Welcome to the USA

It is not uncommon to see advertisements for “Incredible India,” or “100% Pure New Zealand” on American television, leaving U.S. citizens to wonder: what is the United States‘ slogan? A February 23 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the U.S. is one of only a few major countries in the world that does not promote itself abroad as a travel destination. Many countries have Ministries of Tourism and spend millions of dollars on travel promotion, seeking to strengthen their economies and public diplomacy—but not the United States. A report issued this month by the U.S. Travel Association revealed that consequently the United States has “missed out on a global boom of historic proportions. More people traveled in the decade, but many went to places other than America.” It seems that the travel restrictions implemented after September 11 turned off many international travelers. An article from the New Straits Times asserted a point that many other nations have discovered: tourism promotion isn’t simply about attractiveness as a travel destination, but is also good for business investment and public diplomacy. This month, the United States enacted legislation to address this gap in the country‘s public diplomacy. On February 25, the U.S. Senate passed the Travel Promotion Act, which will implement many measures to boost international travel to the U.S., including the first national marketing and communication program aimed at attracting international travelers to the United States. This is not only good economic policy, but also sound public diplomacy as, hopefully, more people will feel that they are welcome in the United States.

Image from the U.S. Travel Association
www.poweroftravel.org

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