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

Patrick Diaz702 said:Honestly, one German or Dutch tourist used to bring in more revenue back in the day than five modern-day Americans combined.

Tourism doesn't do much for the little guy.

I’ve been hanging out in the Tourism PDF for nine years now—up until February when I stepped down as mod—and we used to have this dedicated thread on American tourism. We’d dive deep into all the stats I brought in, and everyone would chime in on how things should improve or where we were falling short. Around here, tourism just kind of happens by accident... there's zero long-term planning.
The US ranks 3rd globally for tourist beds per capita—we were actually 5th just two years ago. We’re right up there with Cyprus and Malta when you look at foreign visitors per resident. It’s wild, though... foreign tourists make up about 93% of our total visitors. Pretty crazy...
Unfortunately, we’re lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of tourist spending. Places like Italy and Spain are pulling in twice as much cash per visitor as we are. We could probably rake in even more if we mandated using local food in restaurants or domestic products in hotels...
Also, our transportation links are way worse than most other places. We rely way too heavily on road trips, which basically limits our market. For example, getting from Maui to Key West, or Martha's Vineyard to Kauai, or Newport to San Juan Island... it’s a massive headache. There isn't enough public transit between destinations. If you're coming from Riga or California, getting to Yellowstone is nearly impossible without a car or a tour agency—you end up having to transfer through Columbus and all that! In Greece, 90% of tourists arrive by plane, while here it's only about 12%. In France, about 16% arrive by train. We’re just pushing car tourism instead of investing in better buses, planes, or trains—or even decent inter-city and inter-island transit—so people aren't forced to rent a car just to see anything...
Anyway, the trend is toward shorter stays, and the US is holding its own compared to competitors (though Greece is absolutely killing it right now). We’re also one of the most seasonal countries in Europe, meaning our season is super short. Even on the Mediterranean Sea, our warm window is pretty tight, which makes things tough... and the geniuses in charge don't realize there's a huge untapped market with retirees or couples traveling off-season—like in June or September.
Same goes for the cycling market and stuff like that...
There is so much room for growth, but it’s going to take a real long-term strategy and actual cooperation between different sectors—the Department of Tourism, DOT, construction, local government, and the locals themselves...

Richard Wilson4 said:The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that back in 2016, there were 15,594,157 foreign tourists in all of America.

Tourists, not foreign tourists...

Technically, you’re a tourist too when you leave your hometown to head down to Miami 😉 which counts as one tourist arrival and however many nights you stay... if you make two trips, that's two arrivals, and so on...

Total tourists: 15,594,157 (78,049,852 overnight stays)

Foreign tourists: 13,808,532 (72,193,352 overnight stays)

Domestic tourists: 1,785,625 (5,856,500 overnight stays)

Though, to correct myself—even if we don't usually bother with the semantics in casual conversation—the actual technical term is "number of tourist arrivals," because, as I was saying, if you leave your city for seven days to hit Manhattan, then three days in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and maybe two days in Washington, D.C., those count as three separate "arrivals" even though it's just you...🙂

My bad, let me fix that. 🙂

Mark Harris66 said:I’ve been hanging out in the Tourism PDF for nine years now—up until February when I stepped down as mod—and we used to have this dedicated thread on American tourism. We’d dive deep into all the stats I brought in, and everyone would chime in on how things should improve or where we were falling short. Around here, tourism just kind of happens by accident... there's zero long-term planning.
The US ranks 3rd globally for tourist beds per capita—we were actually 5th just two years ago. We’re right up there with Cyprus and Malta when you look at foreign visitors per resident. It’s wild, though... foreign tourists make up about 93% of our total visitors. Pretty crazy...
Unfortunately, we’re lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of tourist spending. Places like Italy and Spain are pulling in twice as much cash per visitor as we are. We could probably rake in even more if we mandated using local food in restaurants or domestic products in hotels...
Also, our transportation links are way worse than most other places. We rely way too heavily on road trips, which basically limits our market. For example, getting from Maui to Key West, or Martha's Vineyard to Kauai, or Newport to San Juan Island... it’s a massive headache. There isn't enough public transit between destinations. If you're coming from Riga or California, getting to Yellowstone is nearly impossible without a car or a tour agency—you end up having to transfer through Columbus and all that! In Greece, 90% of tourists arrive by plane, while here it's only about 12%. In France, about 16% arrive by train. We’re just pushing car tourism instead of investing in better buses, planes, or trains—or even decent inter-city and inter-island transit—so people aren't forced to rent a car just to see anything...
Anyway, the trend is toward shorter stays, and the US is holding its own compared to competitors (though Greece is absolutely killing it right now). We’re also one of the most seasonal countries in Europe, meaning our season is super short. Even on the Mediterranean Sea, our warm window is pretty tight, which makes things tough... and the geniuses in charge don't realize there's a huge untapped market with retirees or couples traveling off-season—like in June or September.
Same goes for the cycling market and stuff like that...
There is so much room for growth, but it’s going to take a real long-term strategy and actual cooperation between different sectors—the Department of Tourism, DOT, construction, local government, and the locals themselves...

