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[[Image:USA 09847 Grand Canyon Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|The [[Grand Canyon]] of [[Arizona]] attracts approximately 4.41 million visitors each year.]]
[[Image:USA 09847 Grand Canyon Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|The [[Grand Canyon]] of [[Arizona]] attracts approximately 4.41 million visitors each year.]]
'''Tourism in the United States''' sucks
'''Tourism in the United States''' is a large industry that serves millions of international and domestic tourists yearly. Tourists visit the US to see natural wonders, cities, historic landmarks and entertainment venues. Americans seek similar attractions, as well as recreation and vacation areas.

Tourism in the United States grew rapidly in the form of urban tourism during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By the 1850s, tourism in the United States was well-established both as a cultural activity and as an industry. [[New York]], [[Chicago]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[San Francisco]], all major US cities, attracted a large number of tourists by the 1890s. By 1915, city touring had marked significant shifts in the way Americans perceived, organized and moved around in urban environments.

Democratization of travel occurred during the early twentieth century when the automobile revolutionized travel. Similarly [[air travel]] revolutionized travel during 1945–1969, contributing greatly to tourism in the United States. By 2007 the number of international tourists had climbed to over 56 million people who spent $122.7 billion dollars, setting an all time record.<ref>{{Citation
| publication-date = March 10, 2008
| title = 2007 Sets All Time International Tourism Record for U.S.
| url = http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/PressReleases_FactSheets/PROD01_005355
| accessdate = 2008-06-28
}}</ref>

The travel and [[Tourism|tourism industry]] in the United States was among the first commercial casualties of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], a series of [[List of terrorist incidents|terrorist attacks]] on the US. Terrorists used four commercial airliners as weapons of destruction, all of which were destroyed in the attacks with 3,000 casualties.

In the US, tourism is either the first, second or third largest employer in 29 states {{Which?|date=May 2010}}, employing 7.3 million in 2004, to take care of 1.19 billion trips tourists took in the US in 2005. As of 2007, there are 2,462 registered [[National Historic Landmark]]s (NHL) recognized by the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]]. As of 2008, the most visited [[tourist attraction]] in the US is [[Times Square]] in [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]] which attracts approximately 35 million visitors yearly.

== History ==
===19th century===
The rise of urban tourism in the [[United States]] during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries represented a major cultural transformation concerning urban space, leisure natural activity and as an industry.<ref name="1850s">{{Citation
| last = Sears
| first = John F.
| title = Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century
| publisher = [[University of Massachusetts Press]]
| page = 123
| year = 1998
| isbn = 1558491627}}</ref> Although [[Travel agency|travel agents]] and package tours did not exist until the 1870s and 1880s, entrepreneurs of various sorts from hotel keepers and agents for railroad lines to artists and writers recognized the profit to be gained from the prospering tourism industry.<ref name="1850s"/> The rise of [[locomotive]] steam-powered trains during the 1800s enabled tourists to travel more easily and quickly.<ref>{{Citation
| publication-date = July 19, 1868
| title = Summer Travel
| periodical = [[New York Times]]
| url = http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C02E1D71230EE34BC4152DFB1668383679FDE
| accessdate = 2008-05-18
| format=PDF
| work=The New York Times
}}</ref>

In the United States {{convert|2800|mi|km}} of track had been completed by 1840, by 1860 all major eastern US cities were linked by rail, and by 1869 the first trans-American railroad link was completed.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Standeven
| first = Joy
| last2 = de Knop
| first2 = Paul
| title = Sport Tourism
| publisher = Human Kinetics
| page = 20
| year = 1999
| isbn = 0873228537}}</ref> [[Yosemite National Park|Yosemite Park]] was developed as a tourist attraction in the late 1850s and early 1860s for an audience who wanted a national icon and place to symbolize exotic wonder of its region.<ref name="1850s"/> Photography played an important role for the first time in the development of tourist attractions, making it possible to distribute hundreds of images showing various places of interest.<ref name="1850s"/>

