2007年VOA标准英语-International Travel to US Down Despite Favorab

By Steve Mort
Orlando, Florida
13 June 2007
 

Tourism promoters in the United States are voicing concern over a decline in the number of overseas visitors to the country. A leading industry lobby group says tourist travel from most countries has fallen in recent years, and the U.S. has lost 60 million international travelers since September 11th, 2001. Officials in major tourist hubs say perceived difficulties in visiting the U.S. since 9/11 are partly to blame. Steve Mort reports for VOA.

Gatorland, a tourist attraction in Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida is one of America's top tourist destinations.  The local visitor's bureau says the city attracts around 50 million visitors a year -- three-point-five million from abroad. They come to see Disney World and other internationally known sights.   More than half of Orlando's foreign visitors come from Europe, 24 percent from Canada and the rest from South America, Asia and the Middle East. 

Danielle Courtney from the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau says a decline in international travel to the city is troubling.

"It's a very important segment to Orlando,” says Courtney. “It is about five percent of our total tourism, but it makes up 17 percent of our economic impact. So it is a very high value segment, so obviously getting into the United States and the perceptions of the United States is of high importance to us."

Other destinations, such as Las Vegas, have actually seen a rise in international arrivals.  Tourism industry experts say the percentage of foreign visitors to the city increased from 12 to 13 percent from 2005 to 2006.  But nationally, the trend is down, according to a survey by the Discover America Partnership¹, a tourism industry lobby group.

Executive Director Geoff Freeman says a 20 percent fall in overseas travel to the United States since September 11th, 2001 can be attributed to problems encountered by arriving visitors.

"Just this week we heard of three-hour long delays to get through the customs process in Los Angeles,” says Freeman. “That's simply not acceptable. In addition to that, our survey showed that travelers are more fearful of U.S. government officials than they are of the threat of terrorism or crime. It's those types of fears and these types of perceptions that are deterring² travelers from visiting the U.S. and it's this that we need to address".

The U.S. Commerce Department says the overall number of international visitors to America did return to pre-9/11 levels in 2006. But the increase came mostly from neighboring Canada and Mexico. Travel from most other places has dropped. This is in spite of the weak U.S. dollar offering a favorable exchange rate to foreign travelers. 

The agency in charge of screening passengers at U.S. ports of entry, like this one at Houston's international airport, rejects charges that it is to blame for the decline.  The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says it processes more than a million people entering the U.S. every day -- 250,000 at U.S. airports.  The head of border security, Robert Jackstam, says the government is trying hard to strike a balance.

Robert Jackstam

"Our goal is that when people arrive at our ports of entry we want them to feel that this is a welcoming nation, and then we want to make sure we get them though the process, but at the same time addressing our national security concerns and making sure the people who are arriving have the proper documentation," says Jackstam.

Jackstam points to several programs aimed at improving the experience of international travelers to the U.S.  One initiative launched in January 2006, intends to help visitors figure out what documents they need before they arrive, and streamline³ the customs and immigration process.  Another focuses on updating arrival areas, training customs agents and providing information to travelers.  Jackstam also says U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working with the tourist industry on ways to make the system better.

"We also make sure we have the best queuing system in place,” adds Jackstam. “And we have reached out to various organizations, amusement park groups, to see what is the best way to handle the queue-lines and what the most efficient way, and we've talked to them and we've put various methods in place that we think can help facilitate people through the process."

But in Orlando, the drop in foreign visitors, particularly from Europe and Asia, remains⁴ a concern.  Tourism officials hope more marketing⁵ might help. For example, the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau is doubling advertising⁶ spending in the UK to entice⁷ people away from other destinations such as Eastern Europe or the Middle East. 

And the Discover America Partnership is pushing the U.S. Congress to pass legislation introducing exit fees and imposing⁸ tariffs⁹ on people traveling to the U.S. without a visa.  The group says the plan would provide $200 million in much needed in cash to increase marketing of the United States to overseas tourists.

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 deterring   

v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• However, investors say are a number of issues deterring business. 然而，投资者表示，有很多问题让他们却步。 来自互联网
• It's an effective way of deterring potential does online, the logic goes. 逻辑上这是抑制潜在线上威胁的有效方法。 来自互联网

3 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

8 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

9 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。