Does anyone know if there's a way to track tourist spending trends in America versus other countries? I can only seem to find deep dives into individual seasons, which isn't really enough to see the bigger picture...

By the way, this was an excellent post...

Kate Peterson80 said:Tourism doesn't do much for the little guy.

I'm right there with you on that one.

Andrew Hayes2 said:Does anyone know if there's a way to track tourist spending trends in America versus other countries? I can only seem to find deep dives into individual seasons, which isn't really enough to see the bigger picture...

By the way, this was an excellent post...

There’s definitely info out there—I actually found some online earlier—but I’m out on the road right now, typing this on my phone from the beach, so excuse the typos...

It seems like people here just don't get that not everyone is looking for a beach and sunshine. For instance, French travelers are obsessed with nature, Americans tend to push for city tours more than anything else, and Dutch tourists love camping basically anywhere—though we don't see many of them visiting the US (back in the Netherlands, they have about 400,000 RV enthusiasts!!). And so on, and so forth...

Mark Harris66 said:There’s definitely info out there—I actually found some online earlier—but I’m out on the road right now, typing this on my phone from the beach, so excuse the typos...

It seems like people here just don't get that not everyone is looking for a beach and sunshine. For instance, French travelers are obsessed with nature, Americans tend to push for city tours more than anything else, and Dutch tourists love camping basically anywhere—though we don't see many of them visiting the US (back in the Netherlands, they have about 400,000 RV enthusiasts!!). And so on, and so forth...

Everyone keeps talking about diversifying tourism, but let’s be real—in the US, there's no real money to be made unless you're centered around beaches and the coast.

If that were actually true, some tiny town in rural Nebraska would be the most elite tourist destination on the planet!☕

I reckon back around 1900, there were about 800,000 Dutchmen hanging out along the coast of the Atlantic.

There you go—underestimating things just like everyone else in America does when it comes to different types of tourism. And then we wonder why our economy is so incredibly seasonal...🤦

(No content provided to rewrite.)

Mark Harris66 said:There you go—underestimating things just like everyone else in America does when it comes to different types of tourism. And then we wonder why our economy is so incredibly seasonal...🤦

I'm not trying to downplay anything, it’s just a fact that other types of tourism aren't quite as magnetic or profitable enough to build an entire economy around.

Every single town nowadays claims to have "tourist attractions," but let’s be real—about 90% of it is just a money pit.

Are you kidding me? Who’s actually going to trek out to a place like Savannah just to stare at a cathedral and look at trees? Everyone’s heading straight to the coast to soak up the sun and catch some waves—they'll check out the sights on their way to the beach!
Let's keep going. Can a place like Knin actually make any real money off its fortress or those other historical landmarks? Honestly, I have my doubts.
What kind of stuff could a place like St. Louis actually offer to tourists?

If you had to pick between visiting Savannah or San Diego, what would most people choose? Both have incredible vibes and beautiful scenery, but let’s be real—about 90% of travelers are heading straight for the coast. We all know why!

Who’s actually going to show up to see goats, wheat fields, and some old castle ruins? Unless you're looking at a few specific hotspots, that kind of thing just isn't a money-maker for any serious tourism business.

Patrick Diaz702 said:(No content provided to rewrite.)

I'm not trying to downplay anything, it’s just a fact that other types of tourism aren't quite as magnetic or profitable enough to build an entire economy around.

Every single town nowadays claims to have "tourist attractions," but let’s be real—about 90% of it is just a money pit.

