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

June Growth Trends

California saw a massive jump of +62%
San Diego climbed by +48%
Tampa rose by +37%
Miami-Dade increased by +28%
The Pacific Northwest went up by 26%
Maui grew by 23%

We’ll be officially crossing last year's total foreign visitor count (13,809,250) sometime in early September... it's quite a momentum we have going here...

This season is looking absolutely insane.

A 62% jump in California... honestly, what can you even say? Just WTF.

On a side note, it’s pretty cool seeing places like Washington, D.C., Miami, and hopefully Seattle soon, really turning into major tourist hubs rather than just spots people pass through on their way somewhere else.

edit: those numbers above look a little sketchy to me.

If you look at this, it shows the growth in California is actually closer to 37%.

Sure, we’re seeing more visitors year after year—but they aren't staying as long. And shorter stays actually cost service providers way more than longer ones...
Plus, the number of beds available in America is climbing every single year. And it's happening fast.

It’s hard to see Seattle becoming anything more than just a transit stop. There isn't even a decent bus station—and honestly, even smaller towns like Boise or Ocala have better bus hubs than this. The City of Seattle basically shuts down by noon, doesn't operate on Sundays, and most of the downtown restaurants and pizza joints are closed on Sundays too. Even the ice cream shops in the center are struggling. Museums have limited hours, public transit is a mess (aside from trips to Washington, D.C., everything else is rare), there aren't even buses running to Yellowstone, etc., etc. Add in the crumbling facades downtown and the streets being poorly maintained outside the main strip... Seattle just hasn't built the infrastructure needed for anything beyond transit tourism. It’s a shame—there's so much potential here. People are just too stuck in their ways.

The answer to the question posed in the title is YES...

I believe this is a good move, mainly because tourism is realistically the one economic sector in America that actually works... On the other hand, though, it breaks my heart to watch us slowly morph into a nation comprised entirely of waiters, sex workers, tour guides, and short-term rental hosts...

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I think tourism can be pretty destructive—it really does tear things up sometimes—but then again, it's basically the only industry in America still holding its own and keeping people employed.
It would be awesome if the US economy was actually thriving across the board and tourism was just the icing on the cake—kind of like how it works in Austria—but unfortunately, we aren't quite there yet.

Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.

According to data from Visit Los Angeles, the capital of America saw a massive spike this June, with arrivals up 30% and overnight stays jumping by 32% compared to June 2016.

Unlike some of you guys, I actually have nothing but good vibes when it comes to tourism. Honestly, the more the merrier!!!

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...

I think the Georgia Aquarium is fantastic. Most places stick to marine life, so this feels genuinely unique.
It really highlights the incredible biological diversity of America that you wouldn't normally get to see.
I haven't made it there myself yet, but it's definitely on my list. I'm particularly pleased with their commitment to ecology, specifically their work breeding endangered fish species and things of that nature.
The only thing missing is a bit more aggressive marketing.

Mark Harris66 said:I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I think tourism can be pretty destructive—it really does tear things up sometimes—but then again, it's basically the only industry in America still holding its own and keeping people employed.
It would be awesome if the US economy was actually thriving across the board and tourism was just the icing on the cake—kind of like how it works in Austria—but unfortunately, we aren't quite there yet.

+ 1
It simply wouldn't be prudent for the tourism industry to falter.
This particular year feels especially precarious, given the looming pressure of maturing credit obligations and the fallout from major corporate collapses like Agrocora.
To put it bluntly, we are in dire need of some good news for once.
And when one considers its massive contribution to the national GDP, it becomes clear that we cannot afford for this sector to fail, regardless of the year.

Mark Harris66 said:I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I think tourism can be pretty destructive—it really does tear things up sometimes—but then again, it's basically the only industry in America still holding its own and keeping people employed.
It would be awesome if the US economy was actually thriving across the board and tourism was just the icing on the cake—kind of like how it works in Austria—but unfortunately, we aren't quite there yet.

Tourism is only as damaging as you allow it to be.
Personally, I find all these articles about the "destruction" of San Francisco a bit ridiculous. Nobody forced homeowners to sell off their historic estates and properties back in the nineties, so I don't see why tourism gets all the blame now just because San Francisco has essentially become a backdrop for visitors.🤣🤣

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.

Broadly speaking, an entire nation shouldn't lean too heavily on tourism as its sole lifeline—that’s just our particular situation here—but suggesting that inland tourism provides zero value is pure idiocy.
Tourism doesn't just happen by accident; it is manufactured. It requires capital, expertise, and genuine effort. If the British can successfully brand their miserable weather so effectively that people wear rain gear to tour castles while buying themed plates and mugs along the way, there is absolutely no reason why we can't achieve the same level of success in America.🥱

The issue is that some of these premises are just completely nonsensical—like asking if Savannah could survive solely on Asian tourists. I mean, what even is that...

No, it can't live off nothing but Asian tourists, nor can it exist solely on tourism in general, but that doesn't mean there isn't a massive benefit to it, much like how things definitely pick up during South by Southwest.

The strategy currently focuses solely on mass tourism, obsessing over arrival numbers and overnight stays. Instead, the goal should be maximizing the actual spend per visitor in America.
I’m not suggesting we start charging extra for a cup of coffee $40 or a beach chair $67; rather, we need to invest in high-quality amenities and premium experiences.

