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TRAVEL DOWNTURN U.S. Trails In Competition For Global Visitors

BY CAROL WARD

he United States ranks 17th out of 18 top travel markets in terms of global competitiveness,

of travel development: National Leadership; Brand & Product; Identity, Security & Facilitation, and Travel & Connectivity. The U.S. scored poorly on national leadership, ranking 18 of 18 leading destination countries in terms of level of federal leadership. The study noted that most of the countries have a Ministry of Tourism within their governments, while the U.S. tourism effort is led by “U.S. officials cannot ignore the bold, decisive steps other nations are taking to advance and modernize their travel economies,” —U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman the deputy assistant director of travel and tourism. The U.S. ranked 17th of 18 countries in terms of policies and funding to achieve tourism goals. “The study shows that travel to and within the United States is less modern, less efficient, and more cumbersome than in many parts of the world,” Freeman says. “It also shows that while other governments compete aggressively to modernize travel and gain market share, the U.S. lacks a strategy to grow its travel economy.

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according to Euromonitor International, which was commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association to study the issue. The group said decades of underinvestment and a lack of focus and coordination from federal policymakers caused the U.S. to fall behind, while other countries actively apply robust strategies to increase travel and grow economic output. “U.S. officials cannot ignore the bold, decisive steps other nations are taking to advance and modernize their travel economies,” says U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman. “The United States should aspire to lead the way into a new era of seamless and secure travel and capitalize on the many opportunities to grow this critical sector.” Because of the “stunning results,” U.S. Travel said it will launch a commission on seamless and secure travel, which will provide policymakers with a roadmap to practical solutions and help the government become a more invested partner that embraces travel’s economic value. Understanding The Slow Recovery U.S. Travel commissioned the Euromonitor International study to better understand the slow recovery of international inbound travel to the U.S. and how the country can more effectively compete for global travelers in the coming decade. The study analyzed four categories

#1 UNITED STATES SPAIN FRANCE ITALY CANADA JAPAN AUSTRALIA MEXICO

UNITED KINGDOM GREECE

Source: Future Partners (January 2023)

Top Visited Destinations

FRANCE SPAIN #3 UNITED STATES ITALY

TURKEY MEXICO UNITED KINGDOM GERMANY GREECE CHINA

Source: Tourism Economics (2023 Forecast)

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AX NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024