[[New York]], [[Chicago]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[San Francisco]], all major US cities, attracted a large number of tourists by the 1890s.<ref name="early urban">{{Citation
| last = Cocks
| first = Catherine
| title = Doing the Town: The Rise of Urban Tourism in the United States, 1850-1915
| publisher = [[University of California Press]]
| pages = 6–7
| year = 2001
| isbn = 0520227468}}</ref> New York's population grew from 300,000 in 1840 to 800,000 in 1850.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Cocks
| first = Catherine
| pages = 6–7}}</ref> Chicago experienced a dramatic increase from 4,000 residents in 1840 to 300,000 by 1870. Dictionaries first published the word 'tourist' sometime in 1800, when it referred to those going to Europe or making a round trip of natural wonders in New York and [[New England]]. The absence of urban tourism during the nineteenth century was in part because American cities lacked the architecture and art which attracted thousands to Europe. American cities tended to offend the sensitive with ugliness and [[commercialism]] rather than inspire awe or aesthetic pleasure.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Cocks
| first = Catherine
| page = 11}}</ref> Some tourists were fascinated by the rapid growth of the new urban areas: "It is an absorbing thing to watch the process of world-making; both the formation of the natural and the conventional world," wrote English writer Harriet Martineau in 1837.<ref name="nineteenth century urban">{{Citation
| last = Sears
| first = John F.
| page = 87
| year = 2002
| month = Jan
| author = Sears, C; Davis, T; Guydish, J
| title = Effects of treatment history and centralized intake on drug treatment outcomes.
| volume = 34
| issue = 1
| pages = 87–95
| issn = 0279-1072
| pmid = 12003118
| journal = Journal of psychoactive drugs}}</ref>

[[Image:Perkins School.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Perkins School for the Blind]] in [[Watertown, Massachusetts]] was one of many similar institutions classed as tourist attractions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.]]
As American cities developed, new institutions to accommodate and care for the insane, disabled and criminal were constructed. The [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hatford]], [[Connecticut]] [[American School for the Deaf]] opened in 1817, [[Ossining (village), New York|Ossining]], [[New York]] state prison in 1825, the Connecticut State Penitentiary at [[Wethersfield, Connecticut|Wethersfield]] in 1827, [[Mount Auburn Cemetery]] in 1831, the [[Perkins School for the Blind]] in 1832, and the [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] State Hospital in 1833.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Sears
| first = John F.
| page = 11}}</ref>

These institutions attracted the curiosity of American and foreign visitors. The English writer and actress [[Fanny Kemble]] was an admirer of the American [[Prison|prison system]] who was also concerned that nature was being destroyed in favor of new developments. Guidebooks published in the 1830s, 40s and 50s described new prisons, asylums and institutions for the deaf and blind, and urged tourists to visit these sights.<ref name="guidebooks-accounts">{{Citation
| last = Sears
| first = John F.
| page = 89}}</ref>

Accounts of these visits written by [[Charles Dickens]], [[Harriet Martineau]], [[Lydia Sigourney]] and [[Caroline Gilman]] were published in magazines and [[Travel literature|travel books]].<ref name="guidebooks-accounts"/> Sigourney's ''Scenes in My Native Land'' (1845) included descriptions of her tour of [[Niagara Falls]] and other places of scenic interest with accounts of her visits to prisons and asylums.<ref name="guidebooks-accounts"/> Many visited these institutions because nothing like them had existed before.<ref name="institutions">{{Citation
| last = Sears
| first = John F.
| page = 90}}</ref> The buildings which housed them were themselves monumental, often placed on hilltops as a symbol of accomplishment.<ref name="institutions"/>

===Early Tourism===
By 1915, city touring had marked significant shifts in the way Americans perceived, organized and moved around in urban environments.<ref name="early urban"/> Urban tourism became a profitable industry in 1915 as the number of tour agencies, railroad passenger departments, guidebook publishers and travel writers grew at a fast pace.<ref name="early urban"/> The expense of pleasure tours meant that only the minority of Americans between 1850 and 1915 could experience the luxury of tourism.<ref name="early urban"/> Many Americans traveled to find work, but few found time for enjoyment of the urban environment. As transportation networks improved, the length of commuting decreased, and income rose.<ref name="early urban"/> A growing number of Americans were able to afford short vacations by 1915. Still, mass tourism was not possible until after [[World War II]].<ref name="early urban"/>

During the nineteenth century, tourism of any form had been available only to the upper and [[middle class]]es. This changed during the early twentieth century through the democratization of travel. In 1895, popular publications printed articles showing the car was cheaper to operate than the horse.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Lay
| first = M. G.
| last2 = Vance
| first2 = James E.
| title = Ways of the World: A History of the World's Roads and of the Vehicles That Used Them
| publisher = [[Rutgers University Press]]
| page = 174
| year = 1992
| isbn = 0813526914}}</ref> The development of automobiles in the early 1900s included the introduction of the [[Ford Model T]] in 1908. In 1900, 8,000 cars were registered in the US, which increased to 619,000 by 1911.<ref name="automobilestats">{{Citation
| last = Lay
| first = M. G.
| last2 = Vance
| first2 = James E.
| page = 170}}</ref> By the time of the Model T's introduction in 1908, there were 44 US households per car.<ref name="automobilestats"/> Early cars were a luxury for the wealthy, but after Ford began to dramatically drop prices after 1913, more were able to afford one.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Lay
| first = M. G.
| last2 = Vance
| first2 = James E.
| page = 180}}</ref>

