International arrivals to the U.S. posted a strong 5% gain last
year to a record 48.5 million visitors. Make no mistake, this is
something to cheer about. Canada, the largest international market
for U.S. tourism, has been soft for most of the last decade, but
arrivals in 1999 grew 5%, the first increase in three years. Japan,
which also had gone soft, registered a 1% decline, much smaller
than some experts had feared. Those who are responsible for
promoting U.S. destinations to foreign travelers deserve a nod of
gratitude. After all, it is National Tourism Week -- or did you
forget?
Go, Jesse
And speaking of promotion, say what you will about Minnesota's
wrestler-turned-governor, Jesse Ventura, the man knows how to get
his name in the paper -- and, more to the point, the name of his
state.
At a recent appearance in Chicago to promote Minnesota tourism,
Ventura was asked why anyone would want to travel to Minnesota.
Lesser men would have merely rattled off key points about the Mall
of America and the state's other attractions and outdoor pleasures.
True to form, Ventura mentioned them in his answer, but the part of
his response that will be remembered is this: "Because I am there.
You can come and look at the people who elected me governor. I have
warned them that if they see people staring at them, this is what
is happening."
If you're Minnesota and you're competing for discretionary
tourism dollars against Disney World, Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Grand
Canyon and the Empire State Building, you need a big pitch and,
perhaps, a big pitchman. To his credit, Ventura seems to have
figured this out and is lending his considerable sense of
showmanship to the cause.
Most states won't have a pitchman on the ballot next Nov. 7, but
maybe some of them should.