World Travelers: America Wants You
from CNN
 Despite strong global growth in long-haul international travel between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. welcomed 633,000 fewer overseas visitors in 2008 than it did in 2000, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Calculations for overseas visitors do not include arrivals from Mexico and Canada, the top two tourist-generating countries for the United States in 2008. The lag in the growth of overseas visits can be attributed to a difficult visa process, a lack of national promotion and a negative perception of how people are treated upon arrival, said Roger Dow, the U.S. Travel Association's president and CEO.
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NEW Study on International Travelers!
Join a comprehensive study that will help your organization learn more about international travelers. The International Traveler Study will take a comprehensive look at needs, behaviors, and experiences of international travelers in the United States, with focus on the top 5 inbound markets: Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the UK. Sponsors can submit proprietary questions. The study is being conducted by the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and Shop America Alliance in conjunction with Mandala Research. For more information contact Laura@MandalaResearch.com.
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Travel Promotion Act Just a Few Steps Away
from Tradeshow Week
It's been more than two years since a bill to promote international travel to the United States first was introduced in the U.S. Congress, and the legislation now is closer to passage than it ever has been before – just one vote and one signature away. Since the Travel Promotion Act first was introduced, it's undergone several revisions and votes in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Now, with a new Congress and new president in place since the lobbying for the bill first began, it's only two steps away from becoming law.
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Travel's Impact on U.S. Economy Adds Up
from Hotel News Now
Struggling to silence pesky naysayers who still doubt the importance of travel in jumpstarting the sluggish U.S. economy? Here’s a number to add to your ammo clip: US$772.9 billion. That’s the amount spent by domestic and international travelers in the U.S. in 2008.
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Chinese and U.S. Tourism Leaders Meet at Orlando Summit
from MICE Contact
Tourism officials from 30 Chinese provinces and 23 U.S. states were in attendance at the two-day summit, including Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration Shao Qiwei and U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. During the summit, leading tourism officials from both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding as part of an ongoing initiative to build strategic cooperation in tourism.
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Gaming Execs Credit Stimulus with Saving Nevada Jobs
from the Las Vegas Sun
Despite Nevada’s tough economic climate and growing jobless rate, casino executives today said they are seeing the benefits of federal stimulus dollars flowing to Las Vegas. In the wake of national media appearances by two high-profile Las Vegas casino executives, Harrah’s Entertainment, Station Casinos and Hilton International hosted a teleconference last week to chime in on the Obama administration and the effects of the federal stimulus on the industry. More
Building a Better Air-Traffic-Control System
from The Wall Street Journal
When Air France Flight 447 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in June, seven hours elapsed before air-traffic controllers realized it was missing, delaying search and rescue efforts and bewildering air travelers over how a jumbo jet could be lost in an age when even simple cellphones can pinpoint positions. Could it happen in the U.S. and other parts of the world? Thanks to a relatively new breed of air-traffic-control systems, that isn't likely.
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Growing Tension Between Hoteliers and OTA's - No Sense!
An Alternative Viewpoint
from 4Hoteliers
Hotel marketing and the persistent antagonism between some quarters of the hotel industry and OTA's is troublesome to the author of this article. The hotel industry made significant gains on the Net since then and they leveled the playing field by improving their Web sites and concentrating on Internet marketing. They became believers. Hoteliers took back their share of the Internet and negotiated with OTA's to work co-operatively with them. Blaming OTA's for smarter marketing at the outset of Internet popularity is a silly notion.
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Homeland Security to Allow Russian, Chinese Tourists
to CNMI without Visa
from the Guam Pacific Daily News
Chinese and Russian tourists will be allowed a 45-day stay in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without a visitor visa even when U.S. immigration law takes effect in the CNMI on Nov. 28, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has decided, according to the Department of the Interior last week. Guam has not been granted its request for a visa waiver for mainland Chinese and Russian tourists.
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Tourism Crisis Management Workshop
to Help Industry Be Prepared
The University of Florida's Tourism Crisis Management Institute is bringing together key industry leaders who have excelled in crisis management in order to share their experiences in a one-and-a-half-day workshop being held January 24-26 at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in Gainesville. Hear what these leaders have to say about being prepared and what happens when you are not. Learn the four phases of tourism crisis management planning and walk away from the workshop with a template that your organization can use to build your tourism crisis management plan. For more information, click here.
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