More Tourists Make for More U.S. Jobs

What does an American export look like?  A jar of peanut butter?  A hunk of orange cheese?  The reality is much more complex.  Recent reports from the Commerce Department identify tourism to the United States as one of the most significant sources of exports in the United States.

International travelers enable millions of service sector jobs in the United States.  According to new data, those numbers are growing.  The U.S. can expect 6-8 percent average annual growth in tourism over the next five years.  Just this year, 64 million foreign travelers are projected to visit the United States, spending $144 billion during their stays, setting a new record for travel exports.

“Growth in travel and tourism – with many international visitors spending a lot of money in America – will help us achieve the President’s goal of doubling exports, which will support millions of American jobs,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Last year, our nation hosted a record-breaking number of international visitors, and the future looks even brighter.”

Perhaps the face of tourism in the country will shift somewhat to meet the expectations of the influx of tourists coming from China, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, and India. These are the countries with the greatest increase of travelers to this country.  Recruiters may be interested in keeping abreast of changes in this growing, lucrative sector of the American economy.