Introduction
Tourism has been the biggest revenue earner for most of the OECD countries on the continental map. The member countries have had a consistent rise of both local and international tourism which has encouraged them to consider policies to enhance the industry. There are countries that have had a significant growth of the industry, but the economic crunch of 2008 and 2009 worked a dent in the progressive rise of the industry. It triggered a closer scrutiny into the industry and the countries have been on the lookout to guard the same events from happening.
The Policies and State of Affairs
The U.S has had its own share of scrutiny into the tourism sector. It is the reason that the Obama administration has analyzed the tourism policy in the 1981 document. It shows that the document has policies that are somehow outdated to deal with the competitive industries that update their policies in the sector on a regular basis. It is the reason that the Obama administration took time to liberate the document and make some improved changes to guarantee the operations of the sector.
First the U.S has no specific department that deals with matters of tourism. This is to mean that the sector depends on the mechanisms laid down on the ports administration and the departments handling the tour sites. These are important observations, because thriving countries in the tourism sector have a ministry of tourism to direct the activities of the tourism sector. It means that in the U.S there are a number of sectors associated with the industry and this makes it complicated to manage the sector. This discovery is important when considering to improve the sector and make it competent in the market.
There are a number of changes that have been suggested to improve the industry. It means that the country is interested in growing the tourism sector. The U.S president approved into law by signing the Travel Promotion Act, which was done in 2010. This is in effort to ensure that tourists both internal and external prefer the U.S as their tourism destination. This is bound to boost the sector through an influx of tourists into the country.
There have been progressive improvements to the sector and the tourism policy where the industry is slotted to contribute to the national economy as well as create more jobs for the people of the country. It means that the tourism sector is set to improve and progressively rise in order to accommodate the growing demand of the people and the nation at large. More jobs will be created as an influx of people are accommodated into the country for the sake of tourism.
The National Travel and Tourism Strategy has improved the state of affairs at the customs and even the embassies. This is in a bid to meet the target of 100 Million visitors annually into the country by the year 2021. There are progressive changes that have enabled the country to give 9.2 million visas to visitors in the year 2013. It is also reported that the periods for waiting for visas have significantly dropped. This is because the state department has employed more people and encouraged their dedication to work. The improvement has been seen in Brazil and China where the days have dropped from 100 to an average of 5 days.
The Antractica serves as an important tourism destination, but it faces a number of challenges that need to be addressed. The challenges stem from environmental pollution, an over-indulgence of tourists in the destination and marine pollution. This is the reason that tourist operators in the destination formed the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs) so as to encourage sustainable tourism as well as protect the destination from the effects of pollution (David, Edgell & Swanson, 2013).
There are campaigns and strategies set to ensure that the industry is improved. The international travel promotion campaign effected by Brand USA an organization created by Travel Promotion Act has seen the marketing of the destination. The country has also involved a number of high profile spokes people to market the U.S as a travel and tour destination.
References
CBP. (2016, January 14). Travel and Tourism. Retrieved from U.S Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov/travel/travel-tourism
Edgell Sr., David L. and Jason Swanson (2013). Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
TEOP. (2014). Increasing Tourism to Spur Economic Growth. Washington D.C: The White House.
TWH. (2012). Obama Administration Continues Efforts to Increase Travel and Tourism in the United States. Washington D.C: Office of the Press Secretary.
