Smurfs and Billy the Kid have something in common: They are both promoting travel

The bipartisan US House-Senate committee charged with finding US$1.5 trillion to be cut from budget deficits is now in operation, though virtually no one thinks it has much of a chance for success. No one expects it to have much influence on travel, either.

But it does raise the question of what the federal government has done to promote overseas travel, which virtually all groups say is a desirable goal not only because of its highly favorable economic impact but also to help polish the image of the US.

The US is far from alone in wanting more tourism, and Billy the Kid and the Smurfs are among creative gimmicks other areas and  countries are doing to promote much-needed tourism in tough times.

But first, what has the US Congress done?

One major failure was to temporarily not fund a tax levied by the Federal Aviation Administration. That allowed the airlines to collect a 7.5 percent tax directly and swell their profits, much to the distain of passengers who had the charge passed on to them.

One major accomplishment, however, was passage of the Travel Promotion Act in March of last year. The bill created the first-ever Corporation for Travel Promotion, which is marketing the US to the world.

One of its major selling points is The CTP is not funded by US taxpayers. A combination of cash and in-kind contributions from the private sector will fund at least 50 percent of the program’s budget.

Matching funds will also be drawn from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which assesses a small fee on foreign visitors from visa waiver countries traveling to the United States.

A “historic victory,” is how Roger Dow, head of the US Travel Association termed it. But whether the organization will live up to its hype won’t be known until later this year because it is still in an organizational stage.

The CTP and other groups might want to emulate Kerala, located on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. Once neglected, it has risen in tourism esteem to the point where National Geographic Traveler named it one of the “ten paradises of the world.”

The tourism tag line “Kerala-God’s Own Country” teamed with aggressive tourism promotion allowed it to make the transformation. Popular promoted attractions include its beaches, rivers, lakes and canals. The state's tourism agenda promotes ecologically sustained tourism, which focuses on the local culture and wilderness adventures.

Other areas and their initiatives:

• Beaches are positive. The country of Turkey is spending US$96.8 million to use 40 promotional offices across the world to increase the country’s tourism profile and attract a target of 31 million visitors this year, according to Tayfun Senerkul of the country’s General Directorate of Promotion.  Pictures of its sandy beaches and ancient heritage are appearing on billboards lining the streets of the world’s capitals, as well as ads on foreign TV channels and public buses.
• Money helps. Mexico’s tarnished drug-related image has not discouraged visitors, which were up 2 percent in a recent month. Much credit is given to Mexican President Felipe Calderon who implemented various policies to make tourism promotion a major initiative of his presidency.  He said that the country had invested about 5 percdent of GDP into infrastructure that facilitates the growth of tourism (such as piers, airports and roads) and made changes to rules facilitating the entry of tourists to Mexico.  Calderon said he is committed to moving Mexico from being the tenth most visited country in the world.
• Beautiful women don’t hurt. Also in Mexico, the state of Guerrero placed a help-wanted ad looking for beautiful women to sign up as “tourist police” to patrol its popular visitor destinations, like Acapulco. Ramon Almonte Borja, head of the state’s public security secretariat, tells CNN that the idea is to set up a police force “comprised of only women, preferably beautiful ones” that will presumably attract tourists.
• Desperado Measures. Some areas within the US itself are adopting what Uptake.com called “Desperate Times, Desperado  Measures” such as New Mexico, which is calling on Billy the Kid for help. Tourist-watchers may remember when former Gov. Bill Richardson gathered a lot of publicity for “pardoning” the famous outlaw. Current New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has now put a US$10,000 bounty on the Kid. As part of a statewide campaign, she wants people to join a virtual posse online and then travel the state for real in search of the infamous outlaw. There’s even a dedicated website (www.catchthekid.com) to create a posse profile. The final “posse” to capture the kid gets a $10,000 reward.
• Simple sometimes works. New York may be a very sophisticated area but among its many recent promotions are little blue Smurfs. “The Smurfs have been declared official family ambassadors with the task of getting more families to visit the Big Apple, and they’re doing a pretty good job of it with Smurfs Week NYC,” says NYC & Company. Promotions involve tie-ins with a new movie.
• Unique and exotic always helps. It’s a country best-known for its blandness, but the Canadian Tourism Commission combined 48 Canadian tourism enterprises across the country to launch a “Signature Experiences Collection” that seeks to offer high-spending international travelers their best “unique and exotic” elements. Said  Maxime Bernier, minister of state: “By highlighting unique Canadian experiences abroad, this ground-breaking initiative will encourage the world to visit Canada. It will increase our share of international visitors and generate greater revenues for Canadian businesses.”
• Contests help, too. In Hainan, China, which calls itself a “rising island resort,” tourism officials launched an industrial competition to draw attention to tourism. The “Sunshine Award” was the first of its kind in the country. It will invite domestic and overseas creative people to design up-to-date tourism commodities and products.
• Literary moves. The United Kingdom currently features as number one in a list compiled by TripAdvisor of the top ten literary destinations in the world, but watch out for Belfast in Ireland.  “To help us capitalize upon this massive market, our Literary Tourism Plan has been significantly enhanced by a successful application to the NITB's Tourism Innovation Fund, and new partnerships,” said Christopher Stalford, chairman of the city’s Council Development Committee. He said the country has developed a range of literary tourism products.
• Diversity sells. South Africa is promoting itself as “one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world. Exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture offer the traveller a unique and inspiring experience.” Tourism officials are advertising the country as is a heady mix of third and first world cultures. Beachs are also uncrowded.
• Government grants always good. Israel last year had a record-tying 3.45 million tourists, more than 25 percent higher than the previous year, and 2011 may beat that record. Among initiatives to achieve that goal are awarding 10 percent grants to entrepreneurs planning new tourist attractions. The tourism budget has also been doubled for next year, according to Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov
• The Congo buzzes. Even the Congo Brazzaville has come back on the international tourism scene after “years of fading,” says Afrique Avenir. “With its forests and its unique biosphere, the country can also count on its magnificent coastline to attract investors and tourists around the world,” says the site. National parks and ecotourism have been two major themes to attract tourism.

By David Wilkening