Isn't this the best time for tourism in the USA?

Question

Considering our dollar is at a weak point you would think tourists would want to flock to the USA to spend their Pounds, Euros and now Canadian dollars to stay at many of our fine resorts and cities. To the contrary though tourism in the USA has hit a snag since 9/11 and is continuing to get worse. Has our reputation been the reason for this?

Answer 1

I see tourism booming. So much so that I turned my house into a tourist attraction! You can come see the amazing wild beasts domesticated by the savage American (my dogs), wonders of modern American technology (my coffee machine that grinds and brews automatically every morning, made in China), and even the snorting crazy American wildabeast (my wife)! Wear a cowboy hat, charge $5 a head, and you can cash in on the tourist gold mine as well! Se habla espanol.

Seriously, it's just a pain in the butt to get into the United States, even with a tourist visa. Plus there can be SEVERE penalties for honest mistakes. A lot of people just don't want to risk it. A friend of mine from Ireland put it this way: "I can go to Amsterdam and get high with hookers. I can go to Paris and see the greatest works of art in the world while enjoying some of the best dining. I can go to Thailand and watch fights while spending $10 a night for a beach front hotel. Or I can POSSIBLY go to America where I MIGHT get thrown into jail." It's not our reputation or what we have to offer, it's our attitude towards foreigners.

Answer 2

I have no statistics in front of me, but since you do not cite any I will respond anecdotally. Since, 9/11 I have traveled to Alaska, California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington State, Florida and New York. I found no shortage of tourists from many Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan to European countries such as Denmark, Germany and Sweden. If you think tourists from all over the world are not flocking to Las Vegas, Orlando or Washington D.C. you should come have a look for yourself.

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Answer 3

It's harder for foreign travelers to get into the country since 9/11. That doesn't mean they've stopped; I live on Interstate 10, which is the southern-most east-west freeway, and I am constantly seeing Canadian license plates. We also get non-English (or Spanish)-speaking tourists all the time. There may be fewer of them, but if they're willing to go through the added red tape since 9/11 to enter the country legally, then they do.