The Obama administration has announced on Thursday that they have plans to attract at least twice as many foreign visitors to America over the next decade. The president hopes that by increasing tourism to the country the economy will be boosted and more jobs will be created.
The new plan will increase tourism by making it easier for foreign visitors to get tourist visas to enter the USA. The goal of the plan is to attract at least 100 million visitors per year. These foreign tourists would spend approximately $250 billion every year, helping to add an estimated 2.1-3.3 million jobs to the economy. The initiative also encourages Americans to travel within the USA to see all that the country has to offer and spend their tourism dollars at home. The campaign will promote trademark American destinations such as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park to international visitors.
America’s Tourism Dropping in Recent Years
The United States has been losing grounds as a desirable destination in recent years in the international tourism market. America’s market share of tourism worldwide was at 17 percent in the year 2000 and has fallen to 11 percent in 2010.
Why have so many people avoided visiting the USA? One of the reasons that tourism dropped was because after the September 11th terrorist attacks many people were afraid to travel within the USA. Also, even if tourists were not afraid of travel they were annoyed by the extremely heightened security which made it very difficult to get into the country as a visitor. For example, at Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport last year it took two hours to clear customs during peak times. In the year 2001 the drop in tourism was dramatic and the industry experienced a $13.3 billion decline.
The Recession in 2009 also had a negative effect on tourism to the USA because people could not afford holidays to America in their budgets anymore. In the year 2009, tourism plunged another $2.1 billion from the previous year.
How to Make More People Want to Visit the USA?
How does the president aim to increase the number of foreign visitors to the USA? One of the major steps that the report outlines is to offer information and services to non-English speaking visitors so that these guests feel more confident making their way around the USA. Also, the plan is to improve the efficiency of the visitor visa and visa waiver system so that it is simpler for foreign visitors to enter the country. The USA will also be promoting itself as “open for business” as a tourist destination to a wide range of markets all around the world.
A $150 million marketing campaign will be launched in May to promote the USA to travellers worldwide. The advertisements will include singer Rosanne Cash performing a song entitled “Land of Dreams” while images of happy people on beaches, meadows and city streets are shown. The campaign will also include magazine ads, billboards, online videos, and much more.
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