On Jan. 11, the U.S. Travel Association revealed new data surrounding the competitiveness of the U.S. travel market, in comparison to other countries that dominate global travel. Gathered by Euromonitor International, big takeaways from the report include that the U.S. ranked 17th out of 18 countries in terms of market competitiveness, as determined by data collected in four categories: national leadership; brand and product; identity, security and facilitation; and travel and connectivity.
How the Low Ranking Impacts the Economy
Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of U.S. Travel, says that the low ranking stands in stark contrast to another data point: that the U.S. is still the most desired destination among global travelers. And yet, that desire appears to be outweighed by the obstacles travelers may face, from long visa wait times to staffing shortages that impact the air travel and airport experience.
U.S. Travel calculates that shortcomings in the U.S. travel experience lead to major economic losses. For example, analysis by Tourism Economics estimates that excessive wait times for visitor visas may deter as many as 39 million travelers from choosing the U.S. as a travel destination, which might amount to $150 billion in lost spending over the next 10 years. Additionally, inefficient aviation security screening processes may cause American travelers to take fewer domestic trips this year, resulting in spending losses as high as $7.4 billion.
U.S. travel is less modern, less efficient and more cumbersome than in other parts of the world. And there’s a serious economic cost to this.
“U.S. travel is less modern, less efficient and more cumbersome than in other parts of the world,” Freeman said at a conference about the report. “And there’s a serious economic cost to this.”
How U.S. Travel Hopes to Change Things for the Better
The data may be dismal, but it has also inspired the U.S. Travel Association to spring into action. In an effort to make the travel experience “more modern, more seamless [and] more efficient,” U.S. Travel, in conjunction with Euromonitor, has launched the Seamless and Secure Travel Commission. The solutions-oriented organization is chaired by Kevin McAleenan, former acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and will have other former government officials and experts in its ranks. The commission will make policy recommendations that aim to modernize the travel experience, and ultimately, increase U.S. competitiveness. Its first round of policy recommendations is expected to be shared this fall.
“The U.S. can no longer sit out of the race to modernize travel,” Freeman said. “Today’s situation is decades in the making. It is time the U.S. government collectively gets serious about establishing a metrics-based plan to claim our spot as the top destination in the world, which will pay dividends for decades to come.”
The full report is available online, as is a summary report.
