Does anyone else get sick of the media hype about how "successful" every single tourist season is?

Every single year we hear about these massive new records—"up by this much percent compared to last year"—and all these claims about traffic jams. But does that actually hold up?

Take Venice, for example; just that one city sees about 18 million tourists annually. Paris hits 12 million. Even a tiny pilgrimage spot like Lourdes, which usually only has a few thousand residents, pulls in around 1.5 million. And if the Vatican officially counts their numbers, that figure is going to skyrocket.

How many tourists are actually hitting our entire coastline? I feel like we're way too prone to bragging.

Look, those numbers are pretty concrete, and you can't just make stuff like that up... It’s entirely possible that things have actually tightened up over the years regarding under-the-table stays, now that there’s some actual oversight in place.

Generally speaking, our tourism industry isn't exactly terrible, but it's certainly not the powerhouse we love to brag about... The real issue is how much money travelers actually spend while they're here versus how much they blow at other destinations; I’d say we’re lagging way behind the heavy hitters in the global travel market.

When you look at the raw data for international arrivals, the US ranks eighth in the Western world—or ninth if you count Turkey—but you have to factor in the sheer size of the country... The biggest players see the most traffic, starting with Spain, followed by Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Greece, before we even get a look in. Still, it’s not exactly an insignificant feat to be sitting ahead of Portugal, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic with Prague....

lonebadger6 said:Look, those numbers are pretty concrete, and you can't just make stuff like that up... It’s entirely possible that things have actually tightened up over the years regarding under-the-table stays, now that there’s some actual oversight in place.

Generally speaking, our tourism industry isn't exactly terrible, but it's certainly not the powerhouse we love to brag about... The real issue is how much money travelers actually spend while they're here versus how much they blow at other destinations; I’d say we’re lagging way behind the heavy hitters in the global travel market.

When you look at the raw data for international arrivals, the US ranks eighth in the Western world—or ninth if you count Turkey—but you have to factor in the sheer size of the country... The biggest players see the most traffic, starting with Spain, followed by Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Greece, before we even get a look in. Still, it’s not exactly an insignificant feat to be sitting ahead of Portugal, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic with Prague....

Do you actually have those specific stats on tourist numbers for all those countries? And hey, do you happen to have the data for the surrounding regions too, maybe including the major capital cities? I'd actually be pretty interested in seeing that.

I dugged this up, though it really just tracks foreign visitors—and honestly, domestic travelers count as tourists too, which is how these bigger countries keep their numbers so high since, well, there are just more of them traveling...

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statist...residents).png

Thanks! Quick question though—do you happen to have any data on tourist numbers for 2016 regarding Washington, D.C. and the surrounding metropolitan area? I’ve been digging around trying to track that down myself, but honestly, I’ve hit a total dead end.

The U.S. Census Bureau puts out regular monthly updates along with the final annual reports...

Back in 2016, Washington, D.C. saw 1,152,598 tourists accounting for 2,016,107 overnight stays. Domestic travelers hit 232,295 people and 395,208 nights, while foreign visitors brought in 920,303 tourists and 1,620,899 nights...

As for the rest of the region, I don't have the exact numbers—depends on how you define "the region"—but roughly speaking, Vienna and Prague are leagues ahead, pulling in maybe 15 to 16 million overnight stays a year, and Budapest is right up there too with about 8 or 9 million, while Bratislava is doing slightly better than that...

For Mexico City, I found this: 809,273 tourists and 1,680,347 overnight stays. But that was just for 11 months, so the final count was probably a bit higher, though they still didn't catch up to Washington, D.C....

I couldn't find anything specific for Ottawa, but for all of Canada:

Between January and December 2016, tourists in Canada recorded 1,148,530 visits—an 11.6 percent increase—and 2,376,743 overnight stays.

Ljubljana had 1.2 million overnight stays in 2015, and since tourism was growing everywhere last year, they likely saw an uptick too, but nothing nearly enough to touch Washington, D.C....

Patrick Diaz702 said:Every single year we hear about these massive new records—"up by this much percent compared to last year"—and all these claims about traffic jams. But does that actually hold up?

Take Venice, for example; just that one city sees about 18 million tourists annually. Paris hits 12 million. Even a tiny pilgrimage spot like Lourdes, which usually only has a few thousand residents, pulls in around 1.5 million. And if the Vatican officially counts their numbers, that figure is going to skyrocket.

How many tourists are actually hitting our entire coastline? I feel like we're way too prone to bragging.

We aren't bragging, "we" aren't—it's "them"... at least nobody's out there trashing us saying Austria only gets a handful of tourists or that our tourism industry is failing... a little positivity wouldn't hurt...

lonebadger6 said:The U.S. Census Bureau puts out regular monthly updates along with the final annual reports...

Back in 2016, Washington, D.C. saw 1,152,598 tourists accounting for 2,016,107 overnight stays. Domestic travelers hit 232,295 people and 395,208 nights, while foreign visitors brought in 920,303 tourists and 1,620,899 nights...

