Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association ...

… says the U.S. travel and tourism industry currently has an economic impact of some $700 million annually, which is down some ten percent since 2009. He blames the policymakers in Washington for the decrease. He says that from 2000 through 2010 long-haul international travel jumped some 40 percent globally – the U.S. market saw a 1.7 percent increase over that period. “We call it the lost decade,†he says. Dow, speaking at the annual International Aviation Forecast Summit hosted by The Boyd Group in Albuquerque Tuesday, adds that something else the good folks in D.C. don’t seem to understand is that “it’s also public diplomacy†when people visit the U.S. They tend to leave with a better impression of Americans, he points out, which has to be a positive in today’s volatile world. The reasons for the drop in foreign visitors, says Dow, are easy to identify: 1) this nation’s Visa policies; 2) the arduous exercise of getting through U.S. Customs; and 3) Washington fails to fund promotion of tourism to the U.S. to other countries. “We’re sitting on the sidelines,†he says, while other countries spend billions to attract tourists. Oh, and all those tourists potentially represent thousands of U.S. jobs at hotels and other venues, not to mention the U.S. travel industry itself. Case in point, reports Dow, is what occurred when tourism officials were able to lobby the Bush Administration to add South Korea to its Visa waiver program. Travel by South Koreans to the U.S. jumped some 40 percent as a result, he says. Another example he points to was when he spoke with Chicago Mayor Daley and President Obama as the city was hot on its bid to attract the Summer Olympics, which it didn’t get. The mayor thought Chicago had a good shot; the President emphasized that he was going to personally lobby for it. “I said, ‘You’re not going to get the Olympics,’†relates Dow. “I told them the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has the belief, which is true, that they cannot get the fans into the U.S.†because of the difficult Visa and entry processes. There may be hope, he says. Last year, Congress passed the Travel Promotion Act which is intended to fund promoting the U.S. globally as a tourist destination. A dedicated $14 charge on Visas will see $10 of that money go into the fund. An independent board will oversee how the money is spent. His concern is that other lobbying groups may ultimately influence Congress to redirect that money to other interests. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen, he says, because this is an initiative which will generate revenues and jobs for U.S. airlines, airports, and communities. As he points out: “We’re built; we’re not shovel-ready,†-- a reference to other D.C. stimulus efforts. Thanks for reading. jfi