US Is Losing Market Share In Attracting International Visitors

The United States is falling behind its competition when it comes to attracting international visitors.

"Last year I told you the U.S. is losing international travel market share. Unfortunately, this is still the case," Roger Dow, CEO and president of the U.S. Travel Association told hundreds of members of the media gathered in Anaheim, California for IPW, the largest tourism fair in the United States. "Just this past Friday, the U.S. Department of Commerce put out figures showing that international travel to the U.S. grew 3.5 percent last year."

While 3.5 percent might sound pretty good, Dow continued, it is not positive news when you consider that globally, long-haul travel grew by 7 percent.

What's more, America's share of the global travel market dropped from 13.7 percent in 2015 to just 11.7 percent in 2018.

"The U.S. is still falling behind in the competition to attract international visitors. That's the bad news. And it means we have work to do," Dow added.

While many people would like to blame President Trump for the country's declining market share, Dow said the U.S. Travel Association has been working with the administration to help it understand that travel is a crucial U.S. export and job creator.

Dow personally met with President Trump last fall and during that conversation, the U.S. Travel Association leader stressed how important travel is to the American economy and that travel growth can be achieved without compromising security.

"It's important to keep bad folks out, but it's much more important to help all of the good folks who want to come to visit," Dow added during the press conference, which took place on day four of the IPW gathering. "America can be and should be and most secure and visited country in the world."

There was also plenty of good news during the press conference. U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy, Tori Barnes, said that in 2018 international visitors to the U.S. spent $256 billion. And while the trade deficit hit a record-high $622 billion last year, travel actually generated a trade surplus of $69 billion. Without the performance of the travel industry, America's overall trade deficit would have been 11 percent higher, Barnes said.

She also noted that travel creates more jobs, and better jobs, than the majority of industries in this country.

"We have a powerful story to tell and it's backed up by data," said Barnes. "When travel thrives, so does America."

The broad-ranging press conference, during which U.S. Travel Association leaders also took questions from members of the international media, also covered topics such as gun violence in the United States and its impact on international visitation numbers; travelers' frustrations with increasing wait times at U.S. entry points and the recent move by Customs and Border Patrol to investigate the social media accounts of international visitors arriving in the U.S.

Elliott Ferguson, the national chair for the U.S. Travel Association said long lines and increased wait times for those arriving in the United States is a significant concern for the organization.

Similarly, he said increased delays in issuing visas for prospective visitors as well as outright denials of visitation requests, is a worrying trend.

"Travelers to the U.S. from all over the world can be discouraged if they encounter lengthy visa wait times. We've had several instances in DC where key speakers at meetings were denied entry or had visa delays, which caused them to skip the conference," said Ferguson. "I also recently got back from Germany and witnessed the excessively long customs lines. These kinds of experiences take a toll."

The critical role national parks play in attracting international visitors was also touched upon during the press conference by both scheduled speakers and the media assembled.

"Our national parks-both the natural wonders and the urban sights-are some of America's biggest draws for international travelers. Last year, the national parks welcomed 318 million visitors and more than a third of them were from abroad," Ferguson said, adding that it is imperative that these public lands are taken care of.

Many of these treasures are falling into disrepair however, Ferguson continued. The National Park Service is facing almost $12 billion in deferred maintenance repairs.

If nothing is done to address such needs, communities that rely on park visitation stand to lose millions of dollars for their local economies and the parks themselves risk falling into further disrepair.

What's more, the Trump administration's proposed 2020 budget has been widely criticized for including significant cuts to Department of the Interior funding, which some say would devastate the national parks.

The total NPS budget would be cut by $494,946,000, which includes $52 million in cuts to the operations budget, a $31 million cut to the National Recreation and Preservation fund, a $64 million cut to the Historic Preservation Fund, a $113 million cut for the construction and major maintenance budget, and a $176 million cut for land acquisition and state assistance programs.

"When that budget came out we said it was unacceptable," Dow told reporters. "This is a case we are on. It is extremely important."

Dow was also asked by the media if he spoke with Trump about increasing gun violence in this country and its potential impact on international visitation. Dow said gun violence is a complex challenge, but one that must be resolved.

"I'm a parent and I'm very disturbed. The issue is very complicated. People on both sides are very passionate," said Dow, adding that the policy debate surrounding gun violence is outside of the U.S. Travel Association's scope.

However, Dow also noted that the number one reason people choose not to visit the United States is the strength of the U.S. dollar, but creeping up to number two or three in terms of concerns among foreign visitors is crime.

More than 6,000 attendees from over 70 countries are gathered in Anaheim, California for this year's IPW conference and international marketplace, which ends June 5.

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