The development of hotels with leisure complexes had become a popular development during the 1930s in the United States.<ref name="hotels">{{Citation
| last = Standeven
| first = Joy
| last2 = de Knop
| first2 = Paul
| page = 31}}</ref> The range of "club" type holidays available appealed to a broad segment of the holiday market.<ref name="hotels"/> As more families traveled independently by car, hotels failed to cater to their needs.<ref name="hotels"/> [[Kemmons Wilson]] opened the first [[motel]] as a new form of accommodation in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]] in 1952.<ref name="hotels"/>

[[Image:MIAMI-ArtDeco-rj002.jpg|right|thumb|The Art Deco district of [[South Beach]] in [[Miami]], [[Florida]] was developed during the 1930s.]]Although thousands of tourists visited [[Florida]] during the early 1900s, it was not until after World War II that the tourist industry quickly became Florida's largest source of income.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Viele
| first = John
| year = 1996
| page = 135
| title = The Florida Keys: A History of the Pioneers
| publisher = Pineapple Press
| isbn = 1561641014
}}</ref> Florida's white sandy beaches, hot summer temperatures and wide range of activities such as swimming, fishing, boating and hiking all attracted tourists to the state. During the 1930s, architects designed [[Art Deco]] style buildings in [[Miami Beach]].<ref name="art deco">{{Citation
| last = Cerwinske
| first = Laura
| last2 = Kaminsky
| first2 = David
| year = 1981
| title =Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach
| publisher = Rizzoli
| isbn = 0847803457
}}</ref> Visitors are still attracted to the Art Deco district of [[Miami, Florida]].<ref name="art deco"/> Theme parks were soon built across Florida. One of the largest resorts in the world, [[Walt Disney World Resort|the Walt Disney World Resort]], was opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971.<ref name="florida">{{Citation
| last = Grant
| first = Kim
| last2 = Penland
| first2 = Paige R.
| year = January 2003
| edition = 3rd
| page = 27
| title = Florida
| publisher = Lonely Planet Publications
| isbn = 1740591364
}}</ref> In its first year, the {{convert|28000|acre|km2|sing=on}} park added $14 billion to Orlando's economy.

===Late 20th century===
[[Image:Douglas DC-4 Flying Dutchman.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Douglas DC-4]] was one of the first airliners in the United States used for commercial flights.]]
The revolution of [[air travel]] between 1945 and 1969 contributed greatly to tourism in the United States. In that quarter century, [[Civil aviation|commercial aviation]] evolved from 28-passenger airliners flying at less than {{convert|200|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} to 150-passenger jetliners cruising continents at {{convert|600|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="airliner">{{Citation
| last = Yenne
| first = Bill
| title = Classic American Airliners
| publisher = Zenith Imprint
| page = 8
| year = 2005
| isbn = 0760319316}}</ref> During this time, air travel in the US evolved from a novelty into a routine for business travelers and vacationers alike. Rapid developments in aviation technology, economic prosperity in the United States and the demand for air travel all contributed to the early beginnings of commercial aviation in the US.<ref name="airliner"/>

During the first four decades of the twentieth century, long-haul journeys between large American cities were accomplished using trains. By the 1950s, air travel was part of every-day life for many Americans.<ref name="airliner"/> The tourism industry in the US experienced [[exponential growth]] as tourists could travel almost anywhere with a fast, reliable and routine system.<ref name="airliner"/> For some, a vacation in [[Hawaii]] was now a more frequent pleasure. Air travel changed everything from family vacations to [[Major League Baseball]], as had steam-powered trains in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.<ref name="airliner"/>

By the end of the twentieth century, tourism had significantly grown throughout the world. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO, 1998) recorded that, in 1950, arrivals of tourists from abroad, excluding same-day visits, numbered about 25.2 million.<ref name="wtostats">{{Citation
| last = Ryan
| first = Chris
| title = Recreational tourism: Demand and Impacts
| publisher = Channel View Publications
| page = 18
| year = 2003
| isbn = 1873150563}}</ref> By 1997, the figure was 612.8 million. In 1950 receipts from international movements were [[US Dollar|US$]]2.1 billion, in 1997 they were $443.7 billion.<ref name="wtostats"/>

===21st century===
The travel and tourism industry in the United States was among the first commercial casualties of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], a series of terrorist attacks on the US. Terrorists used four commercial airliners as weapons of destruction, all of which were destroyed in the attacks with 3,000 casualties.<ref name="Sept11">{{Citation
| last = Mak
| first = James
| title = Tourism and the Economy: understanding the economics of tourism
| publisher = [[University of Hawaii Press]]
| page = 193
| year = 2003
| isbn = 0824827899}}</ref> In the first full week after flights resumed, passenger numbers fell by nearly 45 percent, from 9 million in the week before September 11 to 5 million.<ref name="Sept11"/> Hotels and travel agencies received cancellations across the world. The hotel industry suffered an estimated $700 million loss in revenue during the four days following the attacks.<ref name="Sept11"/> The situation recovered over the following months as the [[Federal Reserve]] kept the financial system afloat. The [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] issued a $5 billion grant to the nation's airlines and $10 billion in loan guarantees to keep them flying.<ref name="Sept11"/>