As for the rest of the region, I don't have the exact numbers—depends on how you define "the region"—but roughly speaking, Vienna and Prague are leagues ahead, pulling in maybe 15 to 16 million overnight stays a year, and Budapest is right up there too with about 8 or 9 million, while Bratislava is doing slightly better than that...

For Mexico City, I found this: 809,273 tourists and 1,680,347 overnight stays. But that was just for 11 months, so the final count was probably a bit higher, though they still didn't catch up to Washington, D.C....

I couldn't find anything specific for Ottawa, but for all of Canada:

Between January and December 2016, tourists in Canada recorded 1,148,530 visits—an 11.6 percent increase—and 2,376,743 overnight stays.

Ljubljana had 1.2 million overnight stays in 2015, and since tourism was growing everywhere last year, they likely saw an uptick too, but nothing nearly enough to touch Washington, D.C....

Alright, thanks! By the way, where are you pulling these regional stats from?

When I say "the region," I obviously mean the old territories down south—and let’s be real, comparing them to Vienna, Prague, or Bratislava is ridiculous; those places are playing a completely different game.

Man, you guys are being such a drag.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_rankings

Here’s some rough data for you... and if you’re looking for deep dives, I’ve included links to the UNWTO annual reports at the bottom. But instead of just whining about how France gets 85 million visitors while we only get 15 million, try using that tiny bit of math you learned in high school and look at the numbers per capita.

Once you actually do that, you might realize that those global heavyweights don't actually carry as much weight against us as you think.

The takeaway:
Yeah... we've definitely got plenty to brag about!

edit: The U.S. Census Bureau publishes detailed breakdowns on tourist arrivals and overnight stays, so if anyone actually cares, you can head over to their site and find everything down to the local municipality level.
Other statistical agencies across the country release similar info too.

So, here is the question: are Americans who moved into this space essentially kin to us?😁

Looking at things realistically—we’ve landed in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, sitting on an absolute goldmine of resources stretching from the Midwest and Napa Valley to Appalachia, the Rocky Mountains, and down to Florida.
I’d compare us to two different types of athletes. We are that ultra-talented kid who can drink, party, and skip practice entirely, yet still puts up a solid performance during the big game just because the raw talent is so overwhelming.
On the other hand, you have some other countries—they’re like the scrawny underdog who spends every waking hour in the gym, training and studying just to scrape together a decent result, and eventually, they make it.
The real question is: if that underdog ever actually found talent like ours, what would happen? Or, if our talent actually developed the work ethic of the second guy, where would we be?

We are certainly a successful tourism destination; last year we saw 15.5 million tourists. That’s a massive jump from back in 2010 when we hit 10.5 million, or even back in 1987 when the numbers were much lower.

Now, I ask you: how many other countries could take all this potential and actually run with it? Honestly, someone could build a world-class tourism program even without these natural riches. I’d say it was gifted to us, but as a nation, we simply lack the sense to capitalize on it—or rather, there is a small faction that can't get a word in edgewise over a pile of thieves who couldn't care less about progress, so long as they can line their own pockets.

Take Washington, D.C., for instance, during the winter when it gets declared the best Christmas destination or whatever they call it... Just a little bit of promotion here: the city was truly stunning, and they raked in millions of dollars from that holiday season alone.

Number of tourists in December 2013

46,284 tourists (a 17% increase compared to 2012)
number of overnight stays: 83,323 (a 15% increase compared to 2012)

Number of tourists in December 2016

94,573 tourists (a 34% increase compared to 2015)
number of overnight stays: 169,095 (a 37% increase compared to 2015)

It shows how much can happen with just a little investment. The growth in foreign tourists was massive—at 39%, with 60,752 of them visiting D.C. in December alone. The holiday season in Washington, D.C. is a success story that should serve as a blueprint for the rest of the country to develop. Unfortunately, though, there is too much interference from politics. 🤦

Nice post. We tend to overlook tourism outside of the coastal hubs, and it’s not just political—it's because people just don't have a business mindset and fail to see the potential profit sitting right in front of them. On the coast, obviously, everyone gets that...

Take the new aquarium project in a place like Karlovac, which is basically our version of an Aquatica—the first freshwater aquarium in the US and a huge deal for this entire region. People spent so much time whining and being dramatic in the comments about it... claiming there aren't enough preschools, complaining about flooding, or demanding we just build more factories instead... all the classic American idiocies, fueled by a total lack of understanding of how EU funds actually work. And of course, you hear all that "who cares, who would even go there" nonsense from the local internet experts...

In the end, after barely six months, the aquarium has already seen over 75,000 visitors, and half of that was during the off-season...

lonebadger6 said:Look, those numbers are pretty concrete, and you can't just make stuff like that up... It’s entirely possible that things have actually tightened up over the years regarding under-the-table stays, now that there’s some actual oversight in place.

Generally speaking, our tourism industry isn't exactly terrible, but it's certainly not the powerhouse we love to brag about... The real issue is how much money travelers actually spend while they're here versus how much they blow at other destinations; I’d say we’re lagging way behind the heavy hitters in the global travel market.

