigners, those numbers should be far higher.
ââ¬ÅThe weak US dollar is masking some of the problems,ââ¬Â said Mr Webster. ââ¬ÅAnd the dollar won't remain weak forever.ââ¬Â
Mr Dow said rising anti-Americanism has created a feeling that the US is inhospitable and difficult to visit. ââ¬ÅThere's a perception of ââ¬ËFortress America' that is much worse than it really is,ââ¬Â he said. Mr Dow added that more competition from other destinations such as Australia, South Africa, Spain and Asia had siphoned off tourism to the US. The TIA urged US policymakers to facilitate various security measures. An October 26 deadline that requires some foreign passports to have biometric facial-recognition technology is unrealistic and must be extended, according to the TIA.
It also wants problems resolved with the US-Visit programme, an initiative requiring photos and fingerprints of some visitors, which is scheduled to be in place at land borders and ports-of-entry by end the end of the year.
2005-05-09 15:22 | User Profile
The idiots, just to be fair, apply the same procedures to first-world white citizens and Abduls of this world.
The denial of common sense and worship of "equality", divershitty and multikulti translates in into real dollars and lives broken. Remember about that the next time you hear about "hate" from zhids and minohties. They are the real haters: haters of whitey.
2005-05-10 00:56 | User Profile
Now that the Europeans and Eastasians have their own Disneylands, why bother?
America is a sinister; depressing and officious place to live in these days. I'd certainly not vacation here if I lived in a real nation...
2005-05-26 17:49 | User Profile
Surelyl the USA is not the amber waves of grain that it was, and many of the cities and rural areas are dismal places to live and no reason to visit. However, the country maintains enough vitality and charm to appeal to many. Those who do not want to visit for political reasons may stay away. Up theirs, anyway. New York, Vermont, and the the west are appealing places, and the fit and curious will want to see our wonders.
2005-05-26 18:40 | User Profile
[QUOTE=solutrian]Surelyl the USA is not the amber waves of grain that it was, and many of the cities and rural areas are dismal places to live and no reason to visit. However, the country maintains enough vitality and charm to appeal to many. Those who do not want to visit for political reasons may stay away. Up theirs, anyway. New York, Vermont, and the the west are appealing places, and the fit and curious will want to see our wonders.[/QUOTE]
Yes, many, or even most American cities and surrounding suburbs are quite dismal places which offer nothing to the foreign, or even domestic, tourist. Maybe Boston or NYC might be the only exceptions there.
While there is alot of Natural beauty in America (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, hundreds of other State parks, etc), is it worth it to the foreigner to be retina-scanned, biometrically fingerprinted, and strip-searched by airport Congoids just in order to see those places? Nah, they're all probably going to visit Canada or Mexico instead.
2005-05-26 23:30 | User Profile
At this time the US are being specially carefull about people that look like Arabs or Israelis, wait till the so called terrorist start looking like whites with blond hair and blue eyes and then the real fun will start.