Are you kidding me? Who’s actually going to trek out to a place like Savannah just to stare at a cathedral and look at trees? Everyone’s heading straight to the coast to soak up the sun and catch some waves—they'll check out the sights on their way to the beach!
Let's keep going. Can a place like Knin actually make any real money off its fortress or those other historical landmarks? Honestly, I have my doubts.
What kind of stuff could a place like St. Louis actually offer to tourists?

If you had to pick between visiting Savannah or San Diego, what would most people choose? Both have incredible vibes and beautiful scenery, but let’s be real—about 90% of travelers are heading straight for the coast. We all know why!

Who’s actually going to show up to see goats, wheat fields, and some old castle ruins? Unless you're looking at a few specific hotspots, that kind of thing just isn't a money-maker for any serious tourism business.

Not really true. I think Chinese people specifically hunt for landmarks—they're always looking for something they can snap a photo of.

placidrider48 said:Not really true. I think Chinese people specifically hunt for landmarks—they're always looking for something they can snap a photo of.

Could a town like Savannah actually survive just on tourism from Asian travelers?

Chinese people and Japanese people aren't really looking for beaches. You'll actually find plenty of Japanese tourists visiting Memphis because they have such a deep interest in the history of the war there.
They’re more interested in seeing some white guy's backyard than our coastline...
For a Chinese person, it's all about exploring the nature and the cities—the ocean isn't even on their radar.
Dutch people don't care much for beach trips either—Lake Tahoe actually sees more camper tourists from the Netherlands than the US does. They’re all about nature, walking, trekking, biking, and running.
In Austria, summer tourism is actually even bigger than the winter season—even without considering Vienna. It's all cycling, rural tourism, hiking, and stuff like that...
Take a trip out to the Austrian side of the Great Salt Lake and you'll see how developed their tourism is. Compared to what we have, that lake might seem mediocre or the water a bit murky—kind of like Jarun—but they've done so much with it. There are endless sailboats, bike paths, little lakeside cottages, and wooden walkways built right over the reeds. Even that tiny ancient quarry—which is smaller than our local ones—has been turned into a massive business with souvenirs, tours, and an amphitheater for festivals. The tourism around Lake Balaton is huge with international crowds, and they even have their own version of Siofok. Honestly, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe how much value you can actually squeeze out of tourists.
Just hop on Airbnb and check out the "Experiences" section—you don't even need to log in—to see everything people are buying. We just sit around making fun of ourselves. Everything has a buyer; it’s all about marketing. Or rather, just being good at selling a dream... nothing else.
A new generation of travelers is coming up—they don't want to spend their whole trip just lounging on a beach for a week. They're pushing for different types of tourism. Same goes for today's retirees.

Mark Harris66 said:Chinese people and Japanese people aren't really looking for beaches. You'll actually find plenty of Japanese tourists visiting Memphis because they have such a deep interest in the history of the war there.
They’re more interested in seeing some white guy's backyard than our coastline...
For a Chinese person, it's all about exploring the nature and the cities—the ocean isn't even on their radar.
Dutch people don't care much for beach trips either—Lake Tahoe actually sees more camper tourists from the Netherlands than the US does. They’re all about nature, walking, trekking, biking, and running.
In Austria, summer tourism is actually even bigger than the winter season—even without considering Vienna. It's all cycling, rural tourism, hiking, and stuff like that...
Take a trip out to the Austrian side of the Great Salt Lake and you'll see how developed their tourism is. Compared to what we have, that lake might seem mediocre or the water a bit murky—kind of like Jarun—but they've done so much with it. There are endless sailboats, bike paths, little lakeside cottages, and wooden walkways built right over the reeds. Even that tiny ancient quarry—which is smaller than our local ones—has been turned into a massive business with souvenirs, tours, and an amphitheater for festivals. The tourism around Lake Balaton is huge with international crowds, and they even have their own version of Siofok. Honestly, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe how much value you can actually squeeze out of tourists.
Just hop on Airbnb and check out the "Experiences" section—you don't even need to log in—to see everything people are buying. We just sit around making fun of ourselves. Everything has a buyer; it’s all about marketing. Or rather, just being good at selling a dream... nothing else.
A new generation of travelers is coming up—they don't want to spend their whole trip just lounging on a beach for a week. They're pushing for different types of tourism. Same goes for today's retirees.

