World Tourism Day: 27 September 2006
The Office of
Travel and Tourism Industries, the national tourism office, joins the United
Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in celebration of the twenty-sixth
anniversary of World Tourism Day!
“The main purpose
of World Tourism Day,” according to the United Nations’ World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), “is to foster awareness among the international community
of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, and political and
economic values.”
Commencing in
1980, World Tourism Day serves as a reminder of the growing and vital
contribution of travel and tourism to today’s global economy. In the United States
alone, the U.S. travel and tourism industry accounts for 2.6% of our nation’s
gross domestic product (GDP). The industry contributes more to the U.S. economy than the
insurance industry or public utilities; the industry contributes more than
twice the value-added of agriculture, the automotive industry, or the oil and
gas industry.
In 1980 just
over 22 million international visitors traveled to the United States, spending
just over $13 billion on travel and tourism-related goods and services (exports).
Twenty-five years later, however, exports have since grown to nearly $103
billion a year, accounting for 27% of all service exports and 8% of all
U.S exports. Moreover, the industry generated a $7.4 billion
surplus in 2005, compared to the $825 million deficit in 1980, marking the
seventeenth consecutive year in which travel and tourism exports exceeded
imports.
As one
of America’s largest employers, travel and tourism industries are profoundly
important to the U.S. economy. One out of every sixteen Americans (8.2 million)
is employed by travel and tourism-related businesses, ninety-four percent of
which are classified as small businesses. In fact, more people are employed by
travel and tourism-related industries than are employed in the construction
industry, the business and financial industries, agriculture, education, and
healthcare.
The United States travel and
tourism industries are among the most competitive in the world. The
United States leads the world in international travel and tourism exports and
ranks third in its share of global visitation behind France and Spain,
respectively. And though more people annually visit France and Spain than visit
the United States, the U.S. travel and tourism industries generated 65% more
revenue than Spain and 83% more revenue than France, a clear indication of our
ability to compete in the global marketplace for long-haul travelers who
traditionally spend more money than short-haul travelers.
The importance
of travel and tourism cannot be overstated. Travel and tourism generates
billions of dollars of federal, state, and local taxes—helping to support local
communities, small businesses, schools, infrastructure, banks, farms, museums,
shopping malls, and family-owned restaurants, to name a few.
So please join
all of us in the national tourism office today in celebrating the economic
value and community pride that travel and tourism bring to America!