In the US, tourism is either the first, second or third largest employer in 29 states, employing 7.3 million in 2004, to take care of 1.19 billion trips tourists took in the US in 2005.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Parks
| first = Janet B.
| first2 = Quaterman
| last2 = Jerome
| first3 = Thibault
| last3 = Lucie
| title = Contemporary sport management
| publisher = Human Kinetics
| page = 142
| year = 2007
| isbn = 073606365X}}</ref> The US outbound holiday market is sensitive in the short term, but possibly one of the most surprising results from the September 11, 2001 attacks was that by February 2002 it had bounced back for overseas travel, especially to destinations like [[New Zealand]]. This quick revival was generally quicker than many commentators had predicted only five months earlier.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Ryan
| first = Chris
| page = 28}}</ref>

The [[Economy of the United States|United States economy]] began to slow significantly in 2007, mostly because of a [[Subprime mortgage crisis|real-estate slump]], [[Price of petroleum|gas prices]] and related financial problems.<ref name="US Economy">{{Citation
| year = 2008
| title = United States Economy
| periodical = [[New York Times]]
| url = http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/united_states_economy/index.html
| accessdate = May 19, 2008
| work=The New York Times
| first=David
| last=Leonhardt
}}</ref> Many economists believe that the economy entered a recession at the end of 2007 or early in 2008.<ref name="US Economy"/> Some state budgets for tourism marketing have decreased, such as [[Connecticut]] which is facing soaring gas prices.<ref>{{Citation
| publication-date = May 18, 2008
| title = Trying to Sell Europeans stuff
| periodical = New York Times
| url = http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/18tourismct.html
| accessdate = May 19, 2008
| work=The New York Times
| first=Harlan J.
| last=Levy
}}</ref>

== Attractions ==
{{Main|Tourist attractions in the United States}}

Today, there exists a wide range of tourist attractions in the United States such as [[amusement park]]s, festivals, gambling, [[Golf|golf courses]], historical buildings and landmarks, hotels, museums, galleries, outdoor recreation, spas, restaurants and sports.

== Statistics ==
===Arrivals===
[[Image:US International Arrivals 1997-2007 chart.png|thumb|center|Chart of international arrivals to the United States, 1997-2007.]]

===Expenditure===
{{Expand section|date=June 2008}}

===Forecast===
The [[U.S. Department of Commerce]] forecasts: (in thousands)
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 100%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: left; width: 100%"
|-
!style="background: #ececec;"|Origin
!style="background: #ececec;"|2007<ref name="forecast">{{Citation
| date = October 2007
| title = Forecast of International Travel to the United States (Estimates in Thousands)
| publisher =
| url = http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2000-99-001/forecast/Forecast_World_Regions_to_web.pdf
| accessdate = May 18, 2008
}}</ref>
!style="background: #ececec;"|2008<ref name="forecast"/>
!style="background: #ececec;"|2009<ref name="forecast"/>
!style="background: #ececec;"|2010<ref name="forecast"/>
!style="background: #ececec;"|2011<ref name="forecast"/>
|-
|[[Canada]]
|16,691
|17,274
|17,847
|18,409
|18,960
|-
|[[Mexico]]
|13,717
|14,127
|14,529
|14,921
|15,304
|-
|[[Europe]]
|10,951
|11,407
|11,822
|12,230
|12,632
|-
|[[Asia]]
|6,348
|6,710
|7,050
|7,390
|7,730
|-
|[[South America]]
|2,166
|2,267
|2,367
|2,466
|2,564
|-
|[[Caribbean]]
|1,277
|1,316
|1,355
|1,394
|1,431
|-
|[[Central America]]
|737
|768
|798
|829
|860
|-
|[[Oceania]]
|804
|838
|872
|905
|937
|-
|[[Middle East]]
|600
|622
|644
|666
|688
|-
|[[Africa]]
|270
|282
|294
|306
|317
|-
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/ Office of Travel and Tourism Industries]
* [http://rsana.com/ Receptive Services Association of America]

{{Tourism in North America}}
{{United States topics}}

[[Category:Tourism in the United States| ]]

[[fr:Tourisme aux États-Unis]]
[[pt:Turismo nos Estados Unidos]]

Revision as of 10:43, 28 September 2010

The Grand Canyon of Arizona attracts approximately 4.41 million visitors each year.

Tourism in the United States sucks

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