Reuters/Yahoo News: Travel to U.S. off 17 Percent Since 9/11

[marmar]

Travel to U.S. off 17 pct since 9/11
1 hour, 17 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 17 percent drop in overseas travelers to the United States since the September 11 attacks has cost the country more than $15 billion in lost taxes and nearly 200,000 jobs, a study showed on Tuesday.


Since the September 11 attacks, the United States has tightened security measures and toughened its visa and entry requirements. As a result, the country was ranked as the world's most unfriendly to visitors in a survey conducted last year of travelers from 16 nations.

"Our economic security is suffering from a drastic decline in overseas travelers and we are missing an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen America's image around the globe," said Stevan Porter, president of Intercontinental Hotels Group and chairman of the association's Discover America Partnership. "We are in the midst of a travel crisis."

The study released on Tuesday by the Travel Industry Association said the U.S. market share of the $6 trillion worldwide travel market had dropped to about 6.1 percent in 2006, from about 7.5 percent in 2000. Since September 11, overseas travel to the United States has dropped by 17 percent.

The study, which looked at the economic ripple effect over time, said the drop resulted in 194,000 lost jobs, $25.9 billion in lost payroll and $15.6 billion in lost taxes to federal, state and local governments.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070123/us_nm/usa_travel_dc

[Ravenseye]

1. Yeah no duh

more and more people don't want to come here anymore. If it was a 17% drop, I'm curious to see what that percentage is for pure tourists. People who aren't visiting family, and aren't here on business or for school. I bet that number is even higher.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. And this is despite the favorable exchange rate with the dollar.

When you can't bribe visitors into this country, something's wrong.

[Nite Owl]

4. That was my first thought too

It's a pretty good deal to visit and even that doesn't bring more people.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. I was going to mention that

I remember in the 90's So Fl was flooded with Brits and Germans because the exchange rate was so favorable. Apparently, the image of the US is so bad, everyone would rather go somewhere else instead.

[canadianbeaver]

3. With the new.....show your papers to get in....will mean more loss

to the US....I for one will not be getting a passport....this whole issue about safety is a joke....the hijackers had passports for cryin' out loud...!!! I don't need to come to the US...and I probably won't be flying anywhere in the near future....looks like Canadian holidays are whats in the future for me.....I need to see more of my own country anyways...I have always wanted to travel east ...at least once anyways.....

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Passports only apply to US citizens attempting reentry

The new law really shouldn't have any effect on foreign travel to the US.

[canadianbeaver]

14. News here is saying we need passports for entry into US..

On flights now...and in 2007/08 for border crossings......

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. Yes, you're correct

I was for some reason thinking of driving across for Canadians. My apologies.

Frankly, I think it's foolish and have said before how it will be a blight on border towns. Yet I was under the (mistaken) impression that they had loosened the restrictions on conventional border crossings.

[canadianbeaver]

21. Hey....no problem....I just wish this wasn't the way......

I feel this is way too "Big Brother" for me. I don't want the chip, and I don't want my info on a chip, which has no security what so ever....It just amazes me how many people are lining up to get this done....why can't they line up to protest this sort of intrusion...all for the sake of security...false security if you ask me....

Yes I wear a tin foil hat with pride!! Fear us into going along with any rule or law they throw out there....gosh..if you throw it, it will stick!!

Ruled by the elite....money and power....money and power....its not just for breakfast anymore!!

[marmar]

6. I live in a border state (Michigan) and going from Detroit to Windsor is second-nature....

Once the passport restrictions are applied to ground travel too, the impact on both sides of the river is going to be pretty big.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Remarkable, considering what a bargain the US is to those using the Euro or English pound.

[pitohui]

9. it simply isn't true, it's fun math (u.s. market "share")

the flights are full, ask anyone who travels transpac or transatlantic about all those empty seats, right, there aren't any

we don't have the air capacity to take on any more international travelers

u.s. market share is a percentage, a number that has fallen for a variety of reasons but mostly because it's easier to get to destinations that were once impossible for most people to visit, namely eastern europe and china, there was never anyway we were going to maintain our historically unrealistic market share, we had an unfairly high share in the past because there was no prague or no beijing to visit, grok?

the planes are full, the loads are unbelievable, there just aren't room for any more unless they propose to make these people attach a kite to the back of the jet in order to tag along

[marmar]

11. I've taken a number of transatlantic flights since 9/11, and yes they are full coming back home...

Full of Americans coming back from their business or pleasure trips. I've definitely noticed fewer Europeans coming over here.

[Spazito]

12. What airlines do when the number of passengers flying is down...

is reduce the number of flights available in order to fill those fewer flights and reduce their costs so to assume international travel is down because the flights are full is incorrect unless you can show the same number of flights are flying today as the number before 9/11.

