Travel experts say it's a costly mistake for the United States to not have a national tourism board

Luring international tourists to the United States

May 11, 2000
Web posted at: 11:56 a.m. EST (1556 GMT)

(CNN) -- France has one; so does Britain, Australia and even little Aruba. But not the United States.

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that doesn't have a national tourism board, and travel industry insiders say that may be costing the country billions.

	NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK
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	TABLE
International Travel to the U.S. Year Visitors Spending 1999 47.0 $73 billion 1998 46.4 71.3 billion 1997 47.8 73.3 billion 1996 46.5 69.8 billion 1995 43.3 63.4 billion 1994 44.8 58.4 billion 1993 45.8 57.9 billion 1992 47.3 54.7 billion 1991 42.7 48.4 billion 1990 39.4 43.0 billion Source: Tourism Industries/ITA

The government should advertise its wealth of vacation opportunities, argues the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), because international visitors to the U.S. pump so much money into the economy.

Last year, 47 million international visitors came to the U.S. and spent an estimated $73 billion on lodging, meals, entertainment and other travel-related items, according to the TIA.

"When they come over to the United States, the average duration of their trip is about 17.8 days," says Connie Neeley of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism. "During that time, certainly you can spend quite a bit of money."

International travel to the United States grew more than 19 percent from 1990 to 1999, but now the numbers are beginning to level off, the TIA says.

The organization has a plan to help generate more tourism for the states, which since 1996 have had no choice but to manage their own international marketing. That year, the federal government discontinued funding for the U.S. Travel & Tourism Administration.

The TIA's first promotional effort will focus on America as a skiing destination

The TIA, a private, non-proft trade group, is opening offices in London and Sao Paulo, Brazil to resume overseas marketing. The first promotional effort, planned for fall, will market the U.S. as a skiing destination -- a place both diverse and cheap, with no shortage of snow.

The TIA's effort will cost about $3.5 million. And though not every state will benefit from a skiing campaign, tourism officials say they welcome the overall effort.

"I think that any type of really focused and deliberate activity overseas is critical to this country," Neeley says. "If if helps this country and brings people over ... then it's our job to market the state and benefit from those efforts."

CNN Travel Now Correspondent Jim Morelli and CNN.com writer Mary-Jo Lipman contributed to this report.

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Travel Industry Association of America
Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism

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