09 July 2008

Weak dollar fails to entice travellers to US

The US is losing out on tourism and its share of global arrivals has dropped a percentage point despite the weak dollar, according to the UN World Tourism Association.

The UN WTA says that in 2000 the US had a 7% share of the 682 million international arrivals but as arrivals rose to 846 million in 2006, the US saw approximately the same tourists arriving through its ports, meaning a drop in share to 6%.

Industry experts echo what most travellers heading Stateside have been moaning about for some time Ã¢â¬' that the poor welcome at customs, the heavy security measures and lower fares to other destinations are to blame.

The US Commerce department adds that big earners in the past like Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco saw 20-34% fewer visitors in 2006 compared to 2000. Of the countryÃ¢â¬â¢s ten most popular cities, only New York saw more visitors in 2006 than 2000 with a 9% increase.

President of the USÃ¢â¬â¢ Travel Industry Association said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe perception is that we're less welcoming than other countries.Ã¢â¬~

By Dinah Hatch

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Your Comments (3)

It's not just the Greenbacks...

Its not just the weak dollar, which us Brits are taking advantage of in US dollar communities which don't require an interrogation by the Department of Homeland Security. The revenue flows into the USA and for that you can thank USA cruise lines, now doing amazing business in Europe! Taking UK Sterling and the Euro head on! Clearly there is a lot of public relations to be done on the immigration welcome front and many people who would travel to the States are now looking elsewhwere as it is only possible to gain the entry clearance if you have access to a computer and the internet. Believe it or not, many wealthy people in the UK still do not have computers and internet access! You need both to complete the pre-travel admission protocol...perhaps this was overlooked by the 20 year old geeks who wrote and sold in the program... Julian Bray UK

By JULIAN BRAY, Friday, July 25, 2008
Thse figures are outdated and misleading

The figures quoted in this article are so outdated that they are extremely misleading, within the context of the UK market. Official US figures for 2007 show the market from the UK in fact grew by 8% on the previous year, with another 7% growth for the first four months of 2008. The forecast total growth in 2008 for the UK market into the USA is 7%. It is certainly not all gloom and doom for the US market and the major improvements made by the US Department of Homeland Security have gone a long way to address previous concerns about the poor welcome given to visitors. Please let's stop knocking the USA - and thanks for this forum to respond and set the record straight. Kate Burgess on behalf of the Visit USA Association

By Kate Burgess-Craddy, Wednesday, July 9, 2008
At last

I have hated being automatically treated like a criminal just because I wanted to go to the US. I have voted with my wallet and not been to the US since the ludicrous security measures were introduced. I have also made a point of using this as a sales pitch for travelling to Canada and other less paranoid countries, this just goes to show that it works. Tough luck USA.

By Alexander Carraro, Wednesday, July 9, 2008