[pitohui]

13. the number of pax flying is not down

the number of pax flying is the highest in all of human history

the story is bogus, it's a lie, period

[oblivious]

15. The report is not saying the number of passengers flying is down.

It says "Since September 11, overseas travel to the United States has dropped by 17 percent."

You are arguing a separate point.

[pitohui]

18. a question was asked of me, i answered it

i already dealt with the report, the report is quite simply bogus for the reasons offered

u.s. will never again have "market share" that it had when there was no eastern europe and china to travel to -- any more than nbc will have the "market share" it had when there were only 3 networks

this ain't advanced calculus folks

[twenty4blackbirds]

23. Inbound Air Travel stats, methinks

Office of Travel and Tourism Industries

http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/index.html#inbound
Only countries generating at least 1,000 arrivals in any one year.

Total arrivals (visitation) ¹
2000 versus 2005
50,890,701 versus 49,401,528 => difference: 1489173; change: -2.9%

Total air arrivals ²
2000 versus 2005
25,974,701 versus 21,678,528 => difference: 4296173; change: -16.5%


footnotes
Total arrivals (visitation)
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2000-04-001/index.html
1994: 44,752,946
1995: 43,316,966; change: -3.2%
1996: 46,489,766; change: 7.3%
1997: 47,766,476; change: 2.7%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2005-05-001/index.html
1998: 46,395,587; change: -3%
1999: 48,491,187; change: 5%
2000: 50,890,701; change: 6%
2001: 46,926,868; change: -8%
2002: 43,580,707; change: -7%
2003: 41,218,213; change: -5%
2004: 46,084,257; change: 12%
2005: 49,401,528; change: 7%

Inbound Air arrivals
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-87/index.html
1996: first time (leisure): 32%; repeat (leisure): 68%; arrivals: 22,658,000
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-1997-07-001/index.html
1997: first time (leisure): 31%; repeat (leisure): 69%; arrivals: 24,194,000; change: 6.8%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-1998-07-001/index.html
1998: first time (leisure): 28%; repeat (leisure): 72%; arrivals: 23,698,000; change: -2%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-1999-07-001/index.html
1999: first time (leisure): 28%; repeat (leisure): 72%; arrivals: 24,466,000; change: 3.2%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2000-07-001/index.html
2000: first time (leisure): 28%; repeat (leisure): 72%; arrivals: 25,974,701; change: 6.1%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2001-07-001/index.html
2001: first time (leisure): 25%; repeat (leisure): 75%; arrivals: 21,832,868; change: -15.9%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2002-07-001/index.html
2002: first time (leisure): 23%; repeat (leisure): 77%; arrivals: 19,116,707; change: -12.4%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2003-07-001/index.html
2003: first time (leisure): 28%; repeat (leisure): 72%; arrivals: 18,026,213; change: -5.7%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2004-07-001/index.html
2004: first time (leisure): 30%; repeat (leisure): 70%; arrivals: 20,322,257; change: 12.7%
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/cat/f-2005-07-002.html
2005: first time (leisure): 27%; repeat (leisure): 73%; arrivals: 21,678,528; change: 6.7%

[magellan]

24. My husband just flew back from London on Sunday

He was surprised because the flight was far from full as it usually is. It was BA into Orlando.

[Megahurtz]

10. Who can stand this place.

LOL!

:sarcasm:

[TexasLawyer]

17. Given the favorable exchange rate

Europeans should be coming here in DROVES. That they aren't says a lot. This is the land of bargains for people with pounds and euros.

(I am going the other way for spring break (Texas to London) and I am getting murdered on the exchange rate. Ouch!!!)

[pitohui]

19. they are coming here in droves

the report is a lie

market share is a percentage, when you add up percentages, it will always add up to a total of 100 percent

in recent years we have had travel to china come open to the many, rather than just to the few

we've had eastern europe and the baltics blossom as a travel destination rather than a war zone

each of these new destinations gets a percentage of market share, therefore the u.s. percentage has to shrink because we can't have a total adding up to more than 100 percentage

you will see when you have to fly back just how miserable and crowded the flights are, people fly from paris or london to the united states -- even to what are expensive destinations for americans like new york -- TO GO SHOPPING

we have huge travel to the usa, by cherry picking out this one statistic than can be spun to fool the mathematically naive, greedy people can complain and make a play for more tax subsidies and hand-outs but the tourist industry is now the biggest industry in america


what the hell more do they want?

lies, damned lies, and statistics indeed!

[TexasLawyer]

20. I'll have to make an informal check on my flight

you might be right.

[frankieT]

22. my 2 cents as a potential european tourist

All the airports restrictions and security measures in US since 9-11 are not really encouraging for foreigners.