US must woo world tourists: lawmakers

[alienlovechild 75]

The United States needs to wage a charm offensive to woo overseas tourists seduced by rivals like France and Italy, US senators and industry experts agreed Wednesday "Other countries are out there saying to the international tourists: "Come to Rome! See the beauty of Italy! Visit Paris! See the wonders of France! Come to London! Other countries are actively engaged because they know it is a huge jobs generator," Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan told a hearing.

Industry figures show that international visitors spend roughly 4,000 dollars per person during their stay in the United States, generating 1.38 trillion dollars in sales in 2008 and supporting some 8.6 million jobs.

But the international financial meltdown has led many to scale back their travel plans. About 200,000-travel related US jobs vanished in 2008, and the US Commerce Department estimates that another 247,000 will go in 2009.

And the US share of the world travel market has plunged 20 percent since 2000 -- much of it after the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes -- Klobuchar said as she led a Senate Commerce subcomittee hearing on the situation.

The new legislation would created a travel promotion campaign, to be funded by a 10-dollar fee paid by travelers seeking visa waivers and matching monies from the travel industry.

Travel industry officials from Las Vegas, Walt Disney Resorts, the Travelocity online booking site, and Carlson hotels pleaded with the senators to approve the legislation and put 200 million dollars behind the campaign.

"We are only asking the United States to establish what nearly every other major foreign market already has: A nationally coordinated and well-funded travel promotion campaign," said Jay Rasulo, the chairman of Walt Disney parks and resorts.

Rasulo also showed a video, produced by Disney but donated to the US government, aimed at drumming up goodwill to the United States and drawing visitors.

The video includes footage of the sun rising over New York City, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Washington monument, brief footage of Las Vegas, bucolic heartland scenes of a farms, two smiling bikini-clad women on a beach, a boat in Florida's everglades, and amusement rides.

It also includes footage of young mothers of various ethnicities with their babies, a little boy flexing his muscles near a tire swing, and finally shots of people saying "welcome" and the Statue of Liberty.

Republican Senator Mel Martinez called the video and other efforts to improve the US image overseas "a very positive and needed thing" and noted polls showing a majority of foreign travelers felt they had been treated rudely by US immigration officials when they visited.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CN...;show_article=1

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The US' public image abroad improved the day Bush left office.

[alienlovechild 75]

The US' public image abroad improved the day Bush left office.

Why do we a slick new PR campaign when have Obama? That shot of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty really got those tourists running- clever.

[SP&JM 0]

Know what would help? If people weren't terrified to come because of the rude people at immigration/customs AND SECURITY in the airport. Actually, immigration and customs are usually OK - mainly it's security. And the super-unhelpful people who are supposed to answer questions but really just give everyone attitude.

I have actually had friends say to me "I would never go (or go back) to the USA, the people in the airport are too mean." I usually reply that it isn't because they are foreign, that the people are mean to me too, but I don't think they believe me.

I know in the US almost everyone speaks English, but if you are a security officer in a international airport like Philadelphia, wouldn't you figure out some way of explaining to someone that they have to remove their shoes other than yelling at them in a louder and louder voice (often faster and faster as well)? Didn't anyone ever play charades?

OK, done venting

[scandal 951]

Dam Furiners koming into the cuntry taek away americun jobs.

Evin if thay onli wanna goto disnee wurld.

[alienlovechild 75]

Dam Furiners koming into the cuntry taek away americun jobs.

Evin if thay onli wanna goto disnee wurld.

And we can showpiece our educational standards and substandard humor for the rest of the world.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The US' public image abroad improved the day Bush left office.

Why do we a slick new PR campaign when have Obama? That shot of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty really got those tourists running- clever.

Obama's Terror Tours, I presume.

Still, we could have Cheney do a promo video as he is into the great outdoors and all that:

"Come to fuckin' America" he says as he puffs on a cigar and then blasts a squirrel into pate with his shotgun.

[alienlovechild 75]

"Come to fuckin' America" he says as he puffs on a cigar and then blasts a squirrel into pate with his shotgun.

What's unusual to the tourist yet authentic appeals to the tourist has some merit as an attraction. There's a marekt for foreigners who want to shoot guns and they pay for the privilege in places like Vietnam.

[Peikko 1,575]

Why is it that whenever I read a post by you Alien, it's like reading a novel with the key pages missing?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Come to fuckin' America" he says as he puffs on a cigar and then blasts a squirrel into pate with his shotgun.

What's unusual to the tourist yet authentic appeals to the tourist has some merit as an attraction. There's a marekt for foreigners who want to shoot guns and they pay for the privilege in places like Vietnam.

Like that jean Claude van damme movie Hard Target?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Thanks Six... I just had a picture of Van Damme and Cheney..... a cigar was involved....

MY EYES! MY EYES!