When you look at the raw data for international arrivals, the US ranks eighth in the Western world—or ninth if you count Turkey—but you have to factor in the sheer size of the country... The biggest players see the most traffic, starting with Spain, followed by Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Greece, before we even get a look in. Still, it’s not exactly an insignificant feat to be sitting ahead of Portugal, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic with Prague....

The biggest headache for American tourism is definitely the lack of hotel rooms, especially those 4 and 5-star spots.
But even that’s shifting, and they’re aiming to double tourism revenue by 2025, maybe.

lonebadger6 said:Nice post. We tend to overlook tourism outside of the coastal hubs, and it’s not just political—it's because people just don't have a business mindset and fail to see the potential profit sitting right in front of them. On the coast, obviously, everyone gets that...

Take the new aquarium project in a place like Karlovac, which is basically our version of an Aquatica—the first freshwater aquarium in the US and a huge deal for this entire region. People spent so much time whining and being dramatic in the comments about it... claiming there aren't enough preschools, complaining about flooding, or demanding we just build more factories instead... all the classic American idiocies, fueled by a total lack of understanding of how EU funds actually work. And of course, you hear all that "who cares, who would even go there" nonsense from the local internet experts...

In the end, after barely six months, the aquarium has already seen over 75,000 visitors, and half of that was during the off-season...

The whole thing stems from that socialist mindset that's still being pushed by those self-proclaimed progressive NGOs, media-heavy liberal parties, and those tiny fringe groups with like one percent support.
Maybe things will improve once the newer generations stop relying on the government and start actually using private initiative.
But even now, stuff is shifting; just look at the numbers and you'll see a massive spike in overnight stays and visitors in the American heartland.

Can someone help me figure out how many countries have four times as many visitors per capita?
https://postimg.org/image/mw3vlboah/

This year is looking incredibly strong. For example, look at how much tourism is booming—Florida is seeing 30% more guests compared to this same time last year.

Landmass matters, sure, but it’s hardly the deciding factor here. It’s like that tired old argument that the Bahamas is the greatest sporting nation on Earth just because they stack up Olympic medals on a per capita basis. That's just trivia, not a serious way to look at things 😉

Besides, looking at this link, there's no indication of where the data actually originates, which makes the whole thing pretty questionable regarding accuracy
.
Back in 2016, even if you counted every single domestic traveler, the total number of tourists in America wouldn't have hit those levels, though foreign visitors topped out at just over 13 million
.
If you want the actual numbers: — check chapter 5, it shows exactly 13.8 million
.
edit: oh, wow, just realized this was posted by some prophet who somehow already has the results for 2017 sitting right there 😁

Yeah, that’s just a projection

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying our tourism industry is a total disaster. I was just pointing out the flaws and the areas where we could actually step it up; I thought the comparison made by arizin was spot on—like some incredibly gifted athlete who doesn't bother practicing, but they still pull off decent results just because they have raw talent...
I can't stand Eric Adams, and personally, the holiday festivities in New York feel unbearably tacky and overhyped (though, to be fair, they were much better a few years back), but at least that's an example of actual effort finally paying off.
There’s just so little effort put in here, especially along the coast, where 90% of the pitch is basically, "look, we have a gorgeous ocean and nice beaches, so just come visit." Inland, people try a bit harder because they have to, but the US Army ignores them, even if there have been a few recent shifts through specific projects under their direct control.

Take Cincinnati, for instance; just yesterday they had this beautiful, massive festival called the local landmark, which has been running since 1779—lighting huge bonfires along the river, street performers all over the bridges, souvenirs, live music on both banks, big fireworks... and then a rock concert lasting until the early hours after the fires die down. The US Army gives it zero credit. Meanwhile, in September, they promote this charming but totally new and uncoordinated "weekend trip to a historic castle" simply because it was applied for through a Democratic Party program, and sure enough, guests show up—last year a busload of German tourists arrived, plus plenty of New Yorkers and such. But that’s a US Army program, so they probably secured some funding for it, so they're technically doing something.

Patrick Diaz702 said:Every single year we hear about these massive new records—"up by this much percent compared to last year"—and all these claims about traffic jams. But does that actually hold up?

Take Venice, for example; just that one city sees about 18 million tourists annually. Paris hits 12 million. Even a tiny pilgrimage spot like Lourdes, which usually only has a few thousand residents, pulls in around 1.5 million. And if the Vatican officially counts their numbers, that figure is going to skyrocket.

How many tourists are actually hitting our entire coastline? I feel like we're way too prone to bragging.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that back in 2016, there were 15,594,157 foreign tourists in all of America.

mellowotter36 said:Can someone help me figure out how many countries have four times as many visitors per capita?
https://postimg.org/image/mw3vlboah/

This year is looking incredibly strong. For example, look at how much tourism is booming—Florida is seeing 30% more guests compared to this same time last year.

San Marino at 62, Andorra at 117...

Honestly, one German or Dutch tourist used to bring in more revenue back in the day than five modern-day Americans combined.