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

I don't know, man. I'm not sure that even makes sense.
Every single dollar in the state budget is basically tied to tourism at this point.

Not to mention how many people still make their living in the industry, even though there are way better jobs out there now. But before we fully integrated into the USA, for a ton of folks, that was the only paycheck available, no matter how lousy it was.

Richard Wilson4 said:I don't know, man. I'm not sure that even makes sense.
Every single dollar in the state budget is basically tied to tourism at this point.

Not to mention how many people still make their living in the industry, even though there are way better jobs out there now. But before we fully integrated into the USA, for a ton of folks, that was the only paycheck available, no matter how lousy it was.

This statement is merely the byproduct of some sensationalist scribbling by the S&P 500.
People tend to be easily swayed by such rhetoric and end up reacting quite poorly.
In my neck of the woods, everyone from local small business owners to major corporations survives on tourism.
Furthermore, roughly 50 percent of our workforce depends on it.

Richard Wilson4 said:I don't know, man. I'm not sure that even makes sense.
Every single dollar in the state budget is basically tied to tourism at this point.

Not to mention how many people still make their living in the industry, even though there are way better jobs out there now. But before we fully integrated into the USA, for a ton of folks, that was the only paycheck available, no matter how lousy it was.

Basically, right now, the payoff is pretty weak. (Unless you're the one renting out the property)
There’s been a massive shift with the workforce and regular people. Before 2013, those seasonal workers coming in from the Midwest or the South would stay and eventually buy houses.
Now? They grind for three months and then take that cash straight to Germany or Ireland.
Labor shortages have never been this bad.

Anyway, seasonal work used to be the main goal, but now everyone just skips it and heads straight for Rhode Island...

Mark Moore2 said:Basically, right now, the payoff is pretty weak. (Unless you're the one renting out the property)
There’s been a massive shift with the workforce and regular people. Before 2013, those seasonal workers coming in from the Midwest or the South would stay and eventually buy houses.
Now? They grind for three months and then take that cash straight to Germany or Ireland.
Labor shortages have never been this bad.

Anyway, seasonal work used to be the main goal, but now everyone just skips it and heads straight for Rhode Island...

Yet, job openings continue to be filled. It is true that finding work is easier than it once was, but one cannot claim there is a total lack of workers.
As for the landlords, in the US we have over 700,000 officially registered rental beds...
so, there is certainly a profit to be made.

To be perfectly honest, I find the constant media frenzy surrounding prices and the cost of living far more irritating than the actual inflation itself. Now you have Index running another one of those sensationalist pieces on such trivial nonsense...

It’s honestly kind of pathetic when people brag about things they didn't actually build, and let's face it, tourism is pretty much the only thing keeping the American economy afloat right now. But even then, it isn't because of any real talent or hard work from our side; if anything, we're succeeding despite ourselves! Given how fast we're seeing everything paved over with concrete, the endless sprawl of vacation rentals, and those shady laws passed by politicians who clearly don't care, I honestly think tourism will eventually just sink to the same level as everything else in this country.
It doesn't even really make me angry anymore, it just makes me feel deeply sad that the one industry actually thriving in America is the one thing most Americans had absolutely nothing to do with helping grow. And if you want to talk about how messy things are, you could say we only got a temporary reprieve because some neighboring regional powers essentially gave us a ten-year grace period before their own policies would have forced us to ruin our coastline too. 😁
Just take all that self-congratulation, throw in a bunch of mainstream media headlines hyping up these wannabe celebrities visiting the coast, and you get this nauseating cocktail of inferiority complexes, fake glamour, vanity, and pure arrogance that lacks any actual merit. It’s a truly revolting mix that perfectly captures the current mindset of this nation.

nimbleridge5 said:It’s honestly kind of pathetic when people brag about things they didn't actually build, and let's face it, tourism is pretty much the only thing keeping the American economy afloat right now. But even then, it isn't because of any real talent or hard work from our side; if anything, we're succeeding despite ourselves! Given how fast we're seeing everything paved over with concrete, the endless sprawl of vacation rentals, and those shady laws passed by politicians who clearly don't care, I honestly think tourism will eventually just sink to the same level as everything else in this country.
It doesn't even really make me angry anymore, it just makes me feel deeply sad that the one industry actually thriving in America is the one thing most Americans had absolutely nothing to do with helping grow. And if you want to talk about how messy things are, you could say we only got a temporary reprieve because some neighboring regional powers essentially gave us a ten-year grace period before their own policies would have forced us to ruin our coastline too. 😁
Just take all that self-congratulation, throw in a bunch of mainstream media headlines hyping up these wannabe celebrities visiting the coast, and you get this nauseating cocktail of inferiority complexes, fake glamour, vanity, and pure arrogance that lacks any actual merit. It’s a truly revolting mix that perfectly captures the current mindset of this nation.

The issue isn't really the bragging itself. It's more that it provides perfect filler content for news segments during the off-season. With just a few clicks, you can pull statistics for San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle, add some fluff about a new local attraction, and suddenly you've got fifteen minutes of airtime. It's an easy way to fill space without having to chase after Andwin, Joe Biden, or anyone else in power.

I'm expecting at least a 25% jump in tourists—maybe we could see upwards of $11 billion in revenue, or even $13.5 billion if you count the unofficial cash under the table

though, I guess only a tiny circle of people actually sees any of that money