Recent News

United States Tourism Push

By Siobhan
Last updated at 17:26:00 PM on 10 February 2012

The US is revamping its tourism image with a new campaign called 'Vote Travel.' The program aims to make visiting the US more attractive and lessoning the amount of negative hassles associated with travelling there.

As part of the campaign, reductions in waiting times for visas to process and offering tax incentives to those travelling on business will be implemented. President Obama announced the new initiative on a recent trip to Disney World, one of the most popular travel destinations in the US. If you happen to be planning a trip to Florida check out some Orlando hotels.

It is hoped that by reducing the time people need to wait to enter the US it will make doing business in the country easier, thus giving the economy a boost. President Obama is quoted in MSN as saying, "And the more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work. We need to help businesses all across the country grow and create jobs; compete and win." Tourism in the US is a major part of GDP and in 2010 provided 7.5 million jobs, according to the White House.

Those working in the travel industry have welcomed the new program. Airline for America told Travel Agent Central that "An improved visa process is a key component of a much-needed national airline policy, and we commend President Obama for his announced visa process improvements and expansion of the Global Entry program for expedited travel, which will help to expand U.S. access to rapidly growing global markets."

New York hotels and Las Vegas hotels, despite being located in two of the most popular destination in the US are sure to welcome the tourism campaign. Cities all over the country have been hurt because of the economic downturn and a boost to tourism is something that will be welcomed across the board.