Travel News

Growing U.S. Tourism & the Travel Hall of Leaders

PG: It’s important to remember this doesn’t compromise our security concerns with the technology that exists to vet everybody, does it?

RD: No. A long line doesn’t give you better security. In fact, it might give you worse security. It also increases the number of visas by 40 percent in China and Brazil, whose economies are booming. It’s also going to increase global entry.

Most important, the president is pushing for more countries in the visa waiver program. When South Korea came into the visa waiver program about 2-and-a-half years ago, visitation from South Korea went up 46 percent in 18 months while it went up 4 percent elsewhere.

PG: Here’s a little news bulletin. Name the largest international airline that flies to more U.S. cities and from U.S. cities than any other international airline. It’s Korean Air, and nobody knows it.

RD: And you can’t believe the number of flights they’re adding, destination after destination, because of this. And the same thing will happen if we can do this in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Poland.

PG: OK, so now that’s for people coming to the United States. How does that impact people listening to the show who live in the U.S.?

RD: It relieves the debt that we have. It stops the push on raising taxes. It also creates more jobs, small businesses. Even though you have the Hiltons and the Disneys and the United Airlines, this is a small business industry. You have to realize that 99 percent of the businesses are florists, nametag makers, the people that make wedding cakes, the people that create vans. It’s small business America and every town in America.

PG: And you can actually connect the dots. There’s cause and effect.

RD: Now, you said there’s two big things that have happened this year in tourism. There’s actually a third. In 1970, the travel industry created something we call the Hall of Leaders, and it’s for people who have had a significant impact on travel and tourism. People like Bill Marriott, James Michener of Book Hawaii, Walt Disney, Issy Sharp from Four Seasons, Richard Fain from Royal Caribbean, and this year, Peter Greenberg. You are going to be inducted into the Travel Industry Hall of Fame for all you have done.

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By Peter Greenberg for Peter Greenberg Worldwide