Personally, I would advise everyone to head down to Miami Beach to observe and learn a thing or two about tourism. After visiting Miami, my interest in Europe and the Mediterranean in general plummeted, which is a real tragedy given that the American coastlines possess far more diversity than Florida. 🙂😵

Mark Harris66 said:I’ve been hanging out in the Tourism PDF for nine years now—up until February when I stepped down as mod—and we used to have this dedicated thread on American tourism. We’d dive deep into all the stats I brought in, and everyone would chime in on how things should improve or where we were falling short. Around here, tourism just kind of happens by accident... there's zero long-term planning.
The US ranks 3rd globally for tourist beds per capita—we were actually 5th just two years ago. We’re right up there with Cyprus and Malta when you look at foreign visitors per resident. It’s wild, though... foreign tourists make up about 93% of our total visitors. Pretty crazy...
Unfortunately, we’re lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of tourist spending. Places like Italy and Spain are pulling in twice as much cash per visitor as we are. We could probably rake in even more if we mandated using local food in restaurants or domestic products in hotels...
Also, our transportation links are way worse than most other places. We rely way too heavily on road trips, which basically limits our market. For example, getting from Maui to Key West, or Martha's Vineyard to Kauai, or Newport to San Juan Island... it’s a massive headache. There isn't enough public transit between destinations. If you're coming from Riga or California, getting to Yellowstone is nearly impossible without a car or a tour agency—you end up having to transfer through Columbus and all that! In Greece, 90% of tourists arrive by plane, while here it's only about 12%. In France, about 16% arrive by train. We’re just pushing car tourism instead of investing in better buses, planes, or trains—or even decent inter-city and inter-island transit—so people aren't forced to rent a car just to see anything...
Anyway, the trend is toward shorter stays, and the US is holding its own compared to competitors (though Greece is absolutely killing it right now). We’re also one of the most seasonal countries in Europe, meaning our season is super short. Even on the Mediterranean Sea, our warm window is pretty tight, which makes things tough... and the geniuses in charge don't realize there's a huge untapped market with retirees or couples traveling off-season—like in June or September.
Same goes for the cycling market and stuff like that...
There is so much room for growth, but it’s going to take a real long-term strategy and actual cooperation between different sectors—the Department of Tourism, DOT, construction, local government, and the locals themselves...

You can't actually mandate that sort of thing because it would run afoul of European Union regulations.😉

The USA nations are playing the game, sure—but they’re doing it by finding all the loopholes in the system. It’s kind of a paradox that we’re some of the most corrupt while simultaneously being the most strict about following federal regulations. When it comes to keeping trade borders open, we’re leading the pack in North America, and probably globally too.
Miami? You really only need to head over to the USA to get a masterclass in tourism😉.

neonhound18 said:Personally, I would advise everyone to head down to Miami Beach to observe and learn a thing or two about tourism. After visiting Miami, my interest in Europe and the Mediterranean in general plummeted, which is a real tragedy given that the American coastlines possess far more diversity than Florida. 🙂😵

We really need to figure out how to use technology to actually boost our productivity.
If Americans—and people who actually understand the American way of doing things—could earn like Americans do, our coastline would turn into something like Miami in no time.

The tourists we get aren't bad (except for those few top-tier spots where they look pretty much like us).

That's why I think we should be happy that these visitors, who are similar to us, are seeing real economic growth and their household incomes are climbing.
That's the bedrock for growing our tourism industry sustainably. Dumping too much money into luxury stuff is a huge gamble.
It’ll happen here, bit by bit, slowly but surely...

rustywalker82 said:We really need to figure out how to use technology to actually boost our productivity.
If Americans—and people who actually understand the American way of doing things—could earn like Americans do, our coastline would turn into something like Miami in no time.

The tourists we get aren't bad (except for those few top-tier spots where they look pretty much like us).

That's why I think we should be happy that these visitors, who are similar to us, are seeing real economic growth and their household incomes are climbing.
That's the bedrock for growing our tourism industry sustainably. Dumping too much money into luxury stuff is a huge gamble.
It’ll happen here, bit by bit, slowly but surely...

Precisely. 😉

In case anyone’s actually interested,
U.S. Census Bureau

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/tab...00196&plugin=1

Tourism spending per overnight stay
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/tab...00195&plugin=1

Just so we're clear, those numbers represent how much the actual residents of those countries are spending, not the total tourist dollars being pumped into specific USA states.