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The weak dollar: bad for us, good for them — “them” being, international visitors. And for the 2nd year in a row, the U.S. attracted a record number of visitors in 2007 (almost 57-million, and they spent more than $120-billion). But the Travel Industry Association (TIA) says, “where are the high-roller tourists?” I’m going to need your comments on this one, so please, keep reading… |
According to the TIA, most of this increased tourism is the result of increased traffic at the Canadian/Mexican borders.
In a statement, the association said, “the number of annual visitors from overseas, who are bigger spenders by far, still lags behind the peak year of 2000 by 2 million.”
Europeans could find incredible deals here, thanks to the weak dollar, and some are doing just that, but apparently, not enough.
So where are they?
If you have an idea, I’d like to hear it. Leave a comment, and let’s discuss.
I suppose our fingerprinting at the border isn’t particularly enticing… Hasn’t the TIA made any surveys?
Comment by Andy — March 14, 2008 @ 10:05 pm
The shabby treatment from the US embassies / consulates and upon arrival combined with our good friend “W” who has made the rest of the world hate us. It’s a miracle we even got 57M!
Comment by Chris — March 15, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
Sheer hassle, pure and simple. Have you ever talked to a foreigner trying to get into the U.S.? Citizens of many countries need a visa, so they have to plan an additional 2-3 months ahead of time. Normally, there’s a $100 or so application fee (non-refundable). Then, assuming visa is granted, you have to deal with the immigration procedure, which for a lot of people means getting finger-printed (again, as they normally take them for the visa app). Then there’s all the fun of the shoe carnival, The War on Liquids(TM), poor service on domestic airlines, etc. By the time a person gets here, they’ll wish they just hopped a RyanAir flight to the Riviera…
Comment by A.K. — March 17, 2008 @ 9:32 am