Welcome and Thanks for All the Jobs

Did you groan a little as you dodged groups of smiling, peace-sign-extending tourists while you crossed the Brooklyn Bridge after work?  Although tourism sometimes gets a bad rap, it has been a critical, lucrative boon for the U.S. economy.

Sixty million tourists chose to visit the United States during the previous calendar year.  U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced that this is a record-breaking number of international visitors.  The 2010 figure shatters  the previous record set in 2000 by 17 percent.  These international travelers spent more than $134 billion during their visits, a 12 percent increase from 2009.

So, how many people benefit from this large number of guests?  The U.S. Department of Commerce calculates that the travel and tourism industry is a $1.3 trillion sector of the U.S. economy, supporting 7.8 million American jobs. The U.S. Department of Commerce claims that these jobs are spread throughout virtually every sector of the economy.  As a recruiter, where do you see evidence of this job stimulation from tourism?

More people from France, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, Italy, the People’s Republic of China and India chose to visit last year than every before.