LAT: Tourists aren't flocking to the U.S.

[ellisonz]

Source: L.A. Times

Tourists aren't flocking to the U.S.
The number of overseas visitors dropped sharply from 2000 to 2005. Mayors urge more spending on marketing.
By Kimi Yoshino, Times Staff Writer
June 22, 2007

Troubled by steep declines in international tourism, U.S. mayors are urging the federal government to spend more money on marketing the United States and to make the entry process friendlier and faster.

Responding to a survey by the Travel Business Roundtable, mayors from the country's top travel destinations said tourism — a driving force of the U.S. economy — needed to be a top priority.

The number of overseas visitors to the U.S. has dropped 17% since its peak in 2000 — and 20% in the top 15 cities — costing more than $100 billion in lost visitor spending through 2005, according to the Commerce Department.

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In Los Angeles, tourism is expected to add $13 billion in direct cash to the economy this year. But from 2000 to 2005, the number of overseas travelers declined 27%. In Anaheim, home of Disneyland, the number of overseas visitors dropped 21% in the same period, Commerce Department statistics showed.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tourism22jun22,0,4127611.story?coll=la-home-center

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We are entering an era of consequences...

[cassiepriam]

1. Duh. nt

[yardwork]

2. Go figure.

[Tempest]

3. Can't blame them

Not with all the security they have to go through from DHS on both ends of the flight.

[Kikosexy2]

29. The stench...

from Washington must be overwhelming..sigh!....

[PA Democrat]

4. The weak US dollar SHOULD have boosted tourism to the US from foreign visitors.

The fact that it has not speaks volumes about how the rest of the world's opinion of America has declined since George the Warmonger took office.

[Cobalt-60]

9. It probably has

Though low prices only go so far toward over riding fascist luddite oppression.
The thought of being dropped into one of Cheny's secret prisons without evidence or Habeas Corpus takes much of the shine off that American Vacation.
The idea of being left to die on the ER floor while the janitor sweeps around you probably turns off any visitors with potential health situations, too.
This will just get worse until Junior, Cheney, and their whole fascist apparatus have been eradicated.

[pitohui]

17. it CERTAINLY has, people fly to nyc just to shop!

to nyc, one of the most expensive cities for an american to visit, but a u.k. or european person can save a fortune by flying here for a shopping expedition and plenty of them do so

this story has the smell of fish, you can't "market" something to people when there is no capacity to serve any more people, the loads on the airplanes are FULL, flights are at capacity, therefore "marketing" usa cities is not going to bring any more people in because they can't walk across the ocean

as i said below, these marketing schemes and tourism boards exist to line the pockets of the mayors friends, simple as that

[Shipwack]

27. Maybe yes, maybe no...

While I agree that if the planes are at capacity no more can arrive, has the number of -seats- in airplanes coming to the US decreased since Bush took office? If more people wanted to come to the US, the airlines could schedule extra flights. Since people don't want to come here for vacation, there is no need for extra flights, especially flights that might not be full. Fuel prices being what they are, the airlines aren't going to schedule flights that might be half empty unless they know people are going to want to come here.

As for shopping, what exactly are they coming here to buy that is so much cheaper? The only thing that comes to mind is (-possibly-) clothes, but I can't imagine the money saved making up for a trans-Atlantic flight and NYC area hotel room.

[MuseRider]

5. Marketing?

They think marketing is going to help? Holy shit. A country perceived as full of war mongering wackos and they think that marketing is going to do the trick?

[Bake]

6. "Marketing"???? "MARKETING???"

Marketing is not the solution. Change the policies (and the administration!) and we'll see a whole lot of things improve, including our tourism industry.

Bake

[pitohui]

18. see my other posts, it's a scam

there isn't any lack of tourists, there is a drive by these mayors to get more funds for "marketing" and "tourism boards" that will go to their political pals

it ain't about bring more people to usa, we don't have the air capacity to bring any more

it's about lining pockets

[SpiralHawk]

22. Republicon Marketing slogo: "Jesus loves chickenhawk war mongering profiteers"

"Who spend taxpayer dollars like drunken sailors, lie to the citizens, and trash the environment - Come to America, and love a republicon (Jeff Gannon is already spoken for by Commander AWOL & Insider cronies)

[ima_sinnic]

7. no doubt "we" are being boycotted (n/t)

[Red Zelda]

8. What? Nobody wants to see Disneyfuck?

Or go see a nascar beerfest? or see lovely alabammy? whaaat?

[Taverner]

11. Virginny is foh lovahs yall!

[Sequoia]

21. Geez. Nascar is here this weekend.

People go crazy around here. They can't wait to get in their RVs and drive to hot barren land to fry in the song while loud garish cars zoom 'round and 'round in circles screaming in your ears, the suffocating stench, the sun beating on your head. What fun.

[Cha]

32. There's Niagara Falls but that's

better on the CANADIAN SIDE!

[mainegreen]

10. Well, they still swarm all over Maine like cicadas in heat. n/t

[Jim Warren]

36. Those aren't foreigners though

just people from Massachusetts:evilgrin:

[noel adamson]

12. Marketing has worked pretty well for them...

...they have sold us bogus presidents, bogus security including bogus wars, bogus health care, bogus...well you get the idea.

[DBoon]

25. They sold "us" not "them"

I suspect Americans are the most gullible people on earth.

[Kali]

13. I have friends in Mexico and Germany who refuse to come anymore.

The hassles are not worth it.

[Jim Warren]

37. Yeah, me too.

I have an extended group of friends and their friends from Germany who used to come to the states and rent RVs and tour the country. No more.
Frankly the gild is off the lily and they think there just are more hipper spots in the world to visit now.

[High Plains]

38. Ditto for my Dutch friends.

They say they will not risk being hassled by thuggish American border guards.

[pitohui]

14. well the planes are full

the airlines are pretty much at capacity, i don't know what marketing can do about that, you can only squeeze so many people into so many seats

the falling dollar has attracted TONS of visitors from europe who wouldn't normally come, so it seems like some of the facts in this article are "hinky" if you ask me

los angeles isn't really a tourism destination is it, anyway? i mean it's just sprawl and disneyland, right, doesn't seem like something worth crossing an ocean to see, plus disneyland now has franchises elsewhere such as paris, so why travel to see it any more?

[Spazito]

15. You seem to have missed the fact that this relates to more than LA

"Troubled by steep declines in international tourism, U.S. mayors are urging the federal government to spend more money on marketing the United States and to make the entry process friendlier and faster.

Responding to a survey by the Travel Business Roundtable, mayors from the country's top travel destinations said tourism — a driving force of the U.S. economy — needed to be a top priority.

The number of overseas visitors to the U.S. has dropped 17% since its peak in 2000 — and 20% in the top 15 cities..."

[pitohui]

16. no, i read it, it just smells hinky

it's just a way for mayors to put some marketing $$$ in their friend's pocket, i know how it works, it works the same in new orleans, but the planes are FULL, they are flying at capacity, all the marketing in the world can't change that

i don't blame the mayors for agitating to get money for their pals, this is what politicians and esp. local politicians DO, but it's a pretty thin argument

marketing is useless when there is no way to service any increased load of tourists, grok?

[Spazito]

19. LOL, it seems there is no problem with increased loads of tourists

given the statistics from BOTH the mayors and the Department of Commerce. How airlines deal with half-full flights both internationally and domestically which I am sure you know, is to reduce the number of flights servicing that route thereby filling more of the seats. Overloaded planes does not automatically mean more people including tourists are flying which is what you seem to be saying.

[damntexdem]

20. Sure they are. They just don't announce themselves.

Unlike the many big-mouth Americans that they meet. ;-)

[Siyahamba]

23. Forcing 32 million potential tourists to drop nearly $100 just to set foot in the country

doesn't really help tourism.

[rcdean]

24. Good!

It's time more Americans started realizing the price to be paid for electing this unspeakably horrible administration TWICE!

[melody]

39. Except, we didn't elect them

So why are we paying a price?

[Parche]

26. Tourism

It will rise after 20January 2009, guaranteed....:hi:

[ooglymoogly]

28. Proof that the bushies don't have a clue, never had a clue and don't know a clue

when they see one even when it jumps up and bites them on the ass.

[daleo]

30. I know someone who was turned back over a 30 year old pot charge

(Not me.)

It was an $85 fine in 1977 for possession of a few seeds. He was turned back a few weeks ago at the border. It's stupid.

[Cha]

31. Yeah, get bush up there for the marketing

pictures with all his photo ops around the country..see how that brings 'em in.

Remember that one that rove put out with bush up there beside the presidential faces on Mt Rushmore in South Dakota? As if.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

33. "...spend more money on marketing the United States..."

We're spending $600B+ in marketing every year.





Oh, it's not working? :freak::cry:

[entanglement]

34. Not surprising. And the fools think more marketing is the solution?

:eyes:

[WritersBlock]

35. No surprise. I'm heading back for a family reunion in August, and already dread the airport hassles.

Nothing like dragging yourself off an 8-hour flight, only to be greeted by some jumped-up wanna-be yelling at you at the top of his lungs.

Welcome to the United States. Right.

My passport's blue with an eagle on it, and I sure don't feel the least bit welcome. Very much the opposite, in fact.

So how the hell do they expect someone with a foreign passport to feel any other way?

[Eurobabe]

44. Oh I can so relate, last time I was home in the Fall

I called my mom as I was deplaning, only to find out she had just had a fender bender on the way to the airport. They warned us in the plane that cell phones were not allowed in the customs hall (I wasn't even up the ramp) and they started screaming at me, "turn off that cell phone NOW!!" I muttered loudly welcome to Philadelphia, and several people cracked up.

It's not the men & women behind the counters at the checkpoint, it's the peripheral staff that are just nasty. Everyone coming into customs is a suspected criminal :eyes: no matter what color your passport is...them's the fact these days.

[melody]

40. This is news to my travel industry friends in So California

They've both seen a sharp increase in foreign bookings.

[twenty4blackbirds]

41. some annual stats, not just LA

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/twenty4blackbirds/11

Office of Travel and Tourism Industries

http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/ind...
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%

I think it means that the total number of people arriving for visits/holidays haven't changed that much, and the number of people arriving in general (business, whatnot) has decreased 16.5% between 2000 and 2005.

my $0.02

[JI7]

42. if this is true and not a marketing scam, i really think it has to do with Bush

foreigners are better informed than we with what is going on in Iraq and other areas.

[JI7]

43. HMMMM, so what happened since 2000 ?

"The number of overseas visitors to the U.S. has dropped 17% since its peak in 2000 — and 20% in the top 15 cities — costing more than $100 billion in lost visitor spending through 2005, according to the Commerce Department."