Interesting Travel statistics

[Ojnod]

I usually keep myself out of this forums since I don't have the time or desire to fully immerse myself in the issues so I can make a valid point, but I found something interesting today.

The Travel Industry of America (TIA.org) has a site called Discover America Partnership where they provide information to citizens about how America's international image is hurting the country. I knew this was a problem but some of the statistics I found here were shocking.

U.S. Overall World Travel Market Share has decreased 19% from 2000 to 2004, and 36% between 1992 and 2004. The U.S. had 9% of world travel market share in 1992, today we have 6%.

So what do those %'s mean. Going from 9% to 6% in the world travel market share has cost us:

For every 1% we are missing out on the following things EACH YEAR

* 8.1 million increase in visitors
* $13.3 billion in expenditures (revised)
* 153,000 new jobs (revised)
* $3.5 billion increase in payroll (revised)
* $2.1 billion more in federal, state and local tax revenues

so yeah... multiply that by 3 for every 1% that we lost since 1992 and you have some pretty hefty numbers. Like $226 Billion over the course of ONE presidential term.

While this isn't an issue that you can pin on one thing like higher fuel prices, distaste for our choice in foreign wars, failing global economies, etc. This is still an issue of global market share, meaning people are still going places, just not to the good ol' US of A.

Hopefully a president that the world seems to like will put us back on track, but as I pointed out this decline started back in 1992 so the travel industry isn't just another Bush casualty.

Oh yeah, here is the site:

http://www.poweroftravel.org/dap/default.htm

[Terry Penrod]

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As you rightly pointed out Donjo, there are lots and lots of reasons why this has happened including relative strength of the U.S. dollar (up or down) against foreign currencies at certain times and a growing number of desirable destinations abroad. Overall international travel was also severely impacted in the post-9/11 era and now the entire global economy is in the tank. So currency exchange rates (while still an important factor) are less significant simply because fewer people have the financial means to fly overseas for business or pleasure.

Another interesting factor to consider is the total impact that high-speed Internet communication is having on travel in general. We used to fly cross country and foreign affiliates often flew overseas just for regular business meetings, site tours, presentations, studio / location supervision, etc. Now, we hardly ever have to do that with today's web-based, real-time collaboration / conferencing tools and the advent of VR.

Much, much tighter aiport security at both ends is aslo a big deterrent and of course, America's reputation has suffered badly in recent years. Put it all together and we get a sustained downward trend that may never rebound back to the good, old days of hopping on planes for cheap, safe travel to see Disneyland, the Grand Canyon or a corporate boardroom halfway 'round the world.

Cheers, Terry

[pcfreak]

I know alot of Brits have been put off foreign holidays due to the pound's weak state at the moment. It may do some good for our tourist trade especially in the summer holidays. I think recreational travel has been hit pretty hard by the economic situation and is probably one of the biggest factors in the decline you mentioned. I hope doesn't get much worse before it starts getting better tbh!

[Rob]

I think it is important to recognize this as a downward spiral that perpetuates itself. The more people do not travel, resulting in the loss of revenue and employment means there are less people who can afford to travel or will find alternate means in the case of businessmen. Which obviously begins the cycle further.

Another interesting factor to consider is the total impact that high-speed Internet communication is having on travel in general. We used to fly cross country and foreign affiliates often flew overseas just for regular business meetings, site tours, presentations, studio / location supervision, etc. Now, we hardly ever have to do that with today's web-based, real-time collaboration / conferencing tools and the advent of VR. Such a valid point which can be said for mail as well. Not sure if everyone is aware, but the US Post Office is raising the price of stamps another few cents in May and they are contemplating going to a 4 day work week, cutting out either Tuesday or Saturday deliveries. Whether that comes to pass or not I am not sure. But, if you remove a day of mail delivery, companies and individuals will turn more and more to email. Which again is a vicious cycle.

I understand where the original topic is coming from, the decline of America's image, and again I do not dispute it, but the world is opening up. Other countries are emerging as power houses or just places of vacation and travel. Setting aside image, there is just a whole lot more competition. Look at Dubai for example. Who wouldn't want to go there now? Who wanted to go there ten years ago?

I think recreational travel has been hit pretty hard by the economic situation and is probably one of the biggest factors in the decline you mentioned. I hope doesn't get much worse before it starts getting better tbh! I believe everything is going to get worse before it gets better. Hopefully we are better people in the long run because of it.

[chip5541]

I work in teh travel industry. Another thing that is causing this drop are the governmental policies of other countries. Take Venezuela for example. Hugo "no neck troll" Chavez had instituted that no individual take take money abroad over a certain amount. I have heard from many guests that they could not spend more than X amount. On top of that the people are taxed heavily when they bring items back into teh country. Venezuela was just an example. There are many other countries both in South America and over seas. Many people cannot afford it or when they do come over, have to curb their spending.

[Terry Penrod]

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You know folks, in a larger sense, the significant reduction in travel for all reasons to all places is a blessing in disguise.

How many millions of barrels of oil will be saved and how much pollution will be eliminated simply because people in general are driving and flying less? How many lives will be spared from common road accidents because far fewer are commuting like madmen everyday due to increased job sharing, home offices, telecommuting, teleconferencing, etc.?

Combine all that with a significantly accelerated program to develop cleaner, renewable energy sources (plus some way cool but still practical nanotech applications). Then add the total worldwide effect of e-mail vs. snail mail and, as Rob alluded to, we just might squeak by and come out as a healthier, happier, even more fiscally secure species.

Hey, I loved freewheeling business travel with a very nice per diem... for a while. But then it got really old and living out of a suitcase (even a designer one in luxury hotels) started to become more like drudgery.

Now I rarely if ever have to rush to the airport and anxiously wade through all that security or deal with crowded planes, getting bumped, weather delays, fighting for a cab or discovering they lost my luggage three thousand miles from home at three in the morning.

I do miss the four star service, Broadway shows and just going to new places though. But in the end, I did get to do all that and much more. Besides, these days I'd rather stick closer to home most of the time anyway.

Cheers, Terry

[Mighty Pirate]

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How many millions of barrels of oil will be saved and how much pollution will be eliminated simply because people in general are driving and flying less?


Something I have pondered: how will we keep the planes flying when we run out of oil? And the supertankers? Better see the world now before the TV becomes the only way to see it. Perhaps we'll end up back on sailing ships.

[Ojnod]

Something I have pondered: how will we keep the planes flying when we run out of oil? And the supertankers? Better see the world now before the TV becomes the only way to see it. Perhaps we'll end up back on sailing ships.

I would like to see more high-speed rail, even though I know very little about it. I just like the idea that if things require electricity we can use whatever is convenient at the time to power it. Now whether or not rails can provide the transportation throughput we need is something I have no clue about.

[Mighty Pirate]

I live in Oz. We don't have a clue how to utilise train technology properly out here.

Besides, being an island, we'd either have to get good at building great big bridges or remain forever that mysterious great southern land far over the horizon on the bottom of the world.

[pcfreak]

You should try out our railway system, it's great........at being crap! The price of tickets is confusing, to the point of baffling. You have to really do your homework, or else you can quite easily pay more than what it would cost to fly. You have to book months in advance or it really hits your pocket! The ticketing system works much better for those who book in advance and travel out of the rush hours or at weekends. But woe betide anyone who needs to travel without having planned it months in advance.

When me and my family went to Euro Disney in January it cost us more to get to London from our home town, than it did for the journey from London to Paris. We paid over £250 for two adults and two children for the 170ish mile trip to London on a return ticket, yet only paid £190ish return on the EuroStar London to Paris leg, which was nearly 300 miles. I would love to know how the hell our train companies get away with charging so much. Especially when our government is supposed to be trying to get people from their cars and on the public transport systems. It's no wonder people fly or drive instead from the North of England to London, with train prices as they are. I have flown a few times in the last year, and it's much quicker and cheaper than the trains.

It's a bit of a national tradition for us Brits to moan about the rail system, and I never thought that badly of them until we were on the TGV in France, boy what a difference! The trains were on time, which was a novelty. We also managed to get seats too, something you struggle to on our trains here:lol:

[Mighty Pirate]

The trains in UK were still nationalised when I emigrated and people complained about the quality of food on the intercity links.

Since privatisation (I mean, why?) I've read about the lunacy of non-coordinated connections and spiralling prices. At least they still exist.

Out here we close stations after altering the schedules to ensure no one wants to travel at the time the trains run, then we shut it down as unviable, rip up the tracks, sell the land and complain about the congestion on the roads. :doa:

In a country of vast empty distances you'd think we'd have built two tracks across the nation but no.... just one with loops for passing each other. Crazy.