Originally Posted by
peachfront
I don't believe the decline in "market share" has ANYTHING to do with "hostility," whatever that means. It is simply a fact that the world is getting smaller, and it is cheaper and easier to travel to destinations that would once be truly expensive or difficult to reach. Many travelers seek the new, and so they seek out these newly open destinations. There's nothing you can do about that. We have to share the market with everybody else. The more tourist infrastructure there is throughout the world, the more people feel confident about traveling to a destination they might have once feared. Also, there's a "me too" mentality that probably dilutes market share for non unique destinations. Do you really need to go to California to visit Disneyland, if you can go to the one in Paris? Does anyone care that you went to Vegas like everybody else, or should you consider Macau? Not to mention all the little countries with no $ who figure they'll just make their fortune having all inclusive beach resorts. That kind of tourist doesn't care where they go as long as it's cheap. Should the USA compete with them on price? I don't think so!
It's a lot cheaper to travel to the U.S. than it is to many so called exotic destinations. Travel tot he U.S. is cheaper now than it was 30 years ago.
I think your comments make an assumption that the pool of travellers is static. Newer destinations are new only for existing pool of travellers. More travellers enter the pool every year, for whom every destination is "new". What's exotic for you, is ordinary for some and what's next door for you would be exotic for others. Some of the "reasons" you mention are at play I am sure, but a 35% drop has more than such minor reasons as basis.
Whether we should do anything to increase travel to the U.S. is matter of economic necessity. If our travel industry, as well as economy were doing well, we would not be reading articles such as the one this thread is based on. It's not just tourists who travel. There are students, businessmen, diplomats, dignitaries, scientists, artists and performers who travel around the world. There has been a decline in some of these prominent categories which is directly traceable to border harassment. Students now go to Australia, and New Zealand, instead coming to the U.S. Some of these travellers would be repeat